GGR Revisions + Updates

GGR 1.2 Administration of the Faculty of Graduate Studies

• Details on Senate document S.25-140
• This GGR change clarifies that students that are enrolled in programs with course work or capstone completion options do not require a supervisor or supervisory committee. Additionally, it identifies the faculty role in providing academic advising to those graduate students.

GGR 1.3 Admissions

• Details on Senate document S.25-162
• This GGR change removes Admission as a Qualifying Student  as an admission category. This category was rarely used and is available to only domestic students. Programs that wish to admit applicants to a graduate program can use the Conditional Admission category and may designate specific undergraduate courses as admissions conditions.

GGR 1.4 Enrollment

• Details on Senate document S.25-141
• The changes to this GGR are mainly language improvements and clarifications.

GGR 1.6 Supervision

• Details on Senate document S.25-181
• This GGR change aligns with previous GGR revisions such as the removal of Supervision of a Qualifying Student and other minor editorial changes to provide clarity to language.

GGR 1.7 Program Requirements

• Details on Senate document S.25-142
• This GGR change includes the merger of 1.7.2a and 1.7.2b into one single category (1.7.2a) along with other language clarifications to improve clarity.

GGR 1.9 Preparation for Examinations

• Details on Senate document S.25-122
• This GGR change clarifies the examining committee requirements and potential conflicts of interest. The change also provides an option for the student to invite a non-academic specialist to participate in the examination as an advisor to the committee.

GGR 1.10 Examinations

• Details on Senate document S.25-143
• The changes on this GGR  clarify the composition and responsibilities of examining committees.

GGR 1.11 Publication of Thesis

• Details on Senate document S.25-144
• This GGR change clarifies language around reproduction and archiving.

GGR 1.12 Time Limit for Program Completion

• Details on Senate document S.25-145
• The changes on this GGR are mainly to clarify intention and improve language. The language around program accommodations for disability has been revised and further clarification has been provided in the extensions section.

GGR 1.6.7 Safe and Ethical Conduct of Research (previously Human Subjects Ethics Review

• Details on Senate document S.25-14
• Addresses the responsibility of supervisors to ensure that students adhere to the appropriate protocols and policies and extends the responsibility for supervision to research involving animals, biohazards, and dangerous levels of radiation in alliance with SFU policies.

GGR 1.3.10 Admission of a Non-degree Student

• Details on Senate document S.24-125
• This GGR change articulates how graduate students can apply graduate units earned at SFU while a non-degree student towards their graduate credential. This change treats graduate units earned at SFU on the same basis as graduate credits earned at peer institutions.

GGR 1.7.7a Transfer Credit and 1.7.7b Advance Credit

• Details on Senate document S.24-143
• Updates to the language of these GGRs clarify the distinction between transfer credit and advance credit.

GGR 1.12.1 Time Limit and 1.12.2 Extensions

• Details on Senate document S.24-143
• Changes to these GGRs provide clarity on time limit and the requirement of a completion plan for students seeking extension to the time limit. This will allow students to seek guidance from their supervisor and plan their extension for successful completion of their program.

GGR 1.3.6c Admissions to an Accelerated Master’s

• Details on Senate document S.24-155
• This GGR change allows more students to be able to take the accelerated pathway because of the reduced minimum CGPA requirement. Please note that academic units can continue to require higher minimum CGPA.

GGR 1.3.3 English Language Competence

• Details on Senate document S.24-105
• The minimum scores for English Language Competence is reduced to align with peer institutions. Please note that graduate programs have the option to select higher English language proficiency requirements. Details available at Program-level English Language Proficiency Requirements Form.

GGR 1.7.7c Laddering Credit

• Details on Senate document S.24-105
• This GGR change is the development of a new type of credit to allow more options and pathways for students. Laddered pathways need to be approved in advance.  For questions related to establishing new laddered pathways, please reach out to Graduate Studies at gscurric@sfu.ca. 

GGR 1.17 Minimum Funding

• A reminder that according to GGR 1.3.1, students are admitted to graduate programs. Funding commitments are, therefore, made by the graduate program, which is responsible for ensuring that the student is funded for the duration of the guaranteed funding period. Oversight of funding minima is the shared responsibility of supervisors, supervisory committees, graduate program committees, faculties and Graduate Studies (GGR 1.17.6).
• When students accept RA or TA assignments in addition to the guaranteed sources of funding throughout the academic year, the funding associated with the sources of funding defined in the annual minima should not be reduced as long as students continue to meet the expectations associated with satisfactory performance and satisfactory progress in the duties associated with existing assignments. (GGR 1.17.7) Conversely, if an RA or TAship is part of the student’s funding package and the student declines and/or does not apply for the position(s), the annual funding offered to the student will be reduced by the amount associated with the funding that has been declined or not applied for. This may result in annual funding that is below the guaranteed minimum. (GGR 1.17.10).

GGR 1.8.1 Progress Evaluation

• Updates to the language in the GGR to clarify that a copy of the progress report should also be submitted to Graduate Studies at least once per year.  Programs that already use the Graduate Progress Report (GPR) in goSFU are not impacted and do not need to take any action.  Any programs that are not currently onboarded to the GoSFU GPR can reach out to gpr@sfu.ca for more information.

GGR 1.4.5 Leave of Absence and Academic Breaks  

• Changes to the GGR include: 
  • simplifying the types of leaves into two broad categories: leaves that count toward time to completion and leaves that do not count; 
  • updating parental leave category to allow up to 5 terms of parental leave to be in alignment with the extended parental leave offered by the federal government. 
• Please use the new Leave of Absence Form available on our website.