Categories and Roles of External Members

The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research recognizes that graduate education is enhanced through our connections to the communities we serve. External members are members of the community who receive accreditation in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research to teach classes, co-supervise students or serve on committees. Details on how to get accreditation for external members can be found at the Nomination Procedures page.

Categories of External Members

The possible categories of external members are listed below.

1. Adjunct Professors are usually academics either from another institution or not affiliated with an institution. They are eligible to: co-supervise; supervise internships, practicums and co-op reports; serve as committee members; and teach graduate classes. Typically adjunct appointments are for three to five years.
2. Professional Associates are non-academics with expertise in some field. Individuals nominated as Professional Associates have valuable skills, education, and experience, but do not necessarily meet the criteria equivalent to that required for a tenured faculty position. They are eligible to supervise internships, field practicums and co-op reports.
3. Elders are respected members of the community, often with specialized knowledge regarding Indigenous issues. They are eligible to co-supervise and serve as committee members depending on the individual’s education and experience, as well as the needs of the academic unit of appointment.
4. Single-Purpose accreditation may be sought in cases in which an academic unit wishes to appoint an individual to act as a Practicum Associate, to sit on a student’s examining committee, or to teach a graduate class. Typically single-purpose accreditation does not extend beyond the period of time required to complete the purpose for which accreditation was sought.

Note: External members of FGSR may not serve as External Examiners in the academic unit with which they are associated, or serve as the Internal-External on the supervisory committee of doctoral students.

Roles of External Members

The following table summarizes the roles that the different external members can have in graduate supervision.  In special cases, exceptions can be made by a request to FGSR.

***Eligible only where pre-existing formal agreements permit, such as Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy supervision between University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina.