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Program Changes and Program Transfers

Program Changes. Requests for changes to an approved program of studies must be initiated by the student, supported by the student's supervisor, the Graduate Program Coordinator and the Associate Dean (Grad) of the faculty associated with the program. The request should be made through UR Self Service -> Students -> Graduate Student Requests. All program changes must be approved by the Dean of FGSR and in some instances vetted by an FGSR committee before they are considered official.  If a student wishes to take a course outside of the approved course outline, it must be judged relevant to the student's research focus and not compromise the program in any way. The minimal percentage passing grade in all courses is 70% irrespective of whether the course is considered a formal course requirement.

Program Transfers. Students are to complete a Request for Graduate Transfer Within a Graduate Program form through UR Self Service -> Students -> Graduate Student Requests*. Requests for a transfer is to be initiated by the student, supported by the student's supervisor, the Graduate Program Coordinator, and the Associate Dean, (Grad) of the faculty associated with the program.   Program transfers include:

  • transfer of program route (thesis, project, practicum, course based, internship),
  • transfer from one area of study to another within the same degree*
  • transfer in level (Master's to Doctoral or vice versa)*
  • laddering from graduate certificate program into master’s degree program**

An outline of what courses are transferring to the new program should accompany these requests.

Students seeking to change from one degree to another, or to a different academic unit, must submit a new application and pay the associated fee.

*Please note, some transfer requests cannot be accommodated online. If you are unable to select the appropriate transfer option online please contact FGSR for a paper request form.

**Admission requirements must be met for the Master’s degree program, and students must receive permission from their unit to pursue this option. A unit reserves the right to require students to submit a new application for the Master’s degree program. Students should note the following when requesting a program transfer:

For programs that have an embedded certificate option:
  • A student who has been admitted to the graduate certificate program can transfer into the Master’s degree program and earn both credentials. However, the graduate certificate will only be awarded upon completion of the requirements for the Master's degree.
For programs without an embedded certificate option:
  • A student who wishes to transfer to the Master’s degree program would receive transfer credit for courses completed during the certificate program but would forfeit the certificate. Upon completion of the requirements for the Master’s degree program, they would graduate only with the Master’s degree.

Transfer from a Thesis-based Master's Degree to a Ph.D. Program
Academic units are expected to reserve this option for only those students with demonstrated superior scholarly performance at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The request is to be vetted through the appropriate graduate committee in the academic unit and the recommendation is to be made by the Head (or Dean as appropriate). Only after an academic unit is satisfied that a prospective Ph.D. student has demonstrated a standard of excellence in study and research consistent with the requirements for the degree will a recommendation be forwarded to the Dean of FGSR.

The following conditions are to be met before a transfer request will be considered:

  1. The request will normally be made between 12 and 24 months of full-time study towards a thesis-based master's degree. This is to allow sufficient time to evaluate both the course work and thesis research progress of the candidate.
  2. The student's academic performance in undergraduate and graduate classes must be of uniform first class (i.e. 80% or more) standing. It is normally expected that such candidates would be at the level sufficient to obtain, or be in very serious contention, for a national award, if eligible.
  3. The student's research progress during the period of the master's program under consideration must exceed normal expectations. Typically, a research report written by the student will be provided to support this claim.
  4. The proposed Ph.D. research topic should be a natural extension of, or be closely related to, the master's research topic. Therefore, it is expected that in most instances the already completed master's research will form part of the Ph.D. thesis.
  5. The request must receive the approval of the candidate's supervisor(s) as well as the Head of the academic unit.

The completed recommendation for transfer will be sent to the Dean of FGSR for consideration. The proposed supervisory committee should be identified at the time the request is forwarded.