Graduate FAQs
Table of Contents
General
Do I automatically get a mailbox in the Departmental mailroom?
Yes. Shared student mailboxes are located in B542 Loeb. Please empty often!
Is there shared space for all graduate students (aside from individual lab space)?
Yes, A620 Loeb is a designated computer lab for Psychology graduate students. The room can be accessed using your student card (you must set up your door access PIN on 杏吧原创 Central).
Room Reservations
To reserve a room for a mid-term or a make-up exam, contact Grad Psychology, a minimum of one week in advance of the date. Specify day, time, duration of the exam and the number of students.
What are the hours of the Psychology offices and the mailroom?
Weekdays, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The office is closed during lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm.
Who do I see about getting keys for my office/lab?
Your supervisor must submit a request to Kaitlin Barkley, Departmental Administrator, for you to get lab keys. There is a $10 deposit per key, which will be refunded upon return of the keys.
Course Selection & Enrollment
Can I take 鈥渆xtra鈥 courses and will they count towards a future degree?
If you successfully complete courses in excess of your program requirements, inform the Graduate Administrator which courses you would like to declare ETD (extra to degree). Required courses cannot be declared ETD. After graduation, you can request that the course not previously used in a degree be transferred to your new program if remaining in the same discipline at 杏吧原创.
Can I take a course from another discipline?
Only if you have received approval from the Graduate Chair. Submit your request to the Graduate Chair explaining how this course is important to your research and your degree and include the relevant course outline with your request prior to registering in the course. If approved, the course will count towards your degree
What are Directed Studies (PSYC 5900/6900) or Independent Research (PSYC 5901/6901)?
- A Directed Study is an in-depth investigation of selected problems in psychology by means of directed library research.
- An Independent Research involves either data collection or data analysis.
- There is a maximum of one registration in either Directed Studies OR Independent Research.
- The application can be found on the 鈥Forms鈥 section of the website.
- Completed application forms should be submitted to the Graduate Chair for approval by September 1st for fall term, January 3rd for winter term, and May 1st for summer term.
What is a practicum? What is the process?
The practicum offers students the opportunity to gain experience in a range of applied psychology settings with the goal of integrating academic and practical aspects of psychology. This course cannot be repeated for credit. Students will receive a grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
An information package, including agency-student contract and evaluation form can be found on the 鈥楶racticum Course Page鈥 section of the website.
What is the deadline to submit my paper for Directed Studies or Independent Research?
A final report must be submitted to the supervisor of the Directed Studies or Independent Research. A graded paper must then be submitted to the Graduate Administrator in the departmental office by the 5th day after the last day of class.
When should I register for Directed Studies/Independent Research?
Students are to register in these courses only in the term the paper will be submitted to their supervisor. Note that you must receive approval from the Graduate Chair before you begin to work on the project, even if registration will be occurring in a future term.
Prospectus/Thesis
What is the deadline to defend my prospectus?
There is no time limit for master鈥檚 candidates to defend their prospectus. However, it should be discussed with your supervisor. Typically, MA students should strive to defend their prospectus by the end of their 3rd term.
For doctoral students, the prospectus must be defended by the end of the 7th term for full-time students and by the end of the 10th term for part-time students.
What is the prospectus defence like? (e.g., what is the process and where does it take place)?
All students are expected to submit and orally defend a thesis prospectus.
The prospectus examination is defended at an oral examination. To set up this examination you must fill out a Prospectus Examination Approval Form that must be approved by the Graduate Chair two weeks prior to the examination date. Please visit the 鈥Forms鈥 section of the website to download it.
As soon as the Graduate Chair approves your committee, the Graduate Assistant will send you an official notification confirming your committee and will reserve the room and a laptop for the examination.
What is the deadline to submit my prospectus to my committee?
You are responsible for ensuring that all committee members and the Graduate Administrator receive a copy of the prospectus two weeks prior to the examination date.
Who will be on my prospectus committee?
- The MA prospectus committee consists of an advisor and one or two departmental committee members.
- The Ph.D. prospectus committee consists of an advisor and two departmental committee members.
- Only one adjunct may sit on the committee; this includes the advisor. If you have two co-advisors you still need to have two other departmental committee members.
When should I start working on my thesis?
Discuss this with your supervisor.
Who should be at the thesis defence?
- For MA students, it is the same committee as your prospectus (departmental committee member number 2 may opt in or out of the final defence), plus a chair and an internal-external examiner (Internal to 杏吧原创 University but External to the Department of Psychology). You may have guests but you must first inform the Graduate Administrator who will let the Chair of Examination Committee know.
- For PhD students, it is the same examination committee as your prospectus, plus an external examiner (expert in the area if your thesis but outside of 杏吧原创) and an internal/external examiner (Internal to 杏吧原创 University but External to the Department of Psychology). You may have guests but you must first inform the Graduate Administrator who will inform the Chair of the Examination Committee.
Funding and Research
Where can I get information about funding?
description of all scholarships and relevant deadlines.
Who should I ask for assistance for travel funding?
If you are a full-time student whose paper or poster has been accepted to a conference, you will find the Travel Bursary application on 杏吧原创 Central.
Is there extra bookable lab space for research experiments?
Normally, laboratory space for experimentation is assigned by your supervisor. 鈥媃ou should discuss your needs with them.
What is Mass testing?
Students taking PSYC 1001, 1002, 2001 and 2002 are eligible to participate in psychology research for grade-raising credit. These students form the 鈥減articipant pool鈥 for much of the research that is conducted by our department. Some research will require information about a participant prior to selecting them to participate in the study (a pre-selection measure), in order to ensure equal groups (e.g. equal numbers of introverts and extraverts). Some research will require a questionnaire to be administered separately from the main study in order to reduce demand characteristics. In order to accomplish this, the department will 鈥渕ass test鈥 all of the students in the participant pool in September. Researchers who are interested in submitting a questionnaire for mass testing will be invited to do so in August. Mass testing is NOT for scale development, nor for the administration of a questionnaire study in itself.
How do I submit an ethics application?
Review all information regarding ethics.
Graduation
Do I need to apply to graduate?
Yes, otherwise you will not graduate. All you will have is a fulfillment of the program requirements. Don鈥檛 wait until your thesis is deposited to apply to graduate.
The deadlines to apply to graduate are as follows:
- April 1 for Spring Convocation (June)
- August 31聽for Fall Convocation (November) There is no ceremony, but you will be invited to participate in the Spring convocation.
- November 30 for Winter Convocation (February) There is no ceremony, but you will be invited to participate in the Spring convocation.
Late graduation applications will incur a fee.
You must apply to graduate online at .
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