Graduate Student Newsletter – Week of January 25, 2021

Announcements:

    1. The deadline to apply to the Graduate Program in Education Awards & Scholarships is February 1, 2021; find the application on our forms page (https://www.yorku.ca/edu/students/graduate-programs/graduate-forms/#awards).

    2. Full-time PhD ONLY: Blanket applications for 2021-22: The window to submit blanket applications for the upcoming academic year is now open (as of November 15)! Deadline to submit your application is January 31! Applications for positions in the Faculty of Education should be sent to academicprograms@edu.yorku.ca. Full-time students can find the CUPE-1 application at https://3903.cupe.ca/resources/other-useful-forms-ii/. Remember to check off the “blanket application” box, and also indicate if you are interested in completing a “ticket” (teaching an undergraduate course). Students are welcome to apply to positions in other Faculties as well at https://cupejobs.uit.yorku.ca; applicants must apply to each Faculty directly.
    3. Applying to one of our Graduate Programs in Education:
        • Note that ALL components of the application (including references) are due by the deadline.
        • Submit your online application at least three weeks in advance of the deadline in order to give your references time to complete their components of your application! (It will take approximately 7-10 business days to obtain your MyFile link, and then you will need to add references’ information; they need two weeks to complete their submission.)
    4. Diploma courses will be available each term, but the core courses are usually only available in one of the three terms each year. 
    5. FGS has been assured by Student Financial Services that refunds to graduate students with credit balances are ongoing; however, due to high volume, refunds are currently taking up to 15 business days to be processed. 
    6. Reminder: Please always provide your full name and student number when sending email enquiries to the Graduate Program Office.  
    7. Please submit a completed Course Transaction Form to the Graduate Program Office if you would like to request for a course extension (grade submission deferral).
    8. The Graduate Program in Education and other offices at York University are closed, but operations are continuing online. If you need assistance, please email us directly. Latest updates on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) can be found at https://coronavirus.info.yorku.ca/.
    9. REGISTRATION and enrolling in courses:
        • Check the FGS – Important Dates website for deadlines, registration/enrolment, or to add and drop courses.
        • Students admitted to a graduate diploma, master’s degree program or doctoral degree program must maintain continuous registration, including payment of applicable fees, in every fall, winter and summer term up to and including the term in which all requirements for their program of study are successfully completed.
        • If a course is full; until the deadline please keep checking back online for empty seats. There is constant movement in courses throughout the terms, and if someone drops a course, a space will open immediately in the system.
        • Please be aware that only the Course Director can provide permission to increase the size of their class beyond the established maximum, and the fire code of the room is also a factor.
    10. Students should link their banking information to their student accounts for the ease of refunds on your student account.
    11.  If you have passed your second term and are completing an MRP or Thesis, or if you are a Doctoral student and have passed your sixth term, please be sure to complete a Supervisor & Supervisory Committee Approval form and submit it to the graduate program office immediately. Please find further details on the checklists.
    12. Attention regarding advertisement of final oral exam: Oral exams are normally a public academic event. However, if the student and the supervisor prefer not to have the exam public, they must inform the Graduate Office in Education upon submission of the Recommendation for Oral Examination form.
    13.  Feel free to join our Facebook group and post articles, events and other information that you think is relevant to your fellow students! You can also visit our direct Facebook page.

Convocation & Graduation 

  1. The deadline to apply online for February graduation has passed as the online application for February 2021 graduation is now closed.
  2. If you missed applying online to graduate for February 2021 Graduation, contact us with your full name and student number a.s.a.p.
    • It is the student’s responsibility to be sure they have met all of the requirements to graduate prior to applying to graduate but if you are unsure of something please contact us gradprogram@edu.yorku.ca
    • The Graduate Program in Education (GPE) Office will evaluate your eligibility to graduate (degree audit) during Mid-December and the first two weeks of January.
  1. Read the “Graduate in February” document on our forms page for additional important details.
    • If you are enrolled in Fall term (Sept-Dec) courses: You must inform the course director that you have applied to graduate, and that your final grade (this can be an interim grade) will need to be submitted two weeks prior to the December FGS deadline in order for you to graduate. The sooner you inform the course director, the sooner we can work together on getting your final grade posted on time.
  1. Read the following “need to know” graduation/convocation information/links and graduating with a diploma information/links.
    • Your status will not be projected anywhere online, and we will only contact you directly if there are issues with your degree audit.
    • If you have applied to graduate and have not received an email from us during the audit process, you are all set to attend convocation and must go to the Convocation Website for further information on next steps and how to R.S.V.P.
    • If you are requesting to graduate with a Diploma be sure to follow the steps outlined in the “Graduate in February” document above … the “Convocation-Diploma” form and the “Diploma Checklist” indicated in the “Graduate in February” document above must be completed and submitted to us a.s.a.p.
    • If you are not attending convocation and want to pick up your diploma after convocation, you can do so at Registrarial Services (W120 Bennett Centre for Student Services) or request that it be sent to you.

If you have applied to graduate for February, then once your eligibility to graduate has been confirmed following an audit of your final Fall 2020 grades (approx. Mid-January), your status will be reflected on your grade report and transcript and your name will appear on YU Verify as having graduated.

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, it is currently unclear if there will be a June convocation ceremony in-person or not. Please find details about ceremonies at https://www.yorku.ca/convocation/.)