Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP)
Student Orientation Guide
Draft Date: February 3, 2010
Prepared By:
Stefan Mendritzki
Graduate Representative Council Member for IGP
Lee Tasker
PhD Candidate, IGP
Table of Contents
DOCUMENT OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................................... 3
PROGRAM HISTORY AND OBJECTIVES............................................................................................................... 3
THE IGP EXPERIENCE ............................................................................................................................................... 4
THE IGP ADVANTAGE .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Tailoring Your Studies to Fit Your Interests .............................................................................................................4
Studying the Bigger Picture.............................................................................................................................................4
Graduating with an IGP Degree .....................................................................................................................................5
THE IGP TRADE-OFFS ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
No Place to Call Home ........................................................................................................................................................5
The Need to Network..........................................................................................................................................................5
NAVIGATING THE STAGES OF YOUR DEGREE .................................................................................................. 6
MASTER’S ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Completing Course Work ..................................................................................................................................................6
Research Proposal ...............................................................................................................................................................6
Ethics Approval ....................................................................................................................................................................6
Conducting Research ..........................................................................................................................................................7
Writing Your Thesis ............................................................................................................................................................7
Defending and Depositing Your Thesis .......................................................................................................................8
PHD ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Completing Course Work ..................................................................................................................................................8
Research Proposal ...............................................................................................................................................................9
Candidacy ExamS ................................................................................................................................................................9
Ethics Approval ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Conducting Research ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
Writing Your Thesis ......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Defending and Depositing Your Dissertation ........................................................................................................ 11
1
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES .................................................................................................................................... 12
ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS ................................................................................................................................................... 12
THE BEST LAID PLANS............................................................................................................................................................... 13
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ....................................................................................................................................... 13
GRAD 601 .................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
FUNDING SOURCES...................................................................................................................................................................... 13
GRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION ..................................................................................................................................... 14
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS (PHD ONLY) .............................................................................................................................. 14
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES...................................................................................................................................................... 14
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES ................................................................................................................................................. 15
LIBRARY SERVICES...................................................................................................................................................................... 15
WRITING CENTRE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15
TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTRE ......................................................................................................................................... 15
RESEARCH SERVICES AND RESEARCH ACCOUNTING............................................................................................................. 16
IGP CONTACTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 16
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
THE GRADUATE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL ......................................................................................................................... 16
2
DOCUMENT OVERVIEW
Welcome to the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP). This document is intended to
help you, the IGP student, successfully navigate the academic stages and administrative
aspects of your IGP degree. If you are a prospective student, this information may assist you
in assessing whether IGP is a good fit for you.
The information presented was developed based on the information IGP students provided
in the survey sent to them on May 29, 2009 and from the experience of current IGP
students. It was generated by students for students. Though every effort has been made to
ensure the accuracy of the information presented here, this document does not replace
important information (deadlines, formal procedures, etc.) prepared by the Faculty of
Graduate Studies (FGS) and IGP. Feedback on errors or omissions is welcomed.
PROGRAM HISTORY AND OBJECTIVES
The Interdisciplinary Graduate Program and its predecessors have a long history at the
University of Calgary, having been founded in 1968, only two years after the university
received its charter. Throughout its history the program has evolved with the university
at large and remains one of its unique institutions. Originally the Committee for
Resources and the Environment, the program facilitated interdisciplinary graduate
research in the discipline transcending problems of Resources and Environment. The
program began offering Master’s degrees in this area in 1968. In 1996 the program
added doctoral degrees and was renamed the Resources and Environment Program. The
program continued to grow, and the breadth of research being done within it began
transcending its original problem domain. The diversity of problem domains was
recognized in the 2004 name change to the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Today,
students in IGP study a wide variety of topics which involve faculty from most faculties
on campus. Examples of topics taken on by IGP students can be found by looking at the
list of theses completed by students on the IGP website:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/igp/studentcentre/theses.
In its current form, the program continues the tradition of offering opportunities for
student-driven interdisciplinary research at the graduate level (Master’s and PhD). It is
interdisciplinary in the truest sense of the word, by requiring that the courses and thesis
combine at least three areas from across the university. Applicants propose the research
topic and research supervisors to suit their proposed project (subject to supervisory
availability). The supervisory committee must have links with at least three departments.
3
The Program is research and thesis based, but includes the opportunity to select from
most courses offered on campus.
The Program’s academic strength stems from the breadth of qualified faculty members
across departments from which supervisors can be drawn. The Interdisciplinary Graduate
Program has the largest contingent of academic expertise of any academic unit on
campus.
The Program is particularly well suited for self-motivated learners and mature,
independent researchers who are distinguished by their commitment to the academic path
they wish to pursue.
THE IGP EXPERIENCE
If you are looking for a place to do truly interdisciplinary research then IGP may be right for
you. In offering this experience, IGP has advantages and disadvantages relative to
traditional disciplinary programs. These will be outlined in this section.
THE IGP ADVANTAGE
TAILORING YOUR STUDIES TO FIT YOUR INTERESTS
Rather than fitting into a pre-existing university course of study, IGP offers you an
opportunity to create an individual study program that meets your specific interests. You
choose the courses which best reflect your academic goals. This may include developing
individual reading courses. Course selection and development is done in consultation with
your supervisory committee (which you choose as well).
STUDYING THE BIGGER PICTURE
The IGP approach allows you to view a particular issue of interest from multiple
disciplinary domains, which widens the scope of how you view your topic. IGP is
considered an innovative approach to graduate studies because it allows you to be creative
in your thinking and incorporate this into your studies from the outset.
4
GRADUATING WITH AN IGP DEGREE
You will graduate with an IGP degree. This can have its advantages and disadvantages.
While Calgary’s IGP is over 40 years old and other universities are implementing IGP
programs into their graduate studies programs, prospective employers and others may not
be familiar with the concept of interdisciplinarity. A commitment to interdisciplinarity
requires a willingness to explain the benefits of interdisciplinarity when discussing your
degree.
THE IGP TRADE-OFFS
By its nature, IGP exists in the space between disciplines and hence it is virtually located.
This may cause difficulties for some students, especially those who function best when
working in a traditional departmental setting.
NO PLACE TO CALL HOME
Other than an administrative office, there is no designated space on campus for the IGP
department. Thus, there is no designated office space for the IGP students. This is not to say
that IGP students cannot find office space, it means you must be resourceful in locating it.
THE NEED TO NETWORK
Within a more traditional department of study, there is more of an immediate sense of
collegiality between students and with faculty, because: 1) there is the common
denominator of a disciplinary approach; and 2) a home department defines a natural
network. The IGP approach can create networking challenges when developing an
academic and social community of support because it lacks these components. It is up the
IGP student to create and maintain a coalition of academic and social resources.
Of course the IGP department fosters a strong sense of academics and it has great gettogethers (and continues to create opportunities for its student population to come
together). But these events must be planned. As an IGP student, you are encouraged to get
involved as much as possible to create these opportunities.
5
NAVIGATING THE STAGES OF YOUR DEGREE
So, you are now an IGP student. What’s next? This section provides an overview of the
stages you will progress through to completion of your IGP degree. It is divided into two
sections: Master’s and PhD.
MASTER’S
COMPLETING COURSE WORK
Completing your course work is typically the first step in the academic process. As part of
the admissions seminar, you and your supervisory committee created a Program of Study,
which included your Areas of Study and example courses for each. You should carefully
create a schedule of courses you plan to take so as to be able to finish your courses within a
reasonable timeframe. Be aware of when courses are offered. Also, remember that you are
not required to take the exact courses stipulated in your Program of Study. Rather, you
must fulfill your Areas of Study; there may be courses other than the examples provided in
your admissions documents which would be acceptable. If in doubt, ask the Program
Administrator for guidance.
For full time students, course work is typically completed within 12 months.
Note that you will not be able to use PeopleSoft to register for your courses. Instead you
must complete a Change of Registration form. This must be signed first by the course
instructor, then by your supervisor, and finally submitted to the IGP office for approval.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
A research proposal was developed as part of the admissions requirement to IGP. Following
the completion of your course work, and based on any new knowledge gained, you might
need to “fine tune” some areas of your proposal. At this stage, your finalized research
proposal must be approved by your committee.
ETHICS APPROVAL
If your research requires ethics approval (as decided at your admission seminar) you will
need to prepare your application for ethics approval. Currently, there are two research
ethics boards – the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB) and the Conjoint
6
Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB). You are responsible for determining which
research ethics board is responsible for reviewing your application. This and other
information related to ethics can be found on the Research Services and Research
Accounting website at http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/
Once you submit your application, it may take from three weeks to two or more months to
receive ethics approval. This depends on the amount of additional information and/or
refinements that the ethics review committee requests from you.
If you have never prepared an ethics application, it is recommended you work closely with
your supervisor, review other candidates applications, and access all resources available to
prepare the application. This might include a meeting with the administrator in the ethics
department to discuss your topic, especially if there are any unique issues about your topic
that may require additional time to investigate. If this is done in advance of submitting your
application, it might reduce the time needed to get ethics approval.
CONDUCTING RESEARCH
The time-line needed to complete this stage depends upon a variety of factors including the
design of your study, the type of data you are gathering, and keeping in mind that you will
have to have successfully defended your thesis within 4 years of starting a full-time
program.
WRITING YOUR THESIS
There is an expression in graduate studies called “all but dissertation (ABD)”. It is
estimated that most graduate students successfully navigate all but the dissertation phase
of their degree and seem to get stuck in the writing process.
To avoid this, the IGP candidate, like all candidates, will need to access a variety of
resources on-campus, on-line, in books, and through other sources to prepare them for
writing a document of this nature well. The writing should not be left to the end. Instead,
you should prepare a schedule that includes time to draft each chapter or section, time for
your supervisor and/or supervisory committee members to review these drafts, and time to
prepare the final draft.
When writing your final draft, it is important to keep in mind regulations surrounding
theses. Current policies can be found at: http://grad.ucalgary.ca/policies/thesis. Matters of
copyright, intellectual property, and related information can be found in such articles such
as the “Interpretative Notes For Students” at the Research Services and Research
Accounting website at http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/
7
DEFENDING AND DEPOSITING YOUR THESIS
Scheduling a defense date is a time consuming process which may take up to two months,
considering formal procedures to be followed and the complex task of coordinating
schedules. For a detailed understanding of the formal process, refer to the FGS Handbook:
http://grad.ucalgary.ca/policies/handbooks/. Also remember to leave time for revisions,
as all deadlines in terms of convocation dates are relative to submitting your revised thesis.
You will continue to pay fees until revisions are complete. Furthermore, keep in mind
key deadlines from the Faculty of Graduate Studies: http://grad.ucalgary.ca/deadlines.
Note that as outlined in these deadlines, you must apply for graduation (via Student
Centre) well in advance of your convocation date. This step is mandatory and
independent of scheduling your defence.
Once you have successfully defended your thesis and made the necessary changes, you must
submit copies of your thesis and the appropriate paperwork before you are cleared to
convocate. The process to follow can be found at: http://grad.ucalgary.ca/policies/thesis.
PHD
COMPLETING COURSE WORK
Completing your course work is typically the first step in the academic process. As part of
the admissions seminar, you and your supervisory committee created a Program of Study,
which included your Areas of Study and example courses for each. You should carefully
create a schedule of courses you plan to take so as to be able to finish your courses within a
reasonable timeframe. Be aware of when courses are offered. Also, remember that you are
not required to take the exact courses stipulated in your Program of Study. Rather, you
must fulfill your Areas of Study; there may be courses other than the examples provided in
your admissions documents which would be acceptable. If in doubt, ask the Program
Administrator for guidance.
In planning for your course work, keep in mind that the 28 month maximum for
successfully completing your candidacy exams. Given that the candidacy process discussed
below takes a minimum of six months, this means you should be completed courses in a
maximum of 22 months.
8
Note that you will not be able to use PeopleSoft to register for your courses. Instead you
must complete a Change of Registration form. This must be signed first by the course
instructor, then by your supervisor, and finally submitted to the IGP office for approval.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
A research proposal was developed as part of the admissions requirement to IGP. Following
the completion of your course work, and based on any new knowledge gained, you might
need to “fine tune” some areas of your proposal. At this stage, your research proposal must
be approved by your committee. This prepares you for the next stage: candidacy exams.
CANDIDACY EXAMS
This section provides an overview of the candidacy exam process for the IGP doctoral
student. It is not intended to replace the information in the IGP Candidacy Examination
Policies and Procedures section as part of the FGS Handbook of Supervision and
Examination Doctoral Degrees.
At a minimum, you will need six months to prepare for, write, and defend your candidacy
exams. You will be working closely with your supervisor to discuss your candidacy
examination committee.
Preparing for the Candidacy Exams
There is much to complete in this stage of your degree. You will be working closely with
your supervisor and the IGP administrator in the initial stages of this phase.
Concurrently, you will be in discussion with the IGP administrator who will assist you in
setting a specified period to start and finish your exams. This includes time to research the
questions, write the essays and submit copies to your committee members and external
examiner. Make sure you have allowed yourself sufficient time to schedule the oral defence
keeping in mind that at least 7 people will be in attendance and they have to schedule their
time too. This includes any professors’ sabbaticals.
Preparing for the candidacy exams involves developing a list of literature based on the
course work you have completed. This is not an infinitum list of all the literature you have
reviewed to date, but a comprehensive list that includes the most relevant literature related
to your topic. You will submit this to your committee members, who in turn, will review it,
and your research proposal, and then prepare a set of questions. Your exam then becomes
answering these questions in essay format (and adhering to the FGS guidelines).
9
Take advantage of peer support or other seminars that may be available to help you prepare
for this exam.
Research and Writing the Essays
Other than preparing for the final defence of your dissertation, the candidacy exam period is
one of the most stressful times of a doctoral studies academic life. Be prepared to devote
your full attention to this exam. If you are working, you will likely need to arrange time off
during part or all of this stage. If you are the prime caregiver to children and/or elderly
parents, it is helpful to pre-arrange alternative caretaking during this stage.
Candidacy Oral Examination
There is about a two week period of time between submitting your exam to your candidacy
examination committee and the date you orally defend it. Most candidates describe this
period as the longest two weeks of their lives. This time is needed for the committee to
review your essays and prepare questions that they will ask you to answer in the oral
defence.
While the oral defence can be intimating, if you are well-prepared, this should be a time to
celebrate your academic accomplishments to date. This is a time for your committee to
support you in further honing relevant areas of your study. Your committee is not out to
trip you up, they are there to support you.
Once you have successfully defended your candidacy exam your status changes from
Student to Candidate. You have demonstrated the commensurate breadth and depth of
knowledge to conduct academic research and hence are a candidate for your PhD.
ETHICS APPROVAL
If your research requires ethics approval (as decided at your admission seminar) you will
need to prepare your application for ethics approval. Currently, there are two research
ethics boards – the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB) and the Conjoint
Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB). You are responsible for determining which
research ethics board is responsible for reviewing your application. This and other
information related to ethics can be found on the Research Services and Research
Accounting website at http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/
10
Once you submit your application, it may take from three weeks to two or more months to
receive ethics approval. This depends on the amount of additional information and/or
refinements that the ethics review committee requests from you.
If you have never prepared an ethics application, it is recommended you work closely with
your supervisor, review other candidates applications, and access all resources available to
prepare the application. This might include a meeting with the administrator in the ethics
department to discuss your topic, especially if there are any unique issues about your topic
that may require additional time to investigate. If this is done in advance of submitting your
application, it might reduce the time needed to get ethics approval.
CONDUCTING RESEARCH
The time-line needed to complete this stage depends upon a variety of factors including the
design of your study, the type of data you are gathering, and keeping in mind that you will
have to have successfully defended your thesis and deposited it within 6 years of starting a
full-time program.
WRITING YOUR DISSERTATION
There is an expression in graduate studies called “all but dissertation (ABD)”. It is
estimated that most graduate students successfully navigate all but the dissertation phase
of their degree and seem to get stuck in the writing process.
To avoid this, the IGP candidate, like all candidates, will need to access a variety of
resources on-campus, on-line, in books, and through other sources to prepare them for
writing a document of this nature well. The writing should not be left to the end. Instead,
you should prepare a schedule that includes time to draft each chapter or section, time for
your supervisor to review these drafts, and time to prepare the final draft.
When writing your final draft, it is important to keep in mind regulations surrounding
theses. Current policies can be found at: http://grad.ucalgary.ca//policies/thesis. Matters
of copyright, intellectual property, and related information can be found in such articles
such as the “Interpretative Notes For Students” at the Research Services and Research
Accounting website at http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/
DEFENDING AND DEPOSITING YOUR DISSERTATION
11
Scheduling a defense date is a time consuming process which may take up to two months,
considering formal procedures to be followed and the complex task of coordinating
schedules. For a detailed understanding of the formal process, refer to the FGS Handbook:
http://grad.ucalgary.ca/policies/handbooks/. Also remember to leave time for revisions,
as all deadlines in terms of convocation dates are relative to submitting your revised thesis.
You will continue to pay fees until revisions are complete. Furthermore, keep in mind
key deadlines from the Faculty of Graduate Studies: http://grad.ucalgary.ca/deadlines.
Note that as outlined in these deadlines, you must apply for graduation (via Student Centre)
well in advance of your convocation date. This step is mandatory and independent of
scheduling your defence.
Once you have successfully defended your dissertation and made the necessary changes,
you must submit copies of your dissertation and the appropriate paperwork before you are
cleared to convocate. The process to follow can be found at:
http://grad.ucalgary.ca/policies/thesis.
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
IGP offers a strong framework for the completion of the essential aspects of your degree.
But, because of unique aspect of this program, as outlined in “Navigating the Stages” section,
there are some administrative issues that will be your responsibility. This section provides
an overview of these aspects.
ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS
You are required to complete a yearly annual progress report. This is due either in January
or September, depending on the month you started your degree.
The IGP administrator will send students a template. Essentially there are three sections.
The first section is completed and signed by the student and includes a synopsis of your
achievements during the year in review and what you are planning to accomplish during
the upcoming year. Remember to fill in the ethics checkbox, as this is the most often
overlooked aspect of the form. The second section is completed and signed by your
supervisor to include his/her opinion of your progress. The third section is completed and
signed by the IGP Graduate Coordinator. Once this is complete you will receive a copy.
Preparing this document usually takes at least 3 weeks given that you and two other very
busy people need to review, comment and sign it. Remember that December and August,
12
that is, the months preceding the submission of the annual progress report, are typically
those months when most people are on vacation. Plan accordingly.
THE BEST LAID PLANS
Even the most diligent of students will encounter roadblocks and challenges along the way.
At best these will cause frustration that may be of an ongoing nature and at worst might
require you to request intervention of a formal nature.
A prudent first step is to get in touch with the Graduate Administrator (contact information
below) to ask how to proceed. Most matters can be resolved satisfactorily with a phone call
or two. You are responsible for alerting the appropriate individuals. If formal procedures
are needed (e.g. changes to your Program of Study, extension of deadlines, or a leave of
absence), formal written submissions may be required. A note of caution, be proactive and
inform the appropriate individuals within a reasonable period, as formal procedures take
time.
AVAILABLE RESOURCES
This section offers a list of some of the services offered. As a graduate student you are
encouraged to become familiar with all resources that are available to you at the University
of Calgary. The University of Calgary has an extensive set of resources to meet most of your
needs. If you are having difficulties/concerns in any area please take the time to find the
appropriate service to assist you.
GRAD 601
This guide has attempted to impart knowledge of particular interest to IGP students. New
students are also strongly encouraged to attend the Grad 601 event which introduces
general graduate student resources. Topics include: funding opportunities; overview of the
Health and Dental plan; writing and research resources; IT resources.
FUNDING SOURCES
Many funding sources are available to graduate students. Attending Grad 601 will
familiarize you with these resources. A brief list includes:
13

Tricouncil Scholarships (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR)

Open Scholarship/QEII Awards

GSA Awards and Bursaries

Teaching Assistantships (PhD only; details below)

Conference Funding (Research Services/GSA)
Additional funding opportunities are publicized in emails from the Faculty of Graduate
Studies as they become available.
GRADUATE STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
As a graduate student, you are automatically a member of the Graduate Students’
Association (GSA). Details about the services and programs offered by the GSA can be found
on the GSA website: www.gsa.ucalgary.ca. Programs particularly relevant to IGP students
include:



The UofC Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference (www.gradconference.ca)
Bursaries and Awards
Career and Mentorship Program
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS (PHD ONLY)
Funding for Teaching Assistantships is offered to the supervisors of IGP PhD students. This
funding may only be used for GTAs held by IGP students. IGP students may also be
appointed Sessional Instructors after successful completion of their candidacy exams. A
maximum of three Teaching Assistantships may be held and appointments may only be
made in the first four years of a program.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Keeping up-to-date on current policies surrounding important steps such as candidacy
exams and defending your thesis can save much frustration. Relevant sites, which are
mentioned in greater detail in the Navigating the Stages of your Degree section, to be aware
of are:
14



FGS Handbooks - http://grad.ucalgary.ca/policies/handbooks/
IGP web site - http://www.ucalgary.ca/igp/studentcentre/currentstudentinfo
FGS Thesis Policies - http://grad.ucalgary.ca//policies/thesis
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
The IT department offers students a variety of seminars including how to use statistical
software, providing downloads of Microsoft Word templates formatted for your thesis, and
help in statistically analysing your data. This and more information can be found at
http://www.ucalgary.ca/it/
LIBRARY SERVICES
As an IGP student, you will likely need to access more than one campus library. In some
libraries certain borrowing privileges and use of some computers are for specific
disciplines. If this happens to be one of the disciplines you are studying, it may be necessary
for your supervisor or committee member to make arrangements at that library to have
access to these.
Additionally, library services offers courses in how to use the thesis template, prepare
charts, etc., Contact library services at http://library.ucalgary.ca/contact-us for more
information.
WRITING CENTRE
You can register for group courses or one-to-one assistance to help you with your writing.
More information about what the writing centre offers can be found at
http://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/writing-centre.html
TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTRE
TLC provides courses to improve your teaching and research communications skills. These
include courses on TA Preparedness and explaining your research to a general audience
(Research Outreach Program). These courses are free to graduate students (partially
through the support of Quality Money). Details about TLC programs can be found at
http://tlc.ucalgary.ca/services
15
RESEARCH SERVICES AND RESEARCH ACCOUNTING
Information on the Ethics Review Board, downloading the ethics application, and to learn
more about copyright and intellectual property issues can be accessed through this service
at http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/forms/cfreb
IGP CONTACTS
The program administrator is your contact for IGP academic issues. Pauline Fisk is a
recipient of the very well deserved “U Make a Difference” Award and for good reason – She
will make a difference in your academic career. Get to know Pauline!
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR
Pauline M.A. Fisk
Program Administrator
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program
Telephone – 403-220-7209
Fax – 403-210-8872
Email: pfisk@ucalgary.ca
Web Site: www.ucalgary.ca/igp/
THE GRADUATE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
The Graduate Representative Council (GRC) is the policy making body of graduate student
governance. It exists to represent you and to connect you with the GSA resources you need.
Your GRC members are Stefan Mendritzki and David Ince. Their contact information is:
Stefan Mendritzki
Email: semendri@ucalgary.ca
David Ince
Email: pdmince@ucalgary.ca
16