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Graduate Student Responsibilities

Copied from the School of Graduate Studies 2011-2012 Calendar, Section 1.3 (p. 7).

1.3 Responsibilities of Graduate Students to the University

Just as the University has responsibilities to graduate students, they have responsibilities to the University. The student’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • registering annually until graduation, withdrawal, or withdrawal in good standing due to time limit; paying fees as required;
  • complying with the regulations of the School of Graduate Studies as set out in this Calendar.

Where applicable, students are responsible for complying with such conditions as may be laid out in an accepted letter of offer. Students are also responsible for complying with the regulations governing graduate students at McMaster University with respect to full- and part-time status (see sections 2.4.2 and 2.4.3) and, in particular, for informing the School of Graduate Studies of any change in employment status. Students are further responsible for informing the School of Graduate Studies within two weeks, which acts as the official keeper of student records, of any change in personal information such as address, name, telephone number, etc. Students are also responsible for reporting through the department any change in student status, course registration, or withdrawal.

With regard to research and study, students are responsible for maintaining contact and meeting regularly with the faculty advisor, thesis/project supervisor or supervisory committee, for observing departmental guidelines, and for meeting the deadlines of the department and the School of Graduate Studies. If there is a problem with supervision, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Department Chair or Graduate Advisor. The provisions for changing a supervisor are outlined in Section 2.6.

Students who undertake to write master’s or doctoral theses assume responsibility both for creating drafts of the thesis and for responding to direction from the Supervisory Committee. The student shall have the responsibility to write and ultimately to defend the thesis, and the Supervisory Committee has the responsibility to offer guidance in the course of the endeavour, and to recommend or not recommend the completed thesis for defence.

In order to receive a degree, the student must fulfill all departmental or program requirements and all University regulations, including those of the School of Graduate Studies. Students who have outstanding financial accounts at the end of the academic year will not receive their academic results, diplomas, or transcripts.