Graduate Faculty Membership Eligibility Guidelines

​​Updated January 28, 2013

​Membership in the Graduate Faculty is a condition of employment for tenured/tenure-stream and full time clinical faculty. For all other categories of employment, level of membership in SGS is restricted to the duties assigned. Membership in the Graduate Faculty is granted by the Graduate Chairs and Directors of Graduate Units with the approval of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

All faculty appointed to a tenure-stream position will hold a non-budgetary cross-appointment to an appropriate graduate unit. Decisions regarding such cross-appointments (memberships) will be made jointly by the appointing unit (home unit) and the graduate unit.

For those who are Full or Associate Members of Graduate Faculty, the term of membership is concurrent with their University of Toronto appointment. For Emeritus Members and Associate Members with Restricted Duties the term of the Graduate Faculty membership is limited to the term of the duties assigned. Level of membership should match the duties outlined in the letter of offer and description of duties.

Full Membership

Range of Responsibilities May Include:

  • Serving as a member of a thesis supervisory committee
  • Serving as a voting member of final oral exam committee
  • Teaching, setting, and marking examinations for graduate courses
  • Setting and marking comprehensive (general) examinations
  • Serving as sole/major supervisor of master’s theses
  • Serving as sole/major supervisor of doctoral theses
  • Serving as chair of final oral exam committee

Upon Recommendation of Graduate Chair/Director and With Assistance of SGS, Open to:

  • U of T-appointed tenured/tenure-stream faculty
  • Non-tenure stream/status-only faculty at the rank of full or associate professor and occasionally at the rank of assistant professor
  • Full-time clinical faculty

Associate Membership

Range of Responsibilities May Include:

As Full Members, except responsibilities may NOT include:

  • Serving as sole/major supervisor of doctoral theses,
  • Serving as chair of final oral exam committee.

Upon Recommendation of Graduate Chair/Director and With Assistance of SGS, Open to:

As for Full Membership, AND:

  • U of T-appointed full and associate professors teaching-stream
  • U of T-appointed librarians (III, IV)
  • Non-tenure stream/status-only faculty at the rank of assistant professor
  • Some adjunct professors (i.e., research scientists)
  • Part-time clinical faculty

Associate Membership With Restricted Duties

Range of Responsibilities May Include:

As Associate Members, limited to duties explicitly assigned in the letter of offer (at initiation of Graduate Faculty Membership) by the Graduate Chair or Director.

Upon Recommendation of Graduate Chair/Director and With Assistance of SGS, Open to:

As for Associate Membership, AND:

  • U of T-appointed senior research associates
  • U of T-appointed teaching-stream assistant professors
  • U of T-appointed adjunct professors and adjunct lecturers
  • Stipend instructors teaching a graduate course
  • U of T-appointed staff teaching a graduate course
  • U of T visiting professors

Emeritus Membership

Range of Responsibilities May Include:

As Full Members, except:

  • Taking on new supervisory responsibility for master’s or doctoral students requires approval of the graduate Chair or Director.

Upon Recommendation of Graduate Chair/Director and With Assistance of SGS, Open to:

Retired Full Members of graduate faculty (normally five-year term; renewable).

The eligibility guidelines are also available as a PDF document.