The College of Graduate Studies and Research encourages re-alignment of traditional disciplines into new patterns, crossing department and college boundaries where this will foster new areas of learning. To facilitate this the College of Graduate Studies and Research provides opportunities for students to develop Individual Interdisciplinary Programs leading to the Postgraduate Diploma, M.A., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees.  Information on the academic requirements for these degrees is provided under designated sections in the Graduate Studies and Research section of this Calendar.

Students in interdisciplinary graduate programs are not restricted by traditional academic boundaries. Many departments and colleges have graduate programs that allow sufficient flexibility to students to complete an interdisciplinary program while enjoying affiliation with an established academic unit. Individual Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs are not intended to compete with or replace these programs.

The individual interdisciplinary graduate program is administered by the College of Graduate Studies and Research through the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee. Students interested in graduate interdisciplinary programs are advised to consult with the Chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee and the Interdisciplinary website for information on program requirements (GSR 960.0, GSR 961.0 if research involves human subjects, and GSR 962.0 if research involves animal subjects) and on the procedure to be followed in developing their program proposal.

The student is responsible for developing the program proposal and providing all documentation outlining the specific details of the program proposal (e.g. program supervisor, members of advisory committee, course descriptions including complete details on INTD 898 Special Topics and INTD 990 Seminar courses, detailed research proposal identifying the expected outcome of project and approval from the Ethics Committee, sources of support - financial and physical, and any other details the Chair or Committee may require). In the case of the INTD 990 Seminar course, students are expected to attend the Interdisciplinary Seminar series, as well as participate in specific seminars designated by the student's supervisor. The program proposal must identify proposed courses to be taken at other institutions and sources of funding to support related travel. The completed program proposal will be reviewed by the Chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee, and if acceptable, will be submitted to the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee for approval. To be considered "interdisciplinary", the proposed program must integrate course work and research into a concise program that is not available within the traditional academic setting. As well, the proposed program should not attempt to provide a graduate studies opportunity within a discipline where such graduate studies opportunities are not currently available.

Depending on the individual interdisciplinary graduate program being pursued, various specialized courses are available. For details see the Course Catalogue section of the Calendar.