The following text is based on the UBC Senate policy entitled "Faculty Membership in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies".
The full and unedited text of this policy is available from the UBC Senate.
Faculty Membership in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is dedicated to maintaining a rich academic environment for every student in the Faculty. Among other things, the Faculty oversees the academic quality and integrity of its graduate programs, and ensures that graduate students are provided with training in research and other scholarly activities of the highest standard.
The members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies consist of the President, Vice-President Academic, Vice-President Research, the Dean and Associate Deans of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, deans of other faculties, and appropriately qualified members of the University faculty.
Members
Members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies must be tenured or tenure track (including grant tenured or grant tenure track) faculty members in the Research Stream holding the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor. Members must be approved by their disciplinary faculty (or functional equivalent) for membership in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and must meet the criteria established by the graduate programs with which they are affiliated. Members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies may supervise graduate students, chair examining committees, and vote at Faculty general meetings.
Members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies may continue as members upon retirement, provided they are approved by their disciplinary faculty (or functional equivalent) for membership in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and continue to meet the criteria established by their graduate program(s) for membership in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Membership notwithstanding, retired faculty members may supervise or co-supervise graduate students as provided for by their disciplinary faculty.
Persons holding the following appointment types are not eligible for membership in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: professors, associate professors, and assistant professors of teaching, acting faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty, honorary faculty, partner faculty, visiting faculty, senior instructors, instructors, lecturers, UBC Okanagan faculty.
Members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies are listed in the UBC Academic Calendar under the degree programs with which they are formally affiliated.
Supervision of Graduate Students by Other Faculty
Other appropriately qualified individuals (e.g., professors, associate professors, and assistant professors of teaching, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty, partner faculty, or faculty at other universities) who are actively engaged in research and experienced with graduate education may be approved, upon the recommendation of the head or director (or functional equivalent) of the graduate programs with which they are formally affiliated and the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, to supervise or co-supervise master's and doctoral students and/or serve on doctoral student supervisory committees provided they meet the relevant criteria. Approval for supervisory roles does not grant membership in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Approval for individuals who are not members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to serve as members of master's students' supervisory committees is the responsibility of the graduate program concerned.
UBC Okanagan
Tenured and tenure-track UBC Okanagan faculty members in the Research Stream who hold Supervisory membership in the College of Graduate Studies may co-supervise UBC-V master’s and doctoral students and/or serve on master’s and doctoral student supervisory committees without requiring approval from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Approval for UBC-O faculty in these roles is the responsibility of the graduate program concerned. Note that sole supervision of UBC-V master’s and doctoral students by UBC-O faculty does require the approval of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, upon the recommendation of the graduate program concerned. For details on the requirements for Supervisory membership in the College of Graduate Studies, see UBC Okanagan Senate Policy O-9: Graduate Student Supervision and Membership in the College of Graduate Studies.
UBC-O faculty are not eligible to be members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Teaching
Instructors of graduate courses are not required to be members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and their appointments do not fall under the Faculty’s oversight.
For more information on the membership policy and administrative procedures, or other UBC Senate policies, please visit the UBC Senate.