Office of the Associate Provost (Graduate Education) and Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies James Administration Building, Room 325 Tel: (514) 398-1224 | Fax: (514) 398-3296

TO: Senate

FROM: Professor Martin Kreiswirth, Associate Provost (Graduate Education) and Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

SUBJECT: Report from Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

DATE: March 18, 2015

DOCUMENT #: D14-42

ACTION INFORMATION APPROVAL/DECISION REQUIRED:

ISSUE: Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is the University’s central and leading academic administrative unit for graduate education and postdoctoral training.The presentation will serve to provide an overview of the status of graduateeducation at McGill and initatives designed to improve the activities associated with it.

BACKGROUND & RATIONALE:

The presentation will provide Senators with information on major strategic initiatives associated with graduate enrolment, student support packages,ensuring excellence in supervision and building on the success ofSKILLSETS. It will also serve to outline future initiatives undertaken by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

MOTION OR RESOLUTION FOR APPROVAL:

N/A

PRIOR CONSULTATION:

Senior administration

NEXT STEPS: N/A

APPENDICES: Appendix A: Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies: Where We Are

MemorandumMcGILL UNIVERSITY SENATE

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies:

Where we are

1

Presentation to Senate, March 18, 2015

Martin Kreiswirth Associate Provost (Graduate Education)

Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

D14-42 Appendix A

Mandate and Role of GPS

• Oversee academic policies, procedures, quality assuranceand equity for graduate research and postdoctoraltraining across the university to ensure the quality andconsistency of the McGill degree:

• Graduate admissions, degree requirements, graduateprograms, regulations, policies, procedures, supervision

• Advocate for graduate education and postdoctoraltraining both internally and externally

2

Mandate and Role of GPS (cont.)

3

• Work together with Faculties, academic units, staff,students, and postdocs to enhance graduate programsand the research and teaching activities associatedwith them

• Advise and provide guidance on academic staff regulations,university research policy, etc.

• Work to ensure productive relationships between the various

groups involved in graduate education and research--graduate students (Post-Graduate Students’ Society), postdoctoral fellows, faculty members and academic and administrative units--and facilitate conflict resolution.

Graduate Enrolment

4

1,722 1,900 2,031 1,996 1,998 2,003 2,047 2,004

4,2224,298

4,388 4,6525,146 5,463 5,598 5,675

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014

Master's and Doctoral Enrolment by New and Returning Students, 2007 to 2014

New Returning

Graduate Degrees Awarded

5

1,2741,424 1,383

1,528 1,5411,624

1,716

399

456413

508371

483475

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014

Master's and Doctoral Degree Awarded by Academic year,2007 to 2014

Masters Doctoral

6

Major Strategic Initiative: Graduate Student Enrolment Objective: Attract more doctoral students

20,533 20,846 21,494 22,140 22,879 23,218 23,555 23,770

3,294 3,371 3,443 3,569 3,857 4,088 4,171 4,153

2,650 2,827 2,976 3,079 3,287 3,378 3,474 3,526

26,477

27,044

27,913

28,788

30,023

30,684

31,20031,449

25,000

26,000

27,000

28,000

29,000

30,000

31,000

32,000

33,000

34,000

35,000

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014

Proportion of Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral Students2007 to 2014

Bachelors Masters Doctoral Total Degree-seeking

McGill has the

highest proportion

of PhD students in

the U15 (11.2%)

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$16,271 $16,853 $16,843 $16,464 $16,415 $16,644

$11,279 $11,721$12,697

$13,756 $13,058 $12,406

$0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

$30,000

$35,000

2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013

McGill compared to G3 Average Master's Funding

G3 Peers McGill

Major Strategic Initiative: Graduate Student FundingObjective: Offer competitive student support packages

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Major Strategic Initiative: Graduate Student FundingObjective: Offer competitive student support packages

$24,928$26,251

$27,807$26,846 $27,478 $27,470

$19,880$21,095

$23,083

$24,881 $24,493 $24,231

$0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

$20,000

$25,000

$30,000

$35,000

2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013

McGill compared to G3 Average Doctoral Funding

G3 Peers McGill

9

s opuniversities.com public university in North America

Major Strategic Initiative: International Graduate Student EnrolmentObjective: Level the playing field

991 1,077

281

259

297

(23%)

423

(28%)

153

(35%)

245

(49%)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Fall 2007 Fall 2014 Fall 2007 Fall 2014

Masters Doctoral

New Enrolment, 2014 compared to 2007Proportion of Canadian and International Graduate Students

Canadian and Permanent Resident International

10

s opuniversities.com public university in North America

Major Strategic Objective: Improving Supervision and the Graduate Student Experience

Objective: Ensure excellence in supervision

Enhancing supervision: • Build on the success of GPS / TLS supervision workshops

and the graduate supervision website

New initiatives: • GPS has launched a new Graduate Student Research

Tracking Form• Mandatory supervision orientations• Mandatory graduate student orientations

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s opuniversities.com public university in North America

Major Strategic Objective: Improving Supervision and the Graduate Student Experience

Objective: Building on the success of SKILLSETS

Increased attendance:• SKILLSETS attendance is over 5,000 annually

Expanded offerings in professional development: • Basic Business Skills for Non-Business Graduate Students Series• Survival skills for Scientists

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New program development • Interdisciplinary graduate programs• International joint degrees

PhD graduate outcomes tracking survey• Using survey data to address the changing nature of the PhD

Milestones • Tool to improve times to completion through enhanced

monitoring, tracking and proactive communication.timely fashion through enhanced monitoring, tracking and proactive communication. This university-wide electronic tool will leverage the academic information already captured in student

records. It is designed to improve the student experience and increase time to completion rates.

The Path Ahead

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Thank you!