Humanities and Social Sciences Diplomas

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences offers two types of graduate diplomas: disciplinary and interdisciplinary. Disciplinary graduate diplomas provide an opportunity to acquire additional academic credentials at the graduate level within a humanities or social science discipline. Interdisciplinary graduate diplomas provide opportunities to acquire additional academic credentials at the graduate level in emerging interdisciplinary research areas in the humanities and social sciences.

A graduate diploma may be offered in the disciplines of Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, Folklore, French, Gender Studies, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, or Sociology.

Interdisciplinary graduate diplomas may also be offered, depending on time, resources, and opportunity.

Qualifications for Admission

To be considered for admission to the graduate diploma program, an applicant shall meet the minimum requirements set out in the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies governing Graduate Diploma Programs, the Regulations Governing the Degree of Master of Arts or Regulations Governing the Degree of Master of Gender Studies; and, where applicable, the particular regulations of the appropriate departments or disciplines. Applicants for admission to a graduate diploma in Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, Folklore, French, Gender Studies, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, or Sociology must apply through the corresponding department or discipline, working with the department’s or discipline’s Graduate Officer.

Program Requirements

Graduate diplomas in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences conform to the School of Graduate Studies General Regulations, Program Requirements, Graduate Diploma and Master’s Programs and require successful completion of 9-12 eligible credit hours in graduate courses.

Every student for a graduate diploma in the disciplines of Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, Folklore, French, Gender Studies, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, or Sociology is required to complete the majority of all graduate courses in the relevant department or discipline. The number of credit hours (9-12) for the graduate diploma are at the discretion of the relevant department or discipline.

A student admitted to a graduate diploma in the disciplines of Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, Folklore, French, Gender Studies, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, or Sociology, who has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the appropriate department or discipline an ability to pursue research at the master’s level, may, at the discretion of the department or discipline, be permitted subsequently to transfer a student’s candidature to that of a master’s in the affiliated program area. For credits to transfer between a graduate diploma and a master’s degree, the two degrees have to share the same credentials. In this event, students will be awarded only one of a master’s or graduate diploma in the same department or discipline.

Graduate Courses

Most courses offered for a master’s program are eligible for a graduate diploma program in the same discipline. However, courses designed for a master’s essay or major project cannot be used towards a graduate diploma.

The graduate courses counting towards a graduate diploma in Anthropology, Classics, Economics, English, Folklore, French, Gender Studies, German, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, or Sociology are at the discretion of the relevant department or discipline. Courses for these graduate diplomas are normally a subset of the courses required for the relevant department’s or discipline’s master’s program, with one of the courses normally being a foundational course in the discipline. Prospective students should contact a Graduate Officer for specific details.

Courses in interdisciplinary graduate diploma programs are drawn from appropriate, thematically-related Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences departments or disciplines.