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Graduate advising

Information pertinent to getting your graduate degree in History.

Your department contacts

Programs, graduate course offerings, general academic and professional concerns

Graduate Program Director (GPD) 
Matthew Penney
matthew.penney@concordia.ca

Registration, deadlines, student requests

Graduate Program Assistant (GPA) 
Donna Whittaker
donna.whittaker@concordia.ca

Orientation

Orientation happens in September; there are consultation sessions in January for MA students entering in the winter term. The sessions are a good way to familiarize yourself with your program, the department, and your fellow students. Attendance is strongly recommended.

Graduate supervision

The School of Graduate Studies provides tips and guidelines on working with a supervisor.

Besides your thesis supervisor, other faculty members will also play important roles in your academic and professional progress: as seminar instructors, field examiners, members of thesis committees, mentors – and as the referees you will need before and after you graduate. In identifying faculty members with whom to work, bear in mind that while scholars in your own field can often address your research most directly, you may also share methodological, theoretical, or thematic interests with faculty in other fields of history.

Finally: get in touch early and often – with potential supervisors, with faculty members whose work interests you, and with the GPD.

Professional development

The Department of History holds workshops for graduate students on subjects such as grant-writing, conference presentations, academic publishing, and job applications. We also convene bi-weekly “works-in-progress” workshops to give graduate students and faculty members a place to share their ideas and research. Watch the News & Events page.

The School of Graduate Studies also offers a wide variety of professional development seminars, including workshops on academic and non-academic job searches, time management, and graduate teaching, under the rubric of GradProSkills.

Funding

See our Funding page, which includes information on graduate awards, teaching assistantships, conference funding, and other potential sources.

Thesis submission

Familiarize yourself with the Thesis Preparation Guide prior to submitting your thesis to ensure you meet all requirements.

Deadlines

Deadlines for initial submission are suggested in the Thesis Preparation Guide. The thesis submission deadline for graduation in any given term is a deadline for submission of the final (i.e., approved and revised) version of the thesis to SPECTRUM, not the initial submission of the thesis to your supervisor and thesis committee.

When scheduling a thesis defense, giving examiners 4-6 weeks to read the thesis before the defense, and completing any revisions they suggest after the defense all take time. You should plan on having a the initial version of the thesis ready for submission at least 8-10 weeks prior to the final submission deadline for graduation.

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