York boasts teachers and researchers making remarkable discoveries and contributions to knowledge each and every day.
With one of the largest and finest cohorts of graduate students in the country, York’s Faculty of Graduate Studies has the resources and ambition to provide the strong administrative and financial support that is necessary to facilitate a first-rate student experience.
York offers academic excellence, diversity and social relevance with 100+ full- and part-time graduate degree programs, specialized graduate diploma programs, innovative joint programs, and a number of dual-degree programs. Exceptional programs in humanities, social sciences, business, science, fine arts, health and the environment help facilitate lifelong achievements and partnerships.
York is changing the way people think about everything from bees to the role of digital media in crises, patient‑centred care, climate change and women in engineering.
Join a community of scholars and researchers engaged with their fields as much as with the world at large. York’s 11 Faculties and 25 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that cuts across traditional academic boundaries. Our distinctive and collaborative approach to research is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to local and global challenges.
Excellence in research is central to York University’s mission and is fundamental to the university’s ability to contribute to the economic, scientific, cultural and social health of our society. Research at York takes place in every discipline and spans the full spectrum of programs from the pure and applied sciences through business, law, and the humanities and social sciences.
Knowledge Mobilization
Do you want your research and scholarship to reach beyond the confines of the university and make a difference in the world?
York is a recognized leader in Knowledge Mobilization (KM), which makes research useful to society by maximizing its social, environmental and economic impact. How does it work? By matching researchers and students in all disciplines with partners from the public, private and non-profit sectors, enabling transformation in policy or professional practice. York also leads ResearchImpact, Canada’s knowledge mobilization network, which includes 10 other renowned universities.
Innovation York
Looking for support with entrepreneurship, commercialization or industry partnerships? Innovation York is the commercialization and industry liaison unit for York University. It can assist you in creating innovative research projects and in effectively translating your research outcomes. Innovation York provides an integrated suite of services for the York research community to create a culture of industry-engaged research and to help realize its commercial, economic and social potential.
The York University Magazine
The York University Magazine is York’s alumni publication. With a circulation of more than 240,000, the magazine features an array of exciting research projects and success stories led by York community members. Read the latest edition at The York University Magazine.
Graduate school provides crucial skills sought by employers in diverse fields.
Skills include: oral and written communication; independent, innovative thinking; public speaking; collaboration; time and project management; qualitative and quantitative analysis; research and synthesis.
Grad school also offers you the opportunity to deepen your knowledge of a specific subject; pursue answers to important research questions that could change your field, your community, or your world; and develop a host of in-demand attributes that will help you succeed inside and outside of the university.
Personal Advantages
- The opportunity to immerse yourself in a field, focus on a subject that you really care about, and work toward your professional goals.
- The chance to engage with and learn from a community that is as passionate about your field as you are.
- The opportunity to foster lasting friendships and professional relationships with your fellow grad students.
- The freedom to work independently and be self-directed.
- The satisfaction of challenging yourself intellectually.
- The enjoyment found in watching yourself develop new skills and abilities.
Career Advantages
- People with graduate degrees have the lowest level of unemployment, the most stable employment rate, and the best employment prospects of any group since the 2008 recession.
- In addition to specialized knowledge, graduate school provides you with crucial skills that employers seek: oral and written communication, teamwork, public speaking, time and project management, collaboration, community engagement and outreach, critical thinking, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and so many more.
- Graduate school opens the door to careers in every field. York’s graduate students have gone on to become leading researchers and teachers, the head of the Canadian Space Agency, the host of a program on Discovery Channel, the CEO of Cineplex, the Chief Planner of the City of Toronto, the Deputy Fire Chief for the City of Vaughan, and the Chief Justice of Ontario.
- As a graduate student at York, you have access to a wide variety of professional development workshops and seminars, on everything from teaching to entrepreneurship, taught by specialists from across campus and across the country. Please visit Graduate & Postdoctoral Professional Skills (GPPS) for more information.
Academic Advantages
- The chance to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and positive change as a researcher.
- The opportunity to work with the experts in your field, and to become one yourself.
- The potential to contribute to scholarly dialogue and community building through attending conferences and publishing.
- The ability to focus closely on a research question that you’re dying to answer.
- The opportunity to obtain highly-regarded academic and professional credentials that will set you on the path to the career you want inside or outside of academia.
Program Types
- Choose a Master’s degree, of usually one or two years, to gain advanced knowledge in a field and take on positions of greater responsibility in your future career.
- Choose a Professional Master’s degree — in Law, Business, Social Work, Human Resources Management, Disaster & Emergency Management, Critical Disability Studies, Financial Accountability, Public & International Affairs, or Public Policy, Administration & Law — to emphasize the practical application of advanced knowledge and skills.
- Choose a Doctoral degree to spend four to six years on advanced, original research in a specialized academic field.
Diploma Options
A graduate diploma denotes specialization in an area, gained through intensive graduate-level study. It supplements an already established area of study or expertise and adds value and interdisciplinary perspective to a degree.
- Concurrent diploma programs allow you to explore one aspect of a field in depth while pursuing your master’s or doctoral degree.
- Stand-alone, direct-entry diploma programs provide the occasion to pursue graduate-level studies in a specialized area without completing a full graduate degree.
Joint Programs
York allows you to do things differently. Add impact to your graduate studies by crossing disciplinary lines through joint program offerings, including:
- The Schulich School of Business and programs in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
- The Faculty of Environmental Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School
- Osgoode Hall and the graduate program in Philosophy
- Communication & Culture at York University and Toronto Metropolitan University
Please visit Graduate Programs for a comprehensive overview of all York's program options.