Skip to main content Skip to local navigation
Graduate Supervision Toolkit Faculty of Graduate Studies
Home » Student Hub » Getting Started

Getting Started

Photo of a diverse group of students standing outdoors on campus.

The beginning of your graduate journey is an important time to set yourself up for success. By focusing on setting clear expectations, defining goals, and establishing open communication, you can help create a strong foundation for the supervisory relationship. This helps to build trust and ensures that you and your graduate supervisor are aligned, making it easier to navigate challenges and stay on track throughout your graduate program and to timely completion.

Visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies Graduate Supervision website for more information on Master's Supervision, Doctoral Supervision, Role of the Graduate Program Office, Supervisory Committees, Annual Progress Reports, and Conflict Resolution.

Welcome Bundle

Principles Guiding Graduate Supervision at York University

Principle One: Dignity

  • The shared recognition of each person’s history, background and inherent worth.

Try this

  • Relational Lens: See yourself as a whole person, more than only a student or only a researcher. You bring a story shaped by language, roots, ancestry, family, ways of learning and your path so far and that matters. And your supervisor brings a story too, shaped by their experiences, commitments and pressures. Supervision works best when you both show up as real people in a shared space, not just a system.
  • Begin supervision by sharing how your background, language, learning styles, or lived experiences inform your research interests. You may say something like, “It’s important to me that my research connects to my ______ and I’d love to share a bit about where I come from and how that shapes the way I think, learn, and approach my work.”
  • You can let your supervisor know what kind of support helps you feel seen, or what values matter to you in the supervisory relationship.

Principle Two: Respect

  • The acknowledgement of each person’s right to a supportive working supervisory relationship built on earned trust, partnership and open communication.

Try This

  • Relational Lens: Respect goes both ways. It grows when there is space for honesty, care, and choice in how you work together. You deserve to be supported in ways that match how you learn, communicate, and show up. Your supervisor may not know what works best for you unless you share it.
  • You can say something like, “I’d like to talk about how I learn best and how I prefer to receive feedback.” Or you might ask, “Can we check in about what kind of communication works best for both of us?” These small conversations and being clear about expectations early on can shape a more respectful and supportive supervisory relationship.

Principle Three: Mutuality

  • The enactment of positive interactive relationships grounded in cooperation and shared goals, contributing to a beneficial and enjoyable academic journey for all.

Try This

  • Relational Lens: Mutuality means you are not walking this journey alone; it is a shared path. You bring questions, insight, and vision, and your presence shapes the work, not just your output. When you and your supervisor show up with care, clarity, and collaboration, things move more easily.
  • You can ask to co-create your supervision or feedback schedule by saying something like, “Could we set up a timeline together that feels doable for both of us?” Or, “Can we check in now and then about how the process is going for both of us?”
  • You might also express what kind of acknowledgement or feedback helps you feel your contributions are valued.

Principle Four: Efficacy

  • The enactment of best practices to achieve the responsibilities attached to graduate supervisory roles including those attached to goal-directed learning and student progress.

Try This

  • Relational Lens: Efficacy does not mean having it all figured out. It means knowing you have a right to support that helps you move forward. Through a lens of clarity and collaboration, it is about creating shared ways to stay grounded or to get unstuck or to keep learning visible even when things feel slow or challenging.
  • You can ask your supervisor for more focused support by saying something like, “Could we set up quick check-ins where we both know the goal ahead of time?” or “Can we use part of our meetings to map out what kind of support I might need, not just where I’m at?” That way, progress becomes something co-created.

Principle Five: Accountability

  • Holding oneself accountable to the highest standards of supervisory, intellectual, academic, research and relational integrity as related to graduate education.

Try This

  • Relational Lens: Accountability, for you too, can be a form of care. It is not about being perfect, it is about staying honest, clear, and grounded. When you reflect on how you are showing up and express what is not working, you help protect trust in the supervisory relationship.
  • You can create a regular practice of reflection by asking yourself questions such as: Where have I felt most engaged or supported? Where have I felt unclear? Have I expressed what I need?
  • You can also share feedback directly by saying something such as, “Would it be okay if I shared something that’s been on my mind about how we’re working together?” Or, if needed, by asking for a different way to share feedback that feels more comfortable.

Read Smart Questions, Strong Matches: Navigating the Search for a Graduate Supervisor (pdf). This guide is designed to help graduate students ask informed questions and make intentional choices to find a supervisor whose expertise, mentoring style, and values align with their goals.

Read the Golden Rules of Graduate Supervision (pdf) that offers guiding principles and practical insights to help graduate students and supervisors foster supportive, equitable, and effective supervisory relationships.

Visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies Graduate Supervision website for more information on Master's Supervision, Doctoral Supervision, Role of the Graduate Program Office, Supervisory Committees, Annual Progress Reports, and Conflict Resolution.

Graduate Supervision is the central and most influential way you will learn during your graduate studies. It is a mentoring relationship between you and your supervisor characterized by the intentional provision of guidance, teaching and learning activities and feedback. It's also a relationship that, when grounded in dignity, mutuality and respect, can be one of the most impactful academic experiences for supervisors and students alike. The intent of supervision is to guide graduate students through their research, scholarly and/or creative work, while fostering intellectual, disciplinary and professional growth. All participants have a role: you, your supervisor, and the supervisory committee. Understanding these roles, and actively enacting yours is a key way to get the most from this important relationship.

Watch Getting The Most From Your Graduate Supervisory Experience where the Associate Dean and 3 alumni graduate students explore the role supervision plays in graduate studies, highlighting how it shapes your learning experience, and the ways you can get the most out of it. Tips for effective supervisor-student relationships, do’s and don’ts for understanding expectations, and making the most of your supervisory experience are featured.

Read the Golden Rules for Graduate Supervision (pdf) which outlines key principles and shared responsibilities that help graduate students build strong, respectful, and productive relationships with their supervisors throughout their academic journey.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Graduate Student

  • Read the YorkU Graduate Supervision Guidelines (.pdf). This document describes the responsibilities of supervisors and students. They are designed to support an environment in which a professional working relationship can flourish.
  • Read the YorkU The Strong Start to Supervision Checklist (.pdf) from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The aim of the checklist is to facilitate a strong start to the supervisory relationship through clarification and discussion.
  • Read the YorkU Strong Start to Supervision: An International Student Companion Guide. It aims to bring awareness to the unique aspects of the International graduate student experience while fostering open dialogue between supervisor and student. The Companion Guide is structured around the phases that International graduate students follow from pre-arrival to pre-graduation in order to provide the supervisor with a complete picture of their experiences.

Policies, Principles and Guidelines

Setting Expectations

Conversations

  • Quick Tips for Difficult Conversations (.pdf). This YorkU one-pager can guide supervisors and students on how to approach difficult conversations.
  • Read the Compassionate Communication Toolkit (.pdf) from McMaster Okanagan Mental Health and Well-being Task Force. This Toolkit has been developed to support staff, faculty and student leaders who want to learn more or be reminded about how to communicate effectively and compassionately, with mental health and well-being and psychological health and safety in mind. It builds on best practices and evidence and incorporates suggestions from faculty, staff and students.

Meetings

  • View the Accommodations for Graduate Students if you require accommodations prior to beginning your academic work.
  • Read the Incoming Students Checklist for help preparing for graduate studies and transitioning smoothly to campus life. It includes steps such as accepting admission, enrolling in courses, setting up Passport York, and getting a YU-card.
  • Read You've Been Admitted for help with pre-arrival webinars, housing, disability accommodation, health plans, email services, community events, campus life and more.
  • View Course and Program fees information if you are seeking details about tuition, graduate course costs, part-time and full-time fees, and additional expenses like health plans, meal plans, and housing.
  • Read Funding at York if you require assistance with your funding package.
    • If you have questions about your personal graduate student funding package, the first point of contact should be your Graduate Program Assistant. Read Speak with your Grad Funding Advisor for more information.
  • Read the Graduate Fellowship funding information along with general Masters and Doctoral programs funding information.
  • View My Student Account. This is an online tool where you can see current and historical financial account details. Access requires a Passport York login. You will have a financial account associated with your unique student number. This account is where fees and payments are posted. Information includes statements, balances, transactions and key due dates.
  • View Refunds if you need more information about eligibility, programs, refund tables and EFTs.
  • View Scholarships and Awards opportunities and The Financial Aid, Awards and Scholarships (FAAS) Application if you are interested in applying.
    • Watch Graduate Scholarships and Awards at York University.
  • Visit the Student Financial Services for information about accounts, fees, financial aid, work/study programs and navigating your financial journey.
  • View Student Personal Information to ensure your information is up-to-date so that YorkU is always able to communicate with you about your academic record, financial matters, graduation and/or unexpected scheduling changes or closures, and is able to authenticate your enrolment with government agencies.

In graduate education, intellectual property is a dual responsibility. Graduate students and their supervisor and supervisory committee members are expected to behave in an ethically appropriate manner beyond their immediate graduate student and supervisory relationship, to encompass intellectual property rights and responsibilities, dissemination of research, scholarly, and/or creative works, and in making decisions on authorship and publication and dissemination of joint works.

No individual agreement between a faculty member and a graduate student will impose unreasonable or unusual conditions on a student. To that end, parties are encouraged to agree in writing to matters concerning IP at the onset of the relationship through the Intellectual Property Awareness Checklist (pdf), and the Intellectual Property Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Graduate Students and Graduate Supervisors (pdf).

FGS Forms

These forms are relevant to most graduate students. While you may not need them right away, it is helpful to be aware of them early on, as they will be required as you approach the completion of your degree. Be sure to connect with your Graduate Program Assistant for guidance specific to your program.

General Resources

  • View Enrollment Information if you need assistance with enrolling in graduate courses.
  • View Important Dates for convocation timelines and registration.
  • Read Registration Information if you require information on registering each term as a graduate student.
  • Visit Theses Canada. This is a collaborative program between Library and Archives Canada and Canadian universities which aims to acquire and preserve theses and dissertations from participating universities, provide open access to Canadian digital theses and dissertations in the collection and facilitate access to non-digital theses and dissertations in the collection.
  • Read the YorkU Thesis Dissertation Formats Guide (.pdf). This is a guide for graduate students and faculty that explains important considerations for graduate students considering a thesis/dissertation format that differs from the commonly used monograph or manuscript-based formats.
  • Visit YorkSpace. This is an open access repository that enables York community members to disseminate and preserve their scholarly works in an institutional context. 

Master's Resources

  • View the Master's Thesis page for information on:
    • General Requirements
    • Thesis Proposals
    • Research Ethics
    • Copyright
    • Organization and Technical Requirements
    • Thesis Exam Committees
    • Scheduling
    • Evaluation Guidelines and Results
    • Exam Committee Roles and Responsibilities
    • Final Submission and How to Submit
    • Embargo/Potential delay of publication
    • Uploading Files
    • Next Steps

Doctoral Resources

  • Read the YorkU Doctoral Dissertation & Defence Timelines: A Quick Guide for Faculty and Staff and useful for students.
  • View the Doctoral Dissertation page for information on:
    • General Requirements
    • Dissertation Proposals
    • Research Ethics
    • Copyright
    • Organization and Technical Requirements
    • Doctoral Dissertation Exam Committees
    • Scheduling
    • Evaluation Guidelines and Results
    • Exam Committee Roles and Responsibilities
    • Final Submission and How to Submit
    • Embargo/Potential delay of publication
    • Uploading Files
    • Next Steps
  • Visit Faculty Affairs to learn about the various categories of employment and non-employment such as Teaching Assistant (TA), Graduate Assistant (GA), Research Assistant, and other research-related work that may be performed as a graduate student.