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Procedures for Extensions, Reactivations, Readmissions, and Leaves

Students are responsible for monitoring their enrollment status, time limits, and program requirements as specified by the General Graduate Regulations. When students exceed their time limit, or their enrollment lapses, students may apply for extension, reactivation and readmission. When students are unable to engage in their coursework or research and must interrupt their studies, they may apply for a leave. The policies and procedures for extensions, reactivations, readmissions, and leaves are outlined here.

Effective Fall 2016, SFU implemented new regulations regarding extensions, reactivations, and readmissions for the two-year M.A. and Ph.D. programs.

Extension refers to extending the time permitted for completing the MA or PhD program beyond the time limit specified in SFU’s Graduate General Regulations.

Reactivation refers to reactivating an MA or PhD student’s enrollment if they have been automatically discontinued for not enrolling; the process for reactivation must be completed within the term the student is discontinued.

Readmission refers to readmitting a student to the MA or PhD program in the period following the term in which they were discontinued.

Leave of Absence refers to when students find it necessary to interrupt their studies and apply for a leave of absence. Leaves include but are not limited to personal (counts towards the maximum time limit); parental, medical and compassionate leaves (do not count towards maximum time limit). Students can apply for a maximum of three leaves of absence per reason. They will not necessarily be granted. Students on extensions may not apply for leaves (see 1.8.4).

Questions about these policies and procedures should be directed to students’ senior supervisors, the Graduate Program Coordinator, or the Graduate Program Chair.

Contact

Jason Congdon, Graduate Program Coordinator
Phone: 778-782-3595

I. SFU’s Extension Policy

Graduate General Regulation 1.12.1 Time Limit

The time limits for graduate students to complete their MA or PhD program are specified in SFU’s Graduate General Regulations.

For students entering in Fall 2016 and after:

 “The time limit for students in a…Master's program to complete all of the requirements is nine terms from the start of the program. The time limit for students in a Doctoral program to complete all of the requirements is 18 terms from the start of the program, or in the case of a student who has transferred from a master's into the Doctoral program, without completing the master's, 18 terms from the start of the Master's program.”

For students entering before Fall 2016:

Prior to Fall 2016, the Graduate General Regulation permitted M.A. students up to 12 terms to complete their program and Ph.D. students up to 24 terms to complete their program. These time limits apply only to students who started their program in Summer 2016 and earlier.

Graduate General Regulation 1.12.2 Extensions

“Students may apply for an extension to the time limit if they are enrolled in a Master's or Doctoral program and need more time to complete the program requirements. A single extension may be for one to three terms, and students may be granted more than one extension. [In total they can apply for up to] six terms of extended time. Extensions may be less than the maximum of six terms and must meet the criteria established by the academic unit. Students should contact their academic unit to confirm the specific extension policy for their program.

….Extensions are not available to students who are discontinued from their program. Students are required to maintain continuous enrollment throughout their extension and are eligible to go on medical/compassionate or parental leave (see 1.8.4). Extensions are approved by the senior supervisor, graduate program chair and the Dean of Graduate Studies.”

School of Communication’s Criteria and Procedures for Requesting Extensions

Criteria for Extensions

The School’s Graduate Program Committee will normally consider requests for extensions if the student has completed their coursework and is in the process of competing their final requirements, including but not restricted to the following:

  1. Completing thesis or dissertation-related work, including additional literature reviews and refining the methodological design or analytic framework;
  2. Finalizing or updating research and/or finishing the production and editing of media projects;
  3. Receiving approval from university and/or other research ethics boards;
  4. receiving consent and/or agreements about collaboration with research participants and/or partners;
  5. completing revisions requested by supervisory committee members;
  6. completing formatting, copy editing, or the presentation of visual or audio material;
  7. completing a project where changes in the supervisory committee composition have led to substantial modifications in the student’s project;
  8. defending their thesis or dissertation and/or completing revisions requested by the examining committee and/or formatting for the library.

Extension Procedure

Students must submit an application for an extension to the Graduate Coordinator before their time limit is reached. Applications are expected no later than two months before the end of the last term of their program:

  • Fall term deadline – November 1
  • Spring term deadline – March 1
  • Summer term deadline – July 1

Extension applications shall include the following items:

1. An Extension Application form, signed by the student and senior supervisor;

2. A work plan (2-3 pages) that includes the following:

  • a description of their thesis topic, methodology, theoretical framework and the chapters in their thesis;
  • a list of the components that need to be completed during the extension;
  • an itemized timeline of the work required to complete the components.

3. A letter of recommendation from the senior supervisor supporting the extension and approving the proposed work plan.

4. *In cases where a senior supervisor is not available, please see note below.

The Graduate Program Chair, in consultation with the Graduate Program Committee, will assess the application and determine whether the extension will be recommended and for how long. If approved, the application will be forwarded to SFU’s Dean of Graduate Studies Office for final approval.

  • The student must ensure she or he receives written confirmation of the recommendation and the final decision from the Graduate Coordinator.
  • Students must complete their program requirements by the end of their final extension to be considered for a degree.
  • Students may appeal the refusal to grant an extension. See General Graduate Regulations.

II. SFU’s Reactivation Policy

Graduate General Regulation 1.4.8 Reactivation

 “Students who are not enrolled or on leave (see 1.8.4) by the end of the 6th week of classes within a term, will be discontinued from their program. Students who have not reached the time limit for their program and are discontinued from their program, may apply for reactivation in the same term in which they were discontinued and be retroactively enrolled. Applications for reactivation are submitted to the relevant graduate program committee for consideration and approval by the graduate program chair.”

Students who are not enrolled or have not been registered on leave will be discontinued from their program after the sixth week of each term. Students who have not reached the time limit for their program and have been discontinued may apply for reactivation in the same term in which they were discontinued and be retroactively enrolled. Applications for reactivation will normally be approved for students in good standing. Once reactivated, students must maintain continuous enrollment for the duration of their program.

School of Communication’s Criteria and Procedures for Requesting Extensions

The student must complete a Reactivation Form, have it signed by their Senior Supervisor, and submit the form to the Graduate Program Coordinator. The form must be received as soon as possible before week 13 of the term in which the student is deactivated. After week 13, the student will need to apply for readmission (see below). If everything is in order, the Graduate Chair will review and sign the completed forms, which will then be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies Office for final consideration and approval.

  • The student must ensure she or he receives written confirmation of the decision. 

III. SFU’s Readmission Policy

Graduate General Regulation 1.4.9 Readmission

 “Students who have passed the deadline for reactivation, and are within the time limit for their program plus three terms of possible extension time, can apply for readmission through the regular admission process for new students. When a student’s program is discontinued, the time away continues to count towards the time limit and possible extension time for program completion. Students who are readmitted to their program maintain the same start date and time limit from when they were first admitted to the program.”

 Students discontinued between the Fall 2013 and Summer 2016 term may apply for readmission for one term to defend their thesis. Students discontinued from their program must complete their degree within 9 terms of their final term in the program (thus they must apply for readmission within 8 terms after the term in which they were discontinued). Students discontinued in Fall 2016 or after may apply for readmission within three terms after the term in which they are discontinued from their program.

The School of Communication’s Procedures for Requesting Readmission

1. To apply for readmission, the student or their senior supervisor must notify the Graduate Program Chair and Coordinator of their intent to reapply as soon as possible before the deadline for submitting an application (see next point);

2. The student must submit an online readmission application through SFU's online admissions system no later than two months before the semester in which they intend to return to their program:

  • Fall semester return deadline – July 1
  • Spring semester return deadline – November 1
  • Summer Semester return deadline – March 1

3. The readmission application will include:

a.     a work plan (2-3 pages) that includes the following:

  • a description of their thesis topic, methodology, theoretical framework and the chapters in their thesis;
  • a list of the components that need to be completed during the extension;
  • an itemized timeline of the work required to complete the components.

b. a letter from the senior supervisor that recommends their readmission and approves the proposed work plan

c. a copy of the student’s unofficial SFU transcript and transcripts of all other post-secondary education.

4. *In cases where a senior supervisor is not available, please see note below.

The Graduate Program Chair and faculty members on the GPC will assess the readmission application and determine whether the student will be recommended for readmission. If approved, recommendation for readmission will be forwarded to SFU’s Dean of Graduate Studies Office for final approval.

  • The student must ensure she or he receives written confirmation of the recommendation and the final decision from the Graduate Coordinator.
  • Students must complete their program requirements by the end of the final extension to be considered for a degree.
  • Students may appeal the refusal to grant an extension. See General Graduate Regulations.

 

IV. SFU’s Leave Policy

SFU’s policy and procedures for applying for leaves is outlined here. If you are considering applying for an on-leave term, please consult the rules and regulations therein carefully. If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate Coordinator.

The School of Communication’s Procedures for Requesting Readmission

The student must complete a Leave of Absence Request Form, have it signed by their Senior Supervisor, and submit the form to the Graduate Program Coordinator. The form must be received as soon as possible before the enrolment deadline of the term for which the student is requesting leave. Ideally, forms should be submitted by the end of the preceding term. After week 13, the student will need to apply for readmission (see above). If everything is in order, the Graduate Chair will review and sign the completed forms, which will then be submitted to the Dean of Graduate Studies Office for final consideration and approval.

  • The student must ensure she or he receives written confirmation of the decision.   

*If the student’s assigned senior supervisor is unable to serve either temporarily or permanently, then (a) the student can ask another member of their committee to step forward to act as their interim senior supervisor and oversee the student’s application for an extension, reactivation or readmission, or; (b) if none of the student’s committee members are available to stand in for the senior supervisor temporarily or permanently, the student must meet with the Graduate Chair to examine options for assigning a new senior supervisor and forming a new committee. The meeting with the Graduate Chair should take place as early as possible as time will be required to make arrangements for a temporary or new senior supervisor.

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