What does it mean to expand the landscape of thesis creation, assessment, and output? At the University of Calgary, a Teaching and Learning Grant funded an interdisciplinary team to explore exactly that by examining how non-traditional theses are reshaping graduate student experiences, mentorship, and institutional support.
Led by Dr. Mairi McDermott (Werklund School of Education), the team included librarians Christie Hurrell, Bart Lenart, Laura Reid, and Kathryn Ruddock, along with graduate students Abigail Williams and Sefat Rimpu. Together, they investigated how students and faculty navigate—and sometimes push against—the conventional boundaries of thesis research at UCalgary.
Key Insights from the Project
The team found that while non-traditional work is quietly happening, it often comes with emotional complexity: uncertainty, hesitation, but also determination and care. Students pursuing creative or interdisciplinary theses develop a nuanced understanding of academic norms and face structural barriers that are frequently invisible within traditional format pathways.
Among the findings:
- Faculty and students alike benefit from a clearer articulation of what’s possible in thesis formats, particularly through early communication and mentorship.
- Students exploring non-traditional paths often feel isolated; being in dialogue with others in similar positions was profoundly validating.
- Existing metadata standards and discovery systems—locally The Vault, UCalgary’s thesis repository—limit visibility and reuse of non-traditional work.
To address these barriers, the team launched this Non-Traditional Thesis LibGuide, offering practical tools, campus contacts, and examples to help students navigate alternative thesis paths from ideation to dissemination.
Wider Reach and Ripple Effects
The project engaged over 130 survey respondents and 22 focus group participants from across the university. The data revealed a broad interest in—and struggle with—non-traditional work, cutting across disciplines from Education and Arts to Engineering and Medicine.
Figure 1, below, shows supervisor and graduate student experience with non-traditional theses across faculties, highlighting the interest across disciplines. Figure 2 illustrates the range of non-traditional forms our faculty and students have encountered or supported, from creative and performance-based work to data visualization and virtual reality.
Beyond the survey and guide, the team published a journal article on collaborative writing in this interdisciplinary space and presented at the Taylor Institute’s 2025 conference. The research also directly informed the development of UCalgary’s new Doctoral Program in Transdisciplinary Research.
Figure 1. Experience with Non-Traditional Theses by Faculty.
This chart displays the number of faculty and graduate students across UCalgary faculties who have competed, supported, or expressed interest in non-traditional theses via our study survey. It demonstrates both experience and emerging interest across disciplines.
Figure 2. Experience with Non-Traditional Thesis Forms.
This chart breaks down the types of non-traditional thesis work encountered by graduate students and supervisors.
Next Steps
As our interdisciplinary team found, this work must move forward concurrently on multiple fronts and multiple disciplines. Looking forward, the team hopes to convene a community of practice to connect graduate students and supervisors invested in creative and interdisciplinary work. They are also developing and advocating for richer, more inclusive metadata guidelines to support discovery of non-traditional theses.
This wasn’t about making non-traditional theses the new norm. It was about ensuring the viability of diverse ways of knowing and researching—and helping students find the mentorship and systems they need to succeed.
This project is a powerful reminder that changing systems starts with seeing and listening to what’s already unfolding at the margins.
