How does Faculty of Graduate Studies work? Canadian universities have Faculty of Graduate Studies for supporting graduate programs and students. However, I do not under stand how it can operates without conflicting overlap with the technical departments/faculties.

For example, someone is a student in Department of X, Faculty of Y. His academic and official matters are normally within the Department/Faculty. Now with the presence of Faculty of Graduate Studies, how is dealing with other different academic units?


How is the role of Faculty of Graduate Studies in parallel with the technical Department/Faculty?
Is there an equivalent system in the US or UK (an other European) universities too?
I can't comment on the specifics of the Canadian system, but in general the university wishes to ensure that standards and requirements for (say) a PhD in theoretical physics are equivalent to those for a PhD in German Literature. Thus, the faculty of graduate studies will be responsible for establishing the basic structure and standards to which the various graduate programs must conform. They then delegate the detailed implementation of any given program to the department concerned.

In practice, this may indeed generate all sorts of "interesting" internal politics, as the faculty of graduate studies attempts to justify its existence, and the departments try to assert their independence.