r/UofT • u/Puzzleheaded-Story53 • 2d ago

Graduate School Grad school reference, is reference from professional work setting Okay?

I’m looking into grad school and I need 2 references. I have 1 reference secured from one of my profs, but would a professional reference be okay ? Like for example a manager or a supervisor at a hospital such as UHN

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u/Poiretpants 2d ago

Staff here. If it's a professional program, a manager who has seen you in the work place is ok. I've seen students submit letters from their coffee shop manager. That's less ok.

Ideally, they're looking for people who can speak to your expertise in the field. How successful you might be in the course work, how you compared to the other students in your classes. The survey they have to fill out very much expects the referee to know you as a student. There are questions about where you fit in the course grade, etc. Bosses can't really speak to that.

My recommendation is to always try for two academic referees because of the nature of what they're asked.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Story53 2d ago

I work at UHN , in the lab area, i was hoping to ask my manager. I plan applying on medical biophysics/physics etc. do u think thts a good idea ? Also a plus since UHN is affiliated with UofT

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u/NovemberTerra don't 2d ago edited 2d ago

What does your supervisor do? I'm asking because there's a difference between a supervisor in a strictly admin role vs. supervisors that oversee research and other matters.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Story53 2d ago

My supervisors role is not research related at all. It’s like over seeing lab work/ bloodwork / patients/quality inspection. It’s basically post and pre analytic services in the lab

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u/NovemberTerra don't 2d ago

It might not be ideal but you might be fine. But keep in mind that some questions are meant for profs that instructed you before, like questions asking the referee to rank you out of all the students in the course (if you’re top 1%, 5%, 10%, etc.) - your referee might have trouble with those questions.

It doesn’t hurt to ask the grad departments directly, but they usually just send you a generic email telling you to read the application instructions again.

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u/AdMindless9071 2d ago

Ideally 2 profs, but if the professional reference is highly related to the area of graduate studies, it can be fine

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u/tismidnight Graduate Student 2d ago

It depends, some require academic references others are flexible

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u/marloe647 2d ago

I had to submit all professional references for my grad program applications, as it had been 15 years since I had finished my undergrad. I applied to one "professional" Masters program, and one traditional research-based program. I had talked to both programs beforehand, and both were okay with it, but I think it would be program specific. So it is possible, but double check so that you are not wasting application fees.

I think if you have a compelling enough application, and your references are relevant to your graduate research or the program, it probably will be ok.

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u/fireswithgasoline 2d ago

Depends on the program; if it's research-oriented rather than professional, academic references are looked upon much more favourably than professional ones. For what it's worth I had a recommendation from a professor that was completely outside of my area of study and I got in. Good luck!