Graduate Student Financial Support

Graduate Student Financial Support - Geoscience

2010-11

General

Students admitted into full-time, thesis-based graduate programs in the Department of Geoscience require a minimum level of financial support when they are offered admission. The exact value of support provided by the Department depends on the degree being pursued, the academic standing of the student, and the availability of external funding (e.g., personal finances, government funding, corporate funding, etc.). The letter offering admission will specify the minimum level of support provided by the Department of Geoscience. In 2010-09, the departmental minimum was $21,000 for students with no external funding. The exact amount provided by the department may vary depending on the level of support provided from personal finances, government funding, or corporate funding. Financial support is generally provided for two years for an M.Sc. student and four years for a Ph.D. student, the expected maximum time length of the degrees, and is contingent upon the student maintaining good academic standing.

For external scholarship holders (NSERC, Alberta Ingenuity Fund, etc.), the support levels may be higher. Both the department and the university have funds for additional top-up and/or fee waiver awards that are commonly granted to holders of external funding. The relevant details are provided to each individual in the letter of offer of admission.

Students are encouraged to apply for both internal and external scholarship awards, which, if successful, can result in a higher funding level for the student. There are also departmental, Faculty of Graduate Studies, university, provincial, and national awards for which students may apply.

Available Funding

While applying for graduate school, or once enrolled as a graduate student at the University of Calgary, students may apply for additional awards, fellowships and scholarships, in order to improve their financial support level. These awards can be separated into two general categories, External Awards (external to the University of Calgary) and Internal Awards (awards granted by the University, Faculty, or Department).

External Awards

All students are strongly encouraged to seek all possible external sources of financial support. External awards may exceed the level of support we can offer the student internally, and the student may often hold two types of support (external and internal) concurrently. It is in the best interest of the student to investigate all possibilities.

Canadians and landed-immigrants may also apply for external support in the form of scholarships and fellowships offered by NSERC, the Alberta Ingenuity Fund, and the Province of Alberta. The Faculty of Graduate Studies (www.grad.ucalgary.ca), at the University of Calgary, can offer additional funding possibilities.

Internal Awards

Internal awards take a variety of forms at the University of Calgary. Base funding for graduate students generally takes the form of Graduate Assistantship - Teaching (GAT) awards covering the fall and winter terms, and Graduate Assistantship (GAR) funding covering the spring/summer term. GATs are valued at $7,957.29 per term, ($15,914.58/year) while the departmental norm for GARs is $5,085.42 for the spring/summer period, resulting in the minimum total of $21,000.00. GATs require a commitment of approximately 12 hours of teaching per week. In some cases supervisors may provide support in lieu of a GAT.

In addition to this base-funding amount, applicant students in the program are considered for additional awards that are administered by the departmental Graduate Committee. These include departmental top-up awards from supervisors (up to approximately $9,000.00). Students are automatically considered for these awards and thus it is not necessary for a student to fill out an application in this case. However, there are additional departmental and university awards that are described below.

Geology and Geophysics Awards

Awards Available to Graduate Students in the Department of Geoscience include the following:

• The John O. Galloway Scholarship is awarded to a full-time MSc (thesis-based) student who has completed two terms. It has a value of $5000. The Robert T. D. Wickenden Scholarship has a value of $1,500 and is awarded to graduate students registered full-time in a doctoral program in the Department with preference given to applicants whose research focuses on Micropalaeontology

• Several Alberta-based organizations provide scholarships to Graduate Students in Geophysics. These include the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA; $2000), the Canadian Society of Exploration of Geophysicists (CSEG; $1500), and the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG; $1500).

• International organizations such as the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) often have scholarships available for Earth Science students. In the case of the SEG, scholarships range from $500 - $2000 (US).

Graduate Program Open Doctoral Awards

Ph.D. students may apply for a variety of graduate scholarships administered by the University of Calgary. The application deadline is February 1.  Both in-program students and students applying to the programs are eligible. This is done by filling in the relevant portions of your application to graduate school.
The Department Graduate Committee submits an annual quota of students to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Unfortunately, submission to the University does not guarantee that the applicant will be successful. However, the student must apply in order to have any possibility of receiving one of the awards.

Tuition and Fees

Graduate students at the University of Calgary must pay general fees and tuition fees each year.

Students admitted to a PhD program who already have an MSc degree must pay program fees until they complete their Candidacy exam.  The term following that the fees will drop to continuing fees for each subsequent year in program. All international students must pay a differential fee of 100 per cent of applicable program, continuing, or course fees. Currently, the department pays the differential for the international students.

Expenses

On-campus housing is available for some students.

Off-campus housing is also available; lists are available from the U of C Student's Union upon arrival on campus. City newspapers and real estate publications also include listings of available rental housing.

Currently there is no funding available for course-based students.

For Ph.D. and M.Sc. thesis based students funding is not guaranteed and there are various avenues for potential funding, eg. faculty research monies, Teaching Assistant positions and/or scholarships.

View the Collective Agreement and Guidelines for Graduate Funding here.