Financial Assistantships

Typically, full-time MSc and PhD students receive offers of full financial support from the department for a guaranteed period. The department's financial support takes the form of assistantships which entail some combination of teaching and/or research duties. No separate application is needed for financial support.  For information about university-level non-merit scholarships, including tuition fee scholarships, please refer to University-Level Non-Merit Scholarships. The following support levels are effective September 1, 2025.

MSc

MSc student support is at least $32,171/year for the MSc thesis option and $22,264/year (estimated) for the MSc essay option.   

Support is based on a combination of teaching and/or research duties. Teaching duties require an average of 12 hours per week. MSc students are typically supported through a teaching assistantship for their first two terms and a research assistantship for their first year. Beyond that, MSc students are typically funded by a combination of TA-ships and RA-ships. This typically takes the form of at least one TA-ship per year, though this may vary. Most students have the opportunity for additional funding, such as additional TA-ships for a smaller number of hours a week, based on mutual agreement with their advisor or supervisor. Support is generally guaranteed for the first 20 months for the essay option and 24 months for the 12-credit thesis option, contingent on the student's satisfactory performance in his or her assigned tasks.

The PhD-track students start in MSc thesis option and transfer into the PhD program after passing the Research Proficiency Evaluation (RPE) in their second year. MSc student support (including for PhD-track students before they switch to the PhD program) is at least $32,171/year for the MSc thesis option. After transferring to the PhD program, the support will be at least $33,612/year.

Support is based on a combination of teaching and/or research duties. Teaching duties require an average of 12 hours per week. PhD-track students are typically supported through a teaching assistantship for their first two terms and an RA-ship during the summer of their first year. Beyond that, PhD-track students are typically funded by a combination of TA-ships and RA-ships. This typically takes the form of at least one TA-ship per year, though this may vary. Most students have the opportunity for additional funding, such as additional TA-ships for a smaller number of hours a week, based on mutual agreement with their advisor or supervisor.

PhD

PhD students in good standing each receive $33,612/year based on a combination of teaching and/or research duties and Tuition Fee Award. Teaching duties require an average of 12 hours per week. PhD students are typically funded by a combination of TA-ships and RA-ships. This typically takes the form of at least one TA-ship per year, though this may vary. Most students have the opportunity for additional funding, such as additional TA-ships for a smaller number of hours a week, based on mutual agreement with their advisor or supervisor. Support is generally guaranteed for the first 60 months of the program, contingent on the student's satisfactory performance in his or her assigned tasks.