FAQ

The research programs of all faculty members are listed on their individual web pages (see links to these on the Research Groups page). Feel free to contact individual professors if you want more information about the research projects they offer.

We do not require you to take these, however a good performance in the exams may strengthen your application.

If you are accepted into Graduate studies in our department then we guarantee at least the minimum stipends found on the Funding sections under the MSc, MASc and PhD degree overview pages. Master’s students will receive this stipend for a period of two years from their initial registration date; PhD students for a period of four years from this initial date.

Yes. Teaching is considered an enriching part of the Graduate student experience. A typical TA (Teaching Assistant) requirement is 10 hours per week in the fall and winter teaching terms, and the payment associated with this contributes to your stipend. The 10 hours generally consists of face-to-face teaching and preparation/marking time. Scholarship holders (NSERC/OGS/OGSST) are also expected to act as TAs, but typically they are only expected to do 5 hours/week.

Yes. Provided you maintain an 80% or above in your graduate courses and have the support of your supervisor, you can be considered for promotion directly to a PhD. Typically this is done after one year of the MSc. You will be required to prepare a research proposal outline the work to date as well as your research plan for the PhD.

Each year we have between 2 and 5 students who are promoted.

All PhD students have a supervisory committee that meets once a year to evaluate your work and make sure satisfactory progress has been made. Master’s students do not normally have a supervisory committee, however the student’s work is evaluated yearly to ensure progress is satisfactory.

Yes, however openings in many research groups fill up quickly and students applying after December 15th may not receive their first choice of research topic.

Occasionally, in special circumstances. However this makes coursework and TA assignments somewhat problematic both for the student and the department.