Graduate Student Funding

Students in the graduate program generally receive financial support via a mix of external, university and department sources. Approximately 90% of students receive support from one or more of these sources during their first two years.

External Scholarships

Students are expected to apply for external scholarships as they may be eligible. Deadlines for external agencies are October 1st; for university programs February 1st. Please visit the McGill GPSO office for an outline of the application process for each competition.

The major sources of assistance include Canadian and Québec government agencies. Important national agencies are the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR); important provincial programs are Fonds Québécois de Recherche sur la Nature et la Technologie (FQRNT) Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC). There are also specialized sources for Canadian students working in certain areas or fields, like the Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP). (Note that national programs are open only to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, while provincial sources are open to citizens of Québec.)

Foreign students are often supported by their national governments or through international programs like the Commonwealth Scholarships and the Canadian International Development Agency ( CIDA ). The Government of Québec provides a limited number of differential fee waivers for non-Canadian students.

University support includes McGill scholarships and bursaries and McGill Major Fellowships such as Max Bell Fellowships in Canadian and Northern Studies. There are also a wide number of special fellowships that may be applied for.

There are a number of sources of support in the department. The most important is part-time research assistantships from research funds held by supervising faculty. Many students also hold part-time departmental teaching assistantships during their residence years. The department also allocates a limited number of university-provided fellowships.

Departmental Awards

The Warren Fellowship in GIS: value minimum $2,500 annually, renewable once at the master's level and twice at the doctoral level.
Established in 1986, the fellowship is available to graduate students whose research involves GIS and may be shared by more than one applicant.
Eligibility: The fellowship will be awarded on the basis of strong academic standing by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research upon the recommendation of the Department of Geography.

John Bradbury Award : value $1000, established in memory of John Bradbury, remembered as one who inspired students and colleagues alike with his enthusiasm for understanding the world, and his commitment to improving the working conditions of ordinary people.
Eligibility: Awarded annually to a master's student in Geography, alternately from McGill and Simon Fraser, whose thesis topic is related to John Bradbury's research interest in the economic geography of Canadian resource towns and international development, especially economic and social problems of resource town planning, economic restructuring, housing, class conflict and gender and work.

Warren Award in Support of Development Research: value $1,000-$2,500.
Eligibility: Awarded to students working on development issues worldwide and is intended to help defray travel or other research costs.

Theo Hills Development Award: value is variable, based on availability.
Eligibility: Awarded to students working on Third-World development issues

 

Teaching Assistantships

Our graduate students play an important role in ensuring that our undergraduate program runs smoothly. Additionally, teaching assistantships provide an important source of funding. We encourage graduate students to apply for a variety of teaching assistant and lab instructor positions. Available positions are distributed prior to each semester. An application form will be available online shortly, but until then, please see Maria Marcone in Room 705.