Graduate funding – making a master's plan
Montreal may be one of the most affordable, student-friendly cities in the world. But for many prospective graduate students the question remains — how will I pay for my education?
One of the advantages of choosing Concordia is the variety of funding opportunities offered through the Graduate Awards Office. This includes faculty or department-based funding, teaching and research assistantships, and on-campus employment.
“One of the objectives of the Graduate Awards Office is to help students financially beyond the point of admission,” says Claudia Tocco, assistant director of Recruitment and Graduate Awards. “We like to have something to offer our graduate students while they are studying here, and then to help them graduate as well. So that way, it is a whole package.”
The Concordia University Conference and Exposition Award is one such award that allows students to get the most out of their graduate experience. This award provides as much as $750 for students wishing to present their research at major scholarly conferences or attend artistic exhibitions in a peer-reviewed or juried context.
“This award is really interesting for students because it gives them the opportunity to put their research out there, to make important connections in the academic community, and to gain valuable experience in presenting their work,” says Tocco.
This award is available to post-doctoral fellows, as well as full-time and part-time doctoral, master's, and diploma students, and can be granted as many as two times, depending on the degree.
Melissa-Anne Cobbler (MA Educational Studies), was one of more than 150 recipients of the Conference and Exposition Award in 2012. With the help of this generous grant, Cobbler was able to attend the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference in July, in Durban, South Africa.
“I wouldn’t have been able to go without the award,” she says. “It was an amazing experience and a great conference to attend. I was able to connect with professionals from around the world and it was amazing just to be able to challenge myself to present at an international forum of that scale.”
Another award that was created to support students along the way is the Accelerator Award, valued at $5,000 for one term of study. This award is designed to assist highly qualified full-time doctoral students by providing them with extra cash while they complete their thesis-writing and defence.
Doctoral students who complete their degree by their 12th term of study can receive an additional $1,000 for early graduation. Plus, master’s students can earn an early graduation bonus of as much as $2,500 for completing their degree requirements in a timely manner. This is available to non-thesis students as well, and comes with the added benefit of saving students from paying additional compulsory completion fees.
“We want to allow students the opportunity to focus on their education and writing their theses so they don’t get sidetracked with financial worries,” says Tocco.
For more information on graduate funding opportunities, including application details and deadlines, visit the Graduate Studies website.
Graduate students should also stay tuned for workshops and graduate award information sessions through GradProSkills.
Related links:
• Graduate Awards Office
• GradProSKills