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Graduate Degrees at Waterloo

Financial Assistance

Introduction

Financial support for graduate study is currently available from federal, provincial and internal university sources. The Department offers incoming full-time graduate students financial support. This support includes some combination of Teaching or Research Assistantships and University of Waterloo scholarships, with typical offers at the MA level being $12,000 for 12 months, and typical support at the PhD level of $22,000 per year for four years.

The PhD funding is guaranteed for the full four years of the program, provided the student progresses through the program on schedule and performs Assistantship duties satisfactorily (and provided the University continues to receive adequate government funding).

From University Sources

Students within their program time limits normally receive Teaching or Research Assistantships for two terms in the M.A. program, and eight of twelve terms in the PhD program. Continued eligibility for Teaching Assistantship in the PhD program is conditional upon completion of the Course Work stage (the departmental seminar twice, three one-term courses, and two Research Areas) within six terms. Students who complete the Course Work stage on time may expect Teaching or Research Assistantships during the two years allowed for the prospectus and thesis stages of the program.

The remainder of the support offered by the department, for those who have not won external financial support, is made up with University of Waterloo/Arts Faculty Scholarships. Eligibility for these scholarships is subject to the student maintaining an overall average of at least 80% in the most recent two years of full-time study or equivalent. There are also a limited number of other scholarships awarded to students in the department, including the annual Seligman Memorial Scholarship awarded to a student working in the area of Ancient Philosophy, and the Ardeth Wood Memorial Scholarship, which normally goes to a woman PhD student.

International students are eligible for the University of Waterloo International Master’s/Doctoral Student Award, which makes up part of the difference between the fees for international and domestic graduate students. For MA students it makes up about half the difference; for PhD students, this award is available for only the first three years of the program.

Of course, as a legal matter we need to state that the availability of Teaching or Research Assistantships and scholarships is subject to budgetary constraints (though the budget has never been so constrained that a student in good standing has not received the money offered when admitted into the program).

From External Sources

Graduate students in the program are strongly urged to apply to both the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowships program. An application to the latter also makes students registered at Canadian graduate programs eligible for the Canadian Graduate Scholarship program. Students can, and are urged to, apply for Ontario Graduate Scholarships and for SSHRC MA Scholarships during their final year as undergraduates. The department and the university both offer sessions each fall giving advice on how to prepare applications for these awards. Students not currently registered at Waterloo should check the OGS and SSHRC websites at

https://osap.gov.on.ca/OSAPPortal/en/Home/index.htm

http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx

to see whether they must apply through the department where they most recently attended university or directly to the programs.