Funding Policy
Funding is provided for full-time research students: $10,000 + tuition
per annum for MESc students in the first two years of their program and
$12,000 + tuition per annum for PhD students in the first four years of
their program (five years for students undertaking the Ph.D. as a first
graduate degree). Funding is subject to satisfactory performance in
teaching and research. Each student will receive a letter of offer from
the Chief Advisor agreeing to supervise the research project and provide
financial support prior to commencing studies. This letter states the
total annual funding to be provided by Western University
to the particular student. Continued funding beyond the two or four year
periods is conditional on satisfactory performance in research and the
availability of funds. There is no guarantee of funding beyond the
period stated in the letter of offer.
Students with provincial (OGS, OGSST) or federal (NSERC) scholarships
are generally not provided with additional support from research funds.
Teaching assistantships are provided from funds in the Faculty of
Engineering (a DTA, or “departmental teaching assistantship”) or the
School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (a GTA or “graduate teaching
assistantship”). These funds are paid in addition to scholarship
support. Students must maintain at least a 78% average to be eligible
for a GTA.
Students without Provincial and Federal scholarships receive support in
the form of teaching assistantships (DTA’s or GTA’s), special university
scholarships (SUS) and research assistantships (RA’s) from their
research supervisors. Special University Scholarships provided by the
School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies represent part of the total financial
package that constitutes the annual support as stated in the letter of
offer. These do not represent additional funding for the student.
Teaching assistantship appointments are made by the Chair of the
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Subject to available
funding, it is expected that each graduate student will undertake up to
140 hours of Teaching Assistantship per year (September to the following
August). Appointments of up to 5 hours per week to 10 hours per week are
made in the Fall, Winter and Summer terms according to teaching needs
and available funding. Students are not obliged to accept those teaching
assignments. However because Teaching Assistantships are an important
component of graduate student funding and part of the financial
commitment stated in the student’s letter of offer, any decision made by
a student not to undertake assigned duties may result in a reduction in
total annual support equal to the amount that would have been earned by
the student had he or she undertaken the teaching assignment.
Teaching Assistantships are valuable opportunities for graduate students
to strengthen their understanding of undergraduate engineering material
and to develop teaching and communication skills. First year engineering
courses in Materials, Statics, Mathematics, and Engineering Design are
important components of undergraduate teaching and represent a large
proportion of the Teaching Assistantships available. Many graduate
students are given teaching assignments in these areas and so should not
expect assignments in their specialized area of research. All teaching
assignments are made in accordance with the Collective Agreement between
Western University and the Public Service Alliance of
Canada. Procedures for dealing with unsatisfactory teaching performance
are set out in that Collective Agreement. Holiday pay is currently
included in TA payments (Teaching Assistants do not accrue entitlement
to holidays).
The Chief Advisor is responsible for ensuring that his or her student is
paid any difference remaining between the recommended minimum amount of
annual support and the amount that is paid to the student annually from
all TA awards and scholarships.
Efforts are made to ensure full-time research students receive funding
each month. However, the funds come from a variety of sources, each
source having different rules regarding the timing of payments. As a
result, funds may be unevenly distributed through the year. Graduate
students are expected to budget their finances on the basis of the
support promised in their letter of offer, saving in situations when
monthly payments exceed one twelfth of the annual commitment so they
have sufficient funds later in the year when monthly funding is reduced.
Hundreds of payroll arrangements are required each term and these
generally change for each student each term. Regrettably, it sometimes
proves impossible to make all of these arrangements at the beginning of
the term. In the unusual circumstance that this occurs, the student so
affected will be notified once the situation is recognized, generally at
least two weeks prior to the regular payment date.
Although financial commitments are made for the period previously
specified, this should not be taken as an expectation that the student
will require funding for the entire period. All graduate students are
expected to complete their work as quickly as possible, while
maintaining the standards required for graduate degrees in the
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. When full-time
enrollment is terminated, the student’s entitlement to the funding
committed in the letter of offer will be prorated based on the number of
months of full time registration within the most recent year dated from
the anniversary of the student’s first registration in that degree.
Funding is subject to satisfactory performance in teaching and research.
Procedures for dealing with unsatisfactory teaching performance are set
out in the Collective Agreement between the University of Western
Ontario and the Public Service Alliance of Canada. If the student’s
research progress is considered unsatisfactory, after one year of
enrollment, funding will be reduced (possibly to zero). Teaching
Assistantships from the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and WES awards are
only for the duration of 2 years for a Masters student and 4 years for a
Doctoral student, and 5 years for a student who transfers from the
M.E.Sc. to the Ph.D. program and does not complete a M.E.Sc.
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Contact Info
Western Engineering
Spencer Engineering Building (SEB)
Room number 3005
Telephone: (519) 661-2139
Fax: (519) 661-3779
E-mail: civilgrad@uwo.ca
