FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
FELLOWSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Internal Awards
University of Toronto Fellowships
The University of Toronto Fellowships programme seeks to provide all students in the funded cohort with a funding package that will include a minimum basic stipend and fees. In 2009-2010 the funded cohort in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations will include all doctoral stream students in Ph.D. 1-5 who meet the eligibility requirements of the School of Graduate Studies - University of Toronto NMC Departmental Award Policy. It also includes students who have been offered direct entry from the bachelor’s degree to the Ph.D. programme. The package will be guaranteed for up to five years on the condition that eligibility requirements as outlined in the Awards Policy are met. The package will be made up of a variety of components such as major external awards (e.g., SSHRC, OGS), major internal awards (e.g., Connaught), Teaching Assistantships, Research Assistantships, and University of Toronto Fellowships. By accepting this funding package students are also applying for a Teaching Assistantship allocated by the Department according to its needs. Students applying for admission to the doctoral stream of the Graduate Programme in the Department will automatically be considered for funding as will continuing students offered direct entry to the Ph.D. programme. Please note that M.A. students are not included in the funded cohort. Therefore, M.A. students should seek funding from other sources.
There is no restriction on citizenship or status in Canada. All students in the funded cohort are eligible as long as they meet the requirements of the SGS/UofT/NMC Award Policy. Questions regarding eligibility should be addressed to the Graduate Administrator.
Despite the fact that the University has significantly increased its level of graduate student support, the Department nevertheless strongly recommends that all incoming students seek funding from other sources. Students are encouraged to have a financial plan for completion of their studies.
There is no restriction on citizenship or status in Canada.
Students with an A- or better annual standing, who meet the eligibility requirements, must apply for external awards (SSHRCC, OGS) in order to be considered for a University of Toronto Fellowship.
Connaught Fellowships
The University of Toronto offers a small number of scholarships to the most exceptional students about to enter doctoral programmes. This award is primarily for international students. Candidates are nominated by the Department and are selected
in the School of Graduate Studies competition. In 2009-2010 new Connaught Scholarships are valued at $15,000 plus full fees.
Mary H. Beatty Fellowships
The Mary H. Beatty Fellowships are awarded as top-ups to holders of SSHRC doctoral fellowships. No separate application is required for this award. Candidates are nominated by the Department. Awards are made by the School of Graduate Studies.
Al Miller (UTFA) Graduate Award
One graduate student in the University will be awarded up to $2,000 toward tuition and incidental fees. This award can be renewed for up to four years conditional upon demonstrated need and satisfactory academic standing.
Applications for the Al Miller (UTFA) Award are available at the Fellowships and Loans Office at the School of Graduate Studies.
External Awards
The major external competitions are those of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Programme (OGS).
Recommendations to external agencies are made by the Graduate Affairs Committee of the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations and implemented by the Graduate Coordinator in accordance with School of Graduate Studies-University of Toronto-NMC Departmental Award Policy.
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC)
Candidates eligible for this award must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants enroled in a doctoral programme. Students beyond Ph.D. 4 are not eligible to apply. The value of the award for 2009-10 is $20,000. The Graduate Affairs Committee of the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations ranks applicants on the basis of academic merit and submits its recommendations to the School of Graduate Studies which vets the applications and makes suggestions for improvements before selecting the top applications from all departments to forward to the SSHRC. A committee composed of members (constituted by the SSHRC) drawn from various universities makes the funding decisions. The Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations received 1 new SSHRC in 2009-10.
Application forms for SSHRC doctoral fellowships are available electronically from the SSHRC website: www.sshrc.ca/web/home_e.asp. A hard copy of the application form will be available in the office of the Graduate Administrator for students who are unable to download the application form. Applicants from outside the University of Toronto should apply through their home departments or directly to SSHRC in Ottawa.Canada Graduate Scholarships
Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) provide financial support to outstanding graduate students pursuing master’s or doctoral studies in a Canadian university. CGS are awarded through national competitions held by three granting agencies: CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC. For doctoral CGS and master’s CGS in natural sciences and engineering, the award competitions are held at the same time as the CIHR Doctoral Research Award, NSERC Post Graduate Scholarships, and SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships. The Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations received 3 new CGSDs in 2009-2010.
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS)
The Government of Ontario provides a number of these scholarships, the value of which in 2009-2010 is approximately $15,000. Most awards are reserved for Canadian citizens or landed immigrants who are residents of Ontario. Nevertheless, a number of awards are given to candidates with visa status and to students who reside outside of Ontario. This award is tenable during any of the first five academic years of the Ph.D. programme, but not after the fifth year. Students beyond the second year of the Master’s programme are not eligible to apply. The Graduate Affairs Committee of the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations ranks a student on the basis of academic merit and submits its recommendations to the School of Graduate Studies. The School of Graduate Studies forwards the ranked applications to OGS for consideration by a committee whose members are drawn from universities across Ontario. This committee makes the funding decisions. In 2009-2010 the Department received 3 OGS scholarships.
Students in the Ph.D. programme must apply for an OGS. Students in the final year of their undergraduate programme who intend to commence a Master’s programme in the following September are eligible to apply for an OGS.
Applications are available in early September. For information regarding the OGS Scholarship and the application form, please check the OGS website at http://osap.gov.on.ca/eng/Not_Secure/Plan_Grants_full_sepapp_OGS_12345.htm.
Other Funding
School of Graduate Studies Travel Grants
The University provides travel grants on a competitive basis to doctoral students in the humanities to conduct thesis research or study outside of Canada. This award is open to domestic and international students.
Applications are available in the office of the Graduate Administrator in March.
Deadline: Mid-April
The University of Toronto Bursary Assistance
Bursaries are available to full-time graduate students to assist them in unforeseen negative financial circumstances. First year students are not normally eligible for consideration until the second term. Students with scholarships or who qualify for the Ontario Student Assistance Programme (OSAP) are not eligible for consideration. Information and application forms are available from the office of the Graduate Administrator or on line at: http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/current/studentforms/index.asp.
Teaching Opportunities
Teaching Assistantships (TAships)
The Department aims to provide a number of Teaching Assistantship opportunities to doctoral students each year. Teaching Assistantships will be included in funding packages for students who are in Ph.D. years 1-5 and will be allocated by the Department according to its needs. Doctoral students once hired, are entitled to three additional contracts UNDER THE TERMS OF THE CUPE 3902 UNIT 1 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT. Students beyond Ph.D. 5 are also eligible for TAships.
The number and kind of Teaching Assistantships available depend on the needs of the Department, the availability of qualified applicants, the number of entitlements that are open, and funding.
Notices of available TAships are posted in early spring and throughout the summer. Potential candidates should submit a curriculum vitae (c.v.) along with a covering letter to the Chair of the Department. Decisions regarding TAships are made by the Chair in consultation with faculty members in the Department, but are dependent on available positions and funding. TAships available in other departments for which NMC students are invited to apply will also be posted. The hiring of Teaching Assistants is governed by the Collective Agreement between the Governing Council of the University of Toronto and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3902. Decisions are communicated to the candidate by the Chair.
School of graduate studies - university of toronto fellowships - NMC Departmental Awards Policy
AWARDS CRITERIA
Academic merit will be determined on the basis of grade point average or reasonable progress in the programme after the completion of course work as determined by the Academic Advisor, Dissertation Supervisor and the Dissertation Committee. The award criteria apply to regular awards as well as to special awards, including the Dissertation Fellowship and the International Recruitment Award (IRA). No separate application for either the regular or special awards is required.
ELGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
1. There is no restriction based on citizenship or status in Canada.
2. Students beyond the fifth year of a doctoral programme (i.e. beyond Ph.D. 5) are not eligible to hold a University of Toronto Fellowship.
3. Academic merit will constitute the single criterion for the award of University of Toronto Fellowships to otherwise eligible students. New students must have an A- average or better in the final years of their previous programme at the University of Toronto, or its equivalent from an approved university. Current University of Toronto Fellowship holders must maintain a minimum annual standing of A- or be deemed to be making satisfactory progress towards the degree for which they are registered as determined by the Graduate Affairs Committee in consultation with the Advisor, Supervisor and Dissertation Committee as the case may be.
4. The renewability of an award is dependent on the maintenance of the minimum annual standing or an assessment of satisfactory progress in the programme as well as on the graduate student financial support budget available to the Department in a given year.
5. Students with an A- or better annual standing must apply for external awards in order to be considered for a University of Toronto Fellowship.
6. Where programmes exist that can be followed on a part-time basis, graduate students with a disability, which prevents them from enroling on a full-time basis, may be considered for a University of Toronto Fellowship on the basis of academic merit under certain circumstances. For this purpose, disability is defined under the Human Rights Code, Chapter 53, Section 9 (1). (b). To be eligible, students must provide the department with a letter from the Director of Special Services to Persons with a Disability confirming that part-time study is de facto full-time study for the student.
TERMS OF AWARD
1. Status in Programme. With the exception noted in paragraph 6 above, students must be registered as a full-time degree candidate in order to hold the award. Students who fail to maintain at least an A- average or satisfactory progress towards the degree for which they are registered as determined by the graduate unit will forfeit subsequent installments of their award. Students must be in full-time attendance for a minimum of fourteen weeks in any term during which they hold an award. If absence is to exceed four weeks in any term, students must apply through the Department for off-campus approval.
2. Dual Registration. Students dually registered in the third year of a master’s programme and first year of Ph.D. must complete the master’s programme by the required deadline to retain their doctoral fellowship.
3. Remuneration from Other Sources. University of Toronto Fellowships will normally be adjusted for recipients who subsequently receive a major external award, e.g. SSHRC/OGS, etc.
PAYMENT PROCEDURES
1. September installment cheques are available at your graduate unit in early September. Please ensure that you have paid or deferred your 2009-10 tuition fee. Cheques which are not claimed within 30 days of their availability will be cancelled.
2. September installment cheques processed after July will be mailed directly by the Fees Office to your mailing address. You may change your address on ROSI (https://www.rosi.utoronto.ca).
3. Please note that any outstanding tuition fees will automatically be deducted from award cheques (except September cheques).
4. January and May installment cheques will be mailed directly by the Fees Office to your sessional address.
5. If you are receiving a University of Toronto Fellowship towards your tuition fee, the funds will be deposited directly into your fees account.