Funding

^{posted December 2010}

Funding for graduate students is generally competitive. Most graduate students will be funded from a variety of sources possibly including scholarships, bursaries, teaching assistant (TA) or research assistant (RA) positions, etc. Some students will also take on part-time employment to fund their studies. Since graduate studies is somewhat more intense than undergraduate studies, however, students should think consciously about the potential impact of extensive part-time employment (particularly outside the university) on the time required to complete their degrees.

Awards Opportunities

There are a number of scholarship/awards opportunities strong graduate students may apply for. The most common of these are described below. Numerous other awards also exist. Links to departmental award pages are provided where appropriate. The Faculty of Graduate studies also maintains an  awards page that should be consulted.

Description of key awards

Graduate students in the Faculty of Science most commonly apply for funding from one of three main sources:

• NSERC graduate scholarship programs (PGS and CGS), the
• University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship program (and associated Manitoba Graduate Scholarships) and the
• Faculty of Science graduate scholarships program. 

NSERC graduate scholarships are available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. There is a single competition for both Post Graduate Scholarships (PGSs) and Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGSs) at each of the M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. The strongest applicants in each level of competition are awarded the more prestigious CGS awards while other successful applicants receive PGS awards.

Masters level scholarships are for one year. The PGS-M award is valued at $17,300 and the CGS-M at 17,500.

Doctorate level scholarships are for two or three years. The PGS-D award is valued at $21,000 per year while the CGS-D is valued at $35,000 per year.

Additional details are available on the NSERC website. Local submission details are described below.

In some cases, students doing health-related research for their graduate degrees may also be eligible to apply for scholarships provided by the CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) and/or the MHRC (Manitoba Health Research Council). Students working in these areas are advised to discuss this possibility with their thesis supervisor or advisory committee members. 

The University offers a number of University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships (UMGFs) to MSc and PhD students. These competitive awards are open to all such students regardless of citizenship. The UMGF has a value of $12,000 per year for masters students and $16,000 per year for doctoral students. It can be held for the first two years of MSc study.

At the PhD level the UMGF can be held for up to a total of the first four years. If, however, a student receives the UMGF at the MSc level the years of eligibility at the PhD level will be decreased by the duration of time the award was held during MSc studies.

Students applying for a UMGF are also eligible to receive a Manitoba Graduate Scholarship (MGS). Recipients of the MGS at the MSc level receive $15,000 per year instead of $12,000. At the PhD level, MGS recipients receive a $7,500 top up to the UMGF award for a total of $23,500 per year. Additional, and definitive, information about both the UMGF and MGS awards is available from the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

The Faculty of Science also offers a number of scholarships as well valued at $10,000 per year at either the MSc or PhD level. Duration for these awards is normally a maximum of two years in each program of study. These awards are administered by the individual departments and require a 30% contribution from either the department or supervisor.

Departmental Awards and Scholarships

Some departmental awards and scholarships are also available. These are typically lower in value than the awards just described and often are targeted at specific groups and/or areas. Students are advised to discuss such awards with departmental representatives. Links to departmental award pages are below.

Department	Web Page
Biological Sciences	Award Info
Chemistry	Award Info
Computer Science	Award Info
Mathematics	Award Info
Microbiology	Award Info
Physics and Astronomy	Award Info
Statistics	Award Info

Other Sources of Funding

Many students also become involved with various research projects that their supervisors are involved in. In some cases, this involves funded positions. In certain disciplines, industrial internships as part of MSc or PhD study are also possible. This offers the benefit of both funding and exposure to research environments that might not be available on campus. For example a number of students have benefitted from MITACS funded internships as part of their graduate students. Students should consult their supervisors about such opportunities.

Financial Aid and Awards

Needs based funding is available to graduate students as well as undergraduate students through the Financial Aid and Awards Office.