Funding for Graduate Studies at McGill:CGS MASTER

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Funding for Graduate Studies at McGillCGS
MASTERS

• Information for Academic Units
• 2015-2016 Competition
• NSERC, SSHRC, and CIHR
• October 6, 2014

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Presentation Overview

• Introduction of the CGS Masters Program
• Award Overview
• Applicant Eligibility
• Program Eligibilities
• Application Processes (internal)
• Reference Letters
• Transcripts
• Deadlines
• Result Announcements
• Resources

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Award Overview Major changes

• Harmonized
• Tri-Council CGS MASTERS Awards
• Alexander Graham Bell (NSERC)
• Frederick Banting and Charles Best (CIHR)
• Joseph-Armand Bombardier (SSRHC)
• Why?
• What does this mean?

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CGS Masters Award - Harmonization

• Why harmonize?
• Streamline the process
• One single student application
• One single online platform (Research Portal
  hosted by NSERC)
• Canadian Common CV adopted
• Common evaluation criteria and review mechanisms
• Common post-award policies and regulations
• One deadline
• Eliminating administrative duplication
• Website for all info tri-agency CGS
  harmonization site

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CGS Masters Award - Harmonization

• Adoption of the incoming model
• Students may select up to 5 institutions with a
  single application
• Selection process moved from a two-stage to a
  one stage process
• Universities will manage the selection process
  and award scholarships-agency no longer conduct
  centralized national selection processes
• Eligibility screening of subject matter has been
  delegated to universities
• Universities received yearly allocations of CGS
  awards, by agency that will be in effect for 3
  years.
• CIHR - 40
• NSERC - 57
• SSHRC - 56

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CGS Masters Award - Harmonization
Before Outgoing Students apply for a CGS
scholarship through the university they are
currently registered
Now Incoming Students apply for a CGS
scholarship through the university they wish to
attend
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STATS from Fall 2013 Competition

• McGill received a total 989 Applications

Agency Accepted Not Offered Declined Withdrawn by McGill Total
CIHR 40 135 9 1 194
NSERC 57 320 74 1 467
SSHRC 56 213 42 1 328
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CGS Masters Award - Applicant Eligibility
Requirements

• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of
  Canada
• be enrolled in, have applied for, or will apply
  for full-time admission to an eligible graduate
  program at the masters or doctoral level at a
  Canadian institution with a CGS M allocation.
  Note Applicants who are not currently enrolled
  in their intended graduate program must submit an
  application for admission by December 10, 2014
• Applicants must check with the academic unit
  for admission deadline. For students applying for
  funding to CGSM an earlier deadline may be
  established by the unit.

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CGS Masters Award - Applicant Eligibility
Requirements

• have completed, as of December 31 of the year of
  application, between zero and 12 months of
  full-time studies (or full-time equivalent) in
• the masters program for which applicant is
  requesting funding or
• the doctoral program for which funding is
  requested if you were admitted into a doctoral
  program directly from your bachelors program (
  were never registered in a masters program, or
  is registered in a combined Masters-PhD
  program) or
• a masters program, but are requesting funding
  for a doctoral program (an example is a student
  who is fast-track from a masters to a doctoral
  program within 12 months of starting their
  Masters and is seeking funding for the first
  12 months of their doctoral program)

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CGS Masters Award - Applicant Eligibility
Requirements

• not have previously held a CGS M from any of the
  Tri-Council
• have achieved a first-class average, as
  determined by the host university, in each of the
  last two years of study (full-time equivalent)
  CGPA
• CHIR CGPA 3.70
• NSERC CGPA 3.70
• SSHRC CGPA
• Humanities 3.70, (includes History), Fine Arts
  (Music, Art History), Literature, Education
• Social Studies 3.60, (Other than Education and
  Law)
• Law 3.40 (BCL, LLB)
• submit a maximum of one CGS M application per
  year which, with the Research Portal, will allow
  the application to be submitted to up to five
  universities.
• Degree and program eligibility may be verified on
  the NSERC webpage

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CGS Masters Award - Applicant Eligibility
Requirements

• Calculating CGPA
• To calculate, use the GPA Calculator
  http//www.mcgill.ca/gps/staff/gpa you will have
  to log in to use it
• To calculate a foreign GPA, use Transcript key
  Foreign Country Grade Conversion Guide
  http//www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply/prepare/
  requirements/international-degree-equivalency
• GPA calculations cover last 2 years of full-time
  studies, and must include
• Last 2 years of full-time undergraduate
• Graduate to date (must have two terms completed
  with graded courses)
• Note that one year is equal to minimum 24 credits

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CGS Masters Award Program of study Eligibility
Requirements

• An eligible graduate program must have a
  significant research component.
• A significant research component is considered to
  be original, autonomous research that leads to
  the completion of a thesis, major research
  project, dissertation, scholarly publication,
  performance, recital and/or exhibit that is
  merit/expert reviewed at the institutional level
  as a requirement for completion of the program.
• Masters programs that are based only on course
  work are not eligible since they do not include a
  significant research component.
• Non-traditional Programs of Study
• Joint programs with a professional degree (e.g.
  MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD, MA/MBA) are
  eligible if they have a demonstrated and
  significant research component as described
  above.
• Clinically-oriented programs of study, including
  clinical psychology are also eligible programs if
  they have a demonstrated and significant research
  component as described above.

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CGS Masters Award Program of study Eligibility
Requirements (contd.)

• Field of Research and Subject Matter Eligibility
• CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC support and promote
  high-quality research in a wide variety of
  disciplines and areas. This includes research
  that bridges two or more disciplines or that
  requires the skills of several disciplines.
• Applicants are asked in the CGS M application to
  categorize their proposed field of research-
  i.e., health (CIHR), natural sciences and
  engineering (NSERC), social sciences and
  humanities (SSHRC). However, the universities are
  responsible for approving this categorization,
  and may override it if appropriate. This
  distinction is important because a university can
  only award these scholarships according to the
  agency-specific CGS M allocations they receive.

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CGS Masters Award Program of study Eligibility
Requirements (contd.)

• Field of Research and Subject Matter Eligibility
• Applicants must ensure that they are submitting
  their application to a university that has an
  allocation for the field of research they wish to
  pursue.
• Applications deemed by a host university to have
  been labeled incorrectly will be re-labeled.
  Universities must ensure that agency-specific
  scholarships are awarded to applications eligible
  under each agencys research subject matter
  guidelines (refer to Selecting the Appropriate
  Federal Granting Agency).
• Applicants should contact the graduate studies
  office of the Academic Unit where they intend to
  apply for admission, or where they are currently,
  or will be, registered in an eligible program of
  study for further guidance on subject matter
  eligibility.
• http//www.science.gc.ca/default.asp?langennFEE
  7261A-1

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CGS Masters Award Transcripts

• Students are responsible for uploading their
  transcripts.
• Be diligent and ensure that you have all
  transcripts from all universities listed in the
  application.
• Any application received by GPS that is deemed
  incomplete will not be considered.

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CGS Masters Award Complete application package

• Every application package must contain the
  following
• Application Form the following information
  should be verified
• Field of Research is appropriate
• McGill MUST be indicated as one of the Proposed
  Host Organizations with correct Faculty and
  Department/Division name
• Research Proposal uploaded by student
• ALL transcripts that have been uploaded by
  student
• Two letters of
• Copy of the Canadian Common CV
• This must be validated for the correct funding
  agency.

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CGS Masters Award Selection Criteria
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CGS Masters Award Selection Criteria
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Notification of Results

• Institutions will establish a list of applicants
  to whom awards will be offered as of April 1. The
  offers of awards will be made using the Research
  Portal, where applicants will have 21 days to
  Accept or Decline the offers. Institutions may
  make subsequent offers should some of the offers
  be declined, until they have no awards remaining,
  but before January 31 of the following year.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to
  verify the Research Portal for results of the
  competition.
• Applicants may accept only one CGS M offer. If
  they accept an offer, they will be deemed to have
  declined any other pending offers (if
  applicable), and they will not be eligible to
  receive further offers.
• Applicants are not eligible to receive or accept
  a CGS M offer from an institution where they are
  not currently enrolled in nor have applied for
  admission to an eligible program of study.

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CGS Masters Deadlines
ASAP Students should order transcripts
Determined by Academic Unit Applicant to McGill submit complete hard copy application package to the unit
December 01, 2014 Students must complete online application.
January 30, 2015 Units submit Nominations to GPS via GPSO-FAD
April 01, 2015 Offers are made to students. Students have 3 weeks to accept
April 21, 2015 2nd round of offers to all declined offers. Ongoing until all quota is depleted
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What to submit to GPS by 30 January 2014

• Via GPS FAD list of ranked recommended and non
  recommended applicants
• GPS no longer requires copies of applications

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CGS-Masters Unit Quotas
Eligible Masters enrolment per Unit SSHRC NSERC CIHR
Less than 20 2 2 2
21-40 4 4 3
41-60 6 6 4
61 and more 8 8 6

• Academic Units with eligible undergraduate feeder
  programs, but no eligible graduate program have a
  quota of 2.
• Academic Units who admit to PhD1 from BSc can use
  PhD1 and 2 enrolment for determining the quota.

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CGS-Masters Helpful Resources

• NSERC Website http//www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-
  CRSNG/Index_eng.asp
• NSERC Website Frequently Asked Questions for
  University
• GPS Funding Info Page http//www.mcgill.ca/gps/fu
  nding/fac-staff
• Technical Support
• Check how to use the Research Portal
• Review the instructions available in the
  application
• Online Services Helpdesk
• webapp_at_nserc-crsng.gc.ca or 613-995-4273.
  Include your
• e-mail address and telephone number.

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Helpful Resources (continued)

• GPS Contact
• Graduatefunding.GPS_at_mcgill.ca

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Join GPS Online!


GPS Home Pagewww.mcgill.ca/gps - Resource for
current graduate students, postdoctoral fellows
and university departments
GPS Newly Admitted Graduate Students
www.mcgill.ca/gradwelcome - Dedicated resource
for accepted students to facilitate their
transition to McGill and to Montreal

• GPS Future Students www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants
  - Primary site for prospective graduate students
• Centralized and consolidated listing of all
  graduate programs
• - Instructions, support, and tips on admissions
  and funding processes

• GPS Current Students www.mcgill.ca/gps/students
• Detailed information centre andresource
  directory for current graduate students and
  postdoctoral fellows