Description:
The Graduate Dean's Thesis Fellowship (GDTF) is a merit-based fellowship that is available to full-time students in a thesis based PhD program who are approaching their final term, and who are focused on the completion of their dissertation. This fellowship is intended to provide financial support while students are engaged in the final stages of writing their dissertation. Students may receive the fellowship only once during their degree program. There are four awards available annually.
Value: $6,000
Eligibility:
• Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada, and international students enrolled in a PhD program in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science;
• Students must be admitted to candidacy;
• Students must have completed, as of the date of receiving the fellowship, no more than 56 months of study in the program for which they are requesting funding.
Students who receive external agency funding through any of the following federal scholarship programs may not concurrently hold a GDTF:
• CIHR CGS D
• NSERC CGS D or Postgraduate Scholarship – Doctoral program
• SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Program (CGS D) or SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship
• Trudeau Doctoral Scholarship
• Vanier CGS
Students may not be employed by the university (e.g. Graduate Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant) during the term they hold the fellowship.
Evaluation Criteria:
This is a competitive fellowship that recognizes excellence in graduate research and study. Fellowships are intended for students who are close to completing their dissertation and would benefit from financial assistance to be able to focus on writing. See forms for details.
Deadlines:
- October 17 for Winter 2024 Term 1 (September 1 to December 31)
- October 17 for Winter 2024 Term 2 (January 1 to April 30)
Application Procedure:
- The student should completes the following GDTF Student Application Form and attaches a short CV (maximum two pages)
- The form is routed to their thesis supervisor for them to submit the Thesis Supervisor Rationale Form
Nomination Procedure:
• The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Graduate Awards Committee reviews and evaluates all applications submitted by the deadline;
• The Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral, informs the College of Graduate Studies which students have been nominated to receive a Graduate Dean’s Thesis Fellowship;
• The College of Graduate Studies confirms that nominees meet all eligibility criteria, and informs the student(s).
Further Information:
Academic Standing
• Each year, a student’s progress is evaluated as either satisfactory, requiring improvement, or unsatisfactory through an Annual Progress Report. Students with unsatisfactory progress become ineligible for award funding until a satisfactory status is reported in the required six-month interim progress report, or a subsequent annual progress report.
Registration
• To remain eligible for this fellowship, students must remain registered as a full-time student during the term of scholarship payment. Students must register in their thesis course in each term of their studies to ensure that they maintain full-time status.
Leave of Absence
• Students granted a leave of absence retain the full value of the GDTF, though it will not be paid to them during the leave of absence. The award will be suspended at the onset of the leave, and reinstated at the termination of the leave period, provided the student returns to full-time study within the same fiscal year (i.e. April 1 to March 31).
Withdrawal
• If an award holder withdraws from their program of study, the funding received during the term for which the withdrawal is processed will be recovered by the College of Graduate Studies.
Program Completion
• If an award holder completes the requirements of their program prior to receiving the full fellowship payment, the award holder will receive the remaining payment prior to the closing of their program.