MSc Funding

Minimum funding opportunities for Master of Science (MSc) students starting on or after April 1, 2023, will not be less than $10,000 annually for each of the first two years of their program. Over the course of the first 12 months there will be funding opportunities for students to obtain not less than $10,000 CDN through work experiences from research assistantships, teaching assistantships, teaching, and awards.

Depending on the source(s) of funding, monthly payments will not necessarily be consistent. For example, the timing of the receipt of a scholarship, or the dates of a Graduate Assistantship appointment, may impact the amount paid in a given month.

Finances: It is your responsibility to plan for the costs of your studies when living in Calgary.  To help build your budget and plan your finances, please refer to the following resources:

Funding opportunities comes from a variety of sources including Tri-council scholarships (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC); private, provincial and university scholarships; teaching assistantships; and sessional teaching.

Any or all of the following sources of funding may count toward your minimum funding during these two years:

  • External scholarships and awards (e.g., SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, AIHS, AITF, AGES, donor scholarships);
  • Internal scholarships and awards (e.g., Werklund School awards, Graduate Awards Competition (GAC), and other program or university competitive graduate awards);
  • Research Assistantships (e.g., Graduate Assistantship Research (GAR), Research Stipend, and/or Scholarship payments from research grant(s));
  • Graduate Assistantship Teaching (GAT) (50% salary and 50% scholarship) administered by Werklund School of Education;
  • Graduate Assistantship Non-Teaching (GANT) (50% salary and 50% scholarship) administered by Werklund School of Education;
  • Salary of up to two Sessional (Graduate Student Teaching) Appointments as per TUCFA Collective Agreement administered by the Werklund School of Education
  • Paid internships

MSc students will receive funding based on the following conditions:

  • must be registered as a full-time student
  • must apply for SSHRC funding (October) and the University scholarships competition (December). Failure to apply will result in a decrease or cancellation of departmental funding.
  • must maintain satisfactory academic standing in the program

Students who are offered admission to a MSc program will receive general information regarding funding opportunities in the offer package.

For more information about Masters funding please contact the Graduate Programs in Education office, gpe.studentfunding@ucalgary.ca.