The minimum level of support guaranteed to graduate students in the department will be increased to $15,500 per year plus fees, starting next academic year (2009-2010). See below for details.
- Presentation on Graduate Student Funding presented at General Assembly
- Graduate Funding Survey Results
- Graduate Funding Survey Summary Graphs
The Biology department held another Assembly today, where I was asked to report back and present some statistics concerning the minimum level of support guaranteed to graduate students.
First of all, I want to thank all the people who helped collect data for today's presentation, and who came to the meetings and discussions to help me better represent BGSA members. This presentation prompted a lively discussion between graduate students and faculty at the assembly, and raised many issues related to graduate student support. It was evident that there are divergent views regarding whether graduate studies is a career unto itself, or is training in preparation for a higher-paying career afterwards.
Faculty reminded us that grant resources, needed to cover graduate support in the absence of scholarships, are limited, and that in fact NSERC Discovery grants have not only remained the same for decades, but that they are expected to decrease, which means that raising the minimum level of support increases the financial burden on their shrinking grants. Nevertheless, they were sympathetic to the rising costs of living since 2001, when the minimum level of funding was last reviewed.
The department chair, Paul Lasko, put forward a motion that 'the minimum level of support guaranteed to graduate students in the department be increased to $15,500 per year plus fees, starting next academic year (2009-2010)'. The motion passed, with a few abstentions, but no votes opposed.
I also presented some of the other issues not directly related to the minimum level of funding, and received some useful comments that I will pass on here:
- Firstly, it was pointed out that granting cycles typically last around 3 years, which makes it difficult for Faculty to plan sources of funding for the entire duration of a PhD (4-5 years). Nevertheless, a commitment is made to support incoming graduate students according to the department policies (see http://biology.mcgill.ca/grad/gradstudies.html "Fees and Finacial Support - Scholarships and Awards" section for more info), although there may be some uncertainty regarding how much stipend money will be available beyond the current granting cycle.
- Secondly, I was reminded that the department sends us letters (perhaps via email?) outlining the amount of funding we will receive in the upcoming academic year, and what our TA obligations are expected to be. This information is valuable for planning your finances, so look out for it and keep it for your records.
Jonathan Whiteley
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