Graduate Student Association Update

The monthly GSA meeting was held on monday. Thanks to Katherine for the following update:

GSA Notes (Meeting Oct. 18, 2010)

GSA representative for PERGSS: Katherine Tamminen, tamminen@ualberta.ca

Tuition Update: Thesis 919 option

Dr. Dru Marshall from the Provost’s office gave a presentation at the GSA meeting to update grad students about changes to tuition for students starting a graduate program in Sept. 2011. Currently, students in thesis-based Master’s programs and PhD programs have the option of registering in Thesis 919 once they have completed their coursework as a way to maintain full-time status but essentially pay a lower tuition than when they were taking courses. So, tuition is higher during the first few years of a program, and lower in the last few years.

The way in which students register and are assessed fees will no longer include the option to register in Thesis 919 (which is for thesis-based students who have completed their coursework). As a result, grad students starting a program as of Sept. 2011 will basically be assessed the same tuition rate each year of their program. These changes are intended to make tuition cheaper than the current model for students who complete their programs in a timely manner (i.e., within 2 yrs for Master’s students, 4 years for PhD students). As it stands, the average time to completion across the university is currently 2.7 yrs for a Master’s degree and 5.9 yrs for a PhD.

Students who are currently registered in their programs will NOT be affected by these changes; it is only for NEW students registering in a program. The changes will not affect students completing a graduate program who will finish with one credential (i.e., MA, MSc, or PhD). So, if you are currently a grad student, you will still have the option to register in Thesis 919 until you complete your degree. Similarly, if you are a Master’s student and you ‘roll over’ your degree into a PhD, you will not be affected. This is only for students starting a new program; for example, it would apply to those who are currently in a Master’s program and will complete it before starting a PhD in Sept. 2011 and beyond.

These changes were approved by the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology over a year ago to bring the UofA’s tuition rates up to par with other graduate programs across Canada. Even with these changes to tuition, ours is still one of the cheapest universities in Canada for graduate tuition rates. For more information on market modifiers, see: http://www.gsa.ualberta.ca/downloads/MarketModifiers.pdf

I do not have exact numbers regarding ‘how much’ tuition will cost for students each year. Once I have more information I will pass it along to grad students within our faculty.

Academic Integrity Survey:

The UofA’s task force on Academic Integrity will be focusing on Academic Honesty and is seeking your views on cheating within the university. As students, teaching assistants, and principal instructors, graduate students likely have unique experience and opinions about what constitutes cheating and its prevalence across campus. For more information, see: http://www.gsa.ualberta.ca/downloads/October2010CouncilAppendix1.pdf

For information and to complete the survey, please go to: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/tie

Professional Development Funding:

Don’t forget that you may be eligible for a Professional Development Grant to help fund travel to conferences, etc. The next deadline to submit an application is Nov. 29^th 2010. Applications are available from the GSA website: http://www.gsa.ualberta.ca/

Also, some recent grant applications have not been considered for funding because the applications were incomplete or not enough information was provided on the application. Please be as thorough and as detailed as possible when submitting an application in order to improve your chances of getting funding.

For other funding opportunities, see: http://www.gsa.ualberta.ca/index.php/funding/