Transcripts/Internal Funding

1. Transcripts/Internal Funding An Information Guide for Administrators

2. Calculation Resources • Transcripts • Often grading scales are listed on the back of the transcripts. Always follow this. • OMSAS Scale • Grading system conversion chart for Canadian universities http://www.ouac.on.ca/docs/omsas/c_omsas_b.pdf • OURA Guide • Includes international grading scales, conversion charts, lists of recognized institutions http://oura.ca/guide/login.aspx • User name: admission Password: guide11

3. World Education Services • Register for free of charge access to grade conversion guides, country profiles, education systems, lists of required documents, etc http://www.wes.org/ewenr/registration.asp?loc=tools • Grade conversion guide: http://www.wes.org/gradeconversionguide/index.asp • International Credentials Workshop • University of Toronto – December 17, 2012 • Manuals include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, China, Germany, France, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia,

4. GPA Calculations for Admission • Doctoral Applicants • applicants must hold a master’s degree from a recognized university, with normally at least an A- average in all graduate work.  • GPA is calculated using all grades achieved while the student was registered in their Masters program. • Masters Applicants • applicants must hold a four-year honours bachelors degree, or equivalent from an approved university. Applicants must have a minimum of second-class honours or B standing or equivalent • GPA is calculated using the last 5 full courses (or equivalent), that are completed at the time of application.

5. Qualifying Year • must meet the general admission requirements. An honours graduate with fewer courses in the selected area of graduate study than are required for admission, or a general (three-year) degree graduate, may be admitted as a qualifying student. • Applicants who have graduated with a minimum of B or equivalent standing in the final year of a general program at an approved university and who show special competence in the area in which they propose to pursue graduate studies and who are accepted as candidates by the Graduate Faculty, may enrol as qualifying students. • General Graduate Students • students possessing an honours bachelor's degree or equivalent who are taking one or more graduate courses for credit but are not proceeding to a degree or a diploma at Laurier.

6. Internal Funding • Masters programs • Eligible students admitted to study on a full-time basis in research-based master’s programsare guaranteed financial support averaging approximately $12,000 for each eligible year of study • students in the professional master’s programs (MBA, MFin, MMT, MSW) are automatically considered for internal scholarships upon admission and are encouraged to apply for external awards; research assistantships may also be available. • Doctoral Programs • Eligible students admitted to study on a full-time basis in doctoral programs are guaranteed a minimum of $19,000 per year for up to four years. The average level of annual funding for eligible doctoral students at Laurier exceeds $20,000. 

7. Internal Funding and Awards • GRAD Scholarships • Awarded on a competitive basis to full-time entering or continuing graduate students who achieve high academic standing in their program. Application is not required. A scholarship is awarded on academic merit, not financial need. These have a minimum value of $1,000. • Deans Graduate Scholarship • awarded to students in research-intensive master's programs who hold a major external award (i.e., CIHR, NSERC, OGS or SSHRC). This Scholarship, coupled with a Teaching Assistantship, comprises a maximum $12,000 top-up funding package to such eligible students

8. Graduate Studentships • Primary purpose is to further the student's education and training as they pursue their degree. The funding is typically from a faculty research grant/contract. The research undertaken is directly related to the student's own academic pursuits. • Form found at https://www.wlu.ca/forms_detail.php?grp_id=36&frm_id=2110 (Forms > Graduate Student Support) • Travel and Research Awards • Nominations are invited from doctoral advisors. Selection is made by the Graduate Awards Committee. • Recipients may use the award ($1250) to travel to scholarly conferences for the purposes of research presentation or for travel opportunities for advanced research training (e.g., workshops on statistical methods; access to special archives, equipment, collections, fieldwork; international practica). • Recipients are expected to participate in the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition 

9. Travel Support for Conference Presentations • financial support to students who make presentations at academic conferences related to their program of study at WLU. • FGPS will normally pay expenses up to a maximum of $300 ($250 in Ontario) • Funding from the FGPS Travel Assistantship program must be paid directly to the student.  Funds will not be paid to the student's advisor or transferred to an internal index/fund. • There are 3 annual application deadlines for this program: April 15 (for spring term travel), August 15 (for fall term travel) and December 15 (for winter term travel) • Applications will not be considered following attendance at a conference

10. Endowed, Annual Awards and Bursaries • The Office of Student Awards manages award competitions for various internal and endowed awards. • Laurier's bursary program is for students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (a limited budget for bursary assistance is available for students studying at Laurier on a study permit). Applications are due by November 1 annually in the Student Awards Office. http://www.wlu.ca/homepage.php?grp_id=2548

11. Employment Earnings • Teaching Assistantship • contracts are issued from FGPS and are funded from university operating funds. A GTA is expected to work an average of 10 hours per week or a maximum of 130 hours per term.   • assistantship functions shall not include clerical, technical or administrative work not related to teaching.  • Students who hold a GTA are required to have complete and submit the Teaching Assistantship - Job Responsibilities document by the end of the second week of the term in which the GTA is held. • Graduate students may not simultaneously (i.e., in the same term) hold a Contract Academic Staff (CAS) appointment with a TA

12. Research Assistant • typically funded by a faculty member’s research grant, and the tasks are formally prescribed, assigned and completed on a fixed schedule. • The primary purpose of the RA is to perform required tasks for the faculty member's own research project. The work is determined by the researcher and may be unrelated, or loosely related, to the student's own academic pursuits.  • Form found at https://www.wlu.ca/forms_detail.php?grp_id=36&frm_id=2110 (Forms > Graduate Student Support) • Contract Academic Staff (CAS) • Depending on the qualifications and selection processes as outlined in the WLUFA Collective Agreement, some graduate students may receive a CAS appointment to teach a course. Consult your academic unit for more information. • Graduate students may not simultaneously (i.e., in the same term) hold a CAS appointment with a TA.

13. Questions? Jennifer Williams (jennwilliams@wlu.ca) Arts, Balsillie School, Brantford campus, SBE, Math Deborah Russell (drussell@wlu.ca) Education, Music, Science, Seminary, Social Work, Geography Rosemary Springett (rspringett@wlu.ca) Scholarship Liaison Officer

14. NEXT GradPLUS Session: • Wednesday January 23, 10:15 • Transcripts Q&A, common grading scales, help with problem files. Happy Holidays!