Funding

Departmental Support

The Department provides financial awards for domestic and international students. The current minimum financial award is approximately $16,000 for the academic year for first year MA students, and $21,000 for domestic and international doctoral students. Financial awards are derived from a combination of Queen's Graduate Awards (QGAs), external scholarships such as the Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's and Ontario Graduate Scholarship, internal fellowships, teaching assistantships (TA-ships) in the Department's undergraduate courses, and faculty research assistantships in any combination at the discretion of the Department.

The Department will endeavour to provide financial awards to MA students who are accepted into the two-year, thesis stream, but cannot guarantee second-year funding. Students are encouraged to prepare early in the fall for their application to convert to the thesis-stream option, and to apply for a Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (CGS-M), if eligible, at this time. Eligible continuing students are also encouraged to apply for an Ontario Graduate Scholarship in January, at the time of submitting their application for the thesis option. Other sources of external funding can be found on SGSPA website, but there are many others through individual ministries, governments or embassies, development-oriented NGO's and charitable organizations.

International Students Funding Departmental Support

The Department of Global Development Studies is only able to accept one international student per year as funding is extremely limited. The current minimum financial award for international MA and PhD students is approximately $21,000 for the academic year.

As funding is limited and the competition is strong, international students applying to a graduate program in Global Development Studies must secure a firm supervisory commitment in writing from a DEVS faculty member prior to applying.  Applications submitted without a commitment of supervision from a DEVS faculty member will not be considered.  

Queen's University Fellowships and Awards

Suitable applicants will be nominated by the Department for a variety of awards such as McLaughlin Scholarships, Robert Sutherland Fellowships and, for Quebec residents, Senator Frank Carrel Fellowships. Most Fellowships are currently valued at $10,000. 

External Awards:  MA Applicants

The Department strongly encourage students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, who have achieved an average of at least A- (80%) in their last two years of study (full-time equivalent), and who don't already have a Master's degree to apply for a Canada Graduate Scholarship-Masters (CGS-M)  before submitting their application to the DEVS MA Program. The CGS-M provides $17,500 for 12 months and is non-renewable. By identifying Queen’s as a potential host institution when applying for a Canada Graduate Scholarship-Masters (CGS-M), applications will automatically be considered for the new Queen's Academic Excellence Award for Master's students entering their first year of study at Queen's University.

Any student entering their first year of DEVS MA program who wins a Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's will automatically receive a $5,000 Tri-Agency Recipient Recognition Award (TARRA) from the University. In addition, the Department will try to provide top-up funding to other internal and external award winners, and to make every attempt to ensure our offers are fully competitive with other Canadian universities.

Students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents and who have achieved an average of at least A- (80%) in their last two years of study (full-time equivalent) should also apply for an Ontario Graduate Scholarship ($15,000) as part of their application to the DEVS MA program (the deadline is January 31). Applicants do not need to be Ontario residents.

We also advise you to research and apply for scholarships offered by government, professional and charitable organizations, such as the Canadian Federation of University Women.

External Awards:  PhD Applicants

The Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral program (CGS D program) supports and promotes research excellence in a wide variety of disciplines and broad fields of health, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences and humanities, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research.

Students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents and who have achieved an average of at least A- (80%) in their last two years of study (full-time equivalent) should also apply for an Ontario Graduate Scholarship ($15,000) as part of their application to the DEVS MA program (the deadline is January 31). Applicants do not need to be Ontario residents.

We also advise you to research and apply for scholarships offered by government, professional and charitable organizations, such as the Canadian Federation of University Women.

Teaching Assistantships

Teaching Assistantships (TA-ships) require up to a maximum of 10 hours a week/130 hours per term of tutorial leadership, preparation, marking, and other duties. Funding packages would normally include two TA-ships (one in the Fall term and one in the Winter term) but this could be reduced in the case of a student winning additional internal or external awards. TA-ships are regarded as both a source of funding and as an important element in the student's career development.