Part I What is a Master’s Degree?

DIFFERENCES FROM UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES  Fewer courses each semester  Courses more independently driven  Much more reading and writing  You choose classes, professors, supervisors, and committees  All aspects of graduate programs, from application to completion, assume that you take the initiative.

TYPES OF PROGRAMMESTYPES OF PROGRAMMES  Format 1: Coursework only  Format 2: Coursework plus major paper or project  Format 3: Coursework plus Masters’ Thesis  A few programmes – in any of the forms listed above – may require “qualifying examinations” or “comprehensive examinations.”

Tips when applying for an MA  MA applications and scholarship applications are due early in the autumn.  You should decide which programs you want to apply to during the summer following your third year of undergraduate studies.  Please give your professors at least two weeks to prepare your letters of reference.

Part II Why should you do an M.A.?

Why should you do an M.A.?  1) Financial advantage (earn more money)  2) Better job opportunities  3) Lower unemployment rate  4) You can get university funding to do an MA ($2000- $10,000/year)  5) You may also pay for your MA by becoming a research assistant or a teaching assistant

Incentives  more people earn undergraduate degrees  a master’s degree: increasingly useful in distinguishing candidates with university education  smarter than most  dedicated enough to set your sights on a tough goal and attain it  MA: a prerequisite to a PhD program

Incentives Salaries College graduateBachelorMaster’sDoctoral $35,000 $45,000$60,000$65,000 The median annual earnings among those who were working full time in 2007 In sum, earn $15,000 more a year with an MA. It is a huge income gap

Incentives  Many MA degree’s take two years full-time  Some MA degrees can take only one year to complete

Part III How can I afford to do this?

FUNDING POSSIBILITIES  Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)

Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)  1) Awards = each university gives them individually + sets their own deadlines  2) Apply for an OGS to each of the universities you are interested to attend  3) Graduate Studies Office at eligible Ontario Institutions will be responsible for administering the OGS Program  4) At Nipissing: Sarah Clermont is the Research and Graduate Studies Coordinator (F307):

Funding - CanadaFunding - Canada  Qualifying Canadian universities receive a Canada Graduate Scholarships Master’s Program (CGS M) allocation.Canada Graduate Scholarships Master’s Program  Allocation indicates the number of students to whom they can award scholarships  Allocations are divided by broad fields of study: 1) health, 2) natural sciences and/or 3) engineering and 4) social sciences and/or humanities

Funding - CanadaFunding - Canada  The CGS M Program supports 2,500 students every year.  Financial support in all disciplines  Administered jointly by Canada’s three federal granting agencies:  1) CIHR -Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship  2) NSERC - Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship  3) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship

FUNDING POSSIBILITIES - Links  Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master’s Program (CGS M) (September-December): Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master’s Program (CGS M)  1) CIHR – Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate ScholarshipsFrederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships  2) NSERC – Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship  3) Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships  4) Canada Graduate Scholarship – Michael Smith Foreign Study ProgramCanada Graduate Scholarship – Michael Smith Foreign Study Program

OTHER FUNDING POSSIBILITIES  University & Programme Scholarships  Teaching Assistantships  Research Assistantships  You can pay for your MA!

Where Should I Go?*Where Should I Go?* *listed MA programs are not exhaustive

Social WorkSocial Work  Wilfrid Laurier University (MSW) Wilfrid Laurier University (MSW)  York University (MSW) York University (MSW)  University of British Columbia (Advanced MSW or Foundation MSW) University of British Columbia (Advanced MSW or Foundation MSW)  University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) MSW University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) MSW  University of Calgary (MSW) University of Calgary (MSW)  University of Victoria (MSW) University of Victoria (MSW)  University of Windsor (MSW) University of Windsor (MSW)  Dalhousie University (MSW) Dalhousie University (MSW)  University of Regina (MSW) University of Regina (MSW)

Sociology  University of Windsor (Ontario) University of Windsor  University of Lethbridge (Alberta) University of Lethbridge  Memorial University (Newfoundland) Memorial University

Political SciencePolitical Science  York University (Ontario) York University  Queen’s University (Ontario) 12 months Queen’s University  University of Western Ontario (Ontario) 12 months University of Western Ontario  Wilfrid Laurier (Ontario) Wilfrid Laurier  McMaster University (Ontario) 12 months McMaster University  Brock University (Ontario) Brock University

Social and Political Thought  York University (Ontario) 2 years York University  Acadia University (Nova Scotia) 2 years Acadia University  University of Regina (Saskatchewan) 2 years University of Regina

Public AdministrationPublic Administration  Ryerson University (Ontario) Ryerson University  Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia) – 1 to 4 years Dalhousie University  Carleton University (Ontario) Carleton University  McMaster and University of Guelph (Ontario) McMaster and University of Guelph

International development and Global Studies (IDS)  University of Ottawa (Ontario) $16,500 guaranteed University of Ottawa  University of Waterloo (Ontario) 16 months University of Waterloo  University of Waterloo (second degree) University of Waterloo  McGill University (Québec) McGill University  Saint Mary’s University (Nova Scotia) Saint Mary’s University  Guelph University (Ontario) Guelph University  Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia) Dalhousie University

Indigenous/Native StudiesIndigenous/Native Studies  Trent University (Ontario) Trent University  Queen’s University (Ontario) Queen’s University  University of Toronto (Ontario) University of Toronto  University of Manitoba (Manitoba) University of Manitoba  University of Winnipeg (Manitoba) University of Winnipeg  University of Victoria (British Columbia) University of Victoria  University of Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan) University of Saskatchewan

Women’s/Gender StudiesWomen’s/Gender Studies  Queen’s University (Ontario) $14,000 Queen’s University  Lakehead University (Ontario) Lakehead University  Carleton University (Ontario) Carleton University  McMaster University (Ontario) McMaster University  Simon Fraser (British Columbia) Simon Fraser  University of Ottawa (Ontario) University of Ottawa

Interdisciplinary MAsInterdisciplinary MAs  Political Economy (Carleton University) Political Economy  Work & Society (McMaster University) Work & Society  Community Development (MACD) (University of Victoria) Community Development (MACD)  Social Justice and Equity Studies (Brock University) Social Justice and Equity Studies  Social Justice and Community Engagement (Wilfrid Laurier) Social Justice and Community Engagement  Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership (MPNL) (Carleton) Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership (MPNL)

Part V Fall Graduate Studies Workshop

Fall Graduate Studies Workshop  The following topics will be covered:  The Application Process  Statement of Purpose  Letter of Reference  Sample of Written Work

Thank You!Thank You!