Employment Information

MSc students are guaranteed funding for 24 months; PhD students are guaranteed funding for 48 months. Students receiving a stipend from the Department are expected to devote full-time hours toward their studies. To complete an MSc program within 16 months or a PhD program within 32 months, students will need to dedicate more than 40 hours of work per week. The Department or your supervisor must be notified before you accept additional employment, as this may affect the level of funding you receive from the Department.

Resources to support you with your career planning and job search can be accessed in the Engineering Career Connections Resource Vault. To see job postings targeting University of Alberta engineering students and alumni visit campusBRIDGE.

Graduate Appointments

Two types of non-scholarship support may be provided from university funds to registered graduate students in return for specific duties during the academic year:

• Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA): teaching duties including the preparation of teaching or laboratory assignments, instructing in laboratories or the equivalent, and the grading of assignments or laboratory reports.
  Note: GTA appointments are made by the Department Chair in September. Students who are interested in becoming a GTA should contact the Department and must complete a series of seminars before they can begin the position.
• Graduate Research Assistant (GRA): research duties on a project under the supervision of a staff member. The results of the work may or may not be directly related to the student's thesis topic.

The Departmental TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) requirement of 600 (250 CBT) must be satisfied before a graduate student can receive a GTA or a GRA appointment from university funds. The time required for the duties associated with a graduate appointment during the period from September to April is specified by the Department and ranges from four to twelve hours per week. The balance of the student's time is spent on course and thesis work.

The stipend during the summer for non-scholarship students is normally provided by the research supervisor out of grant or contract funds. After the first term of study, a portion of the student's support is also provided by the supervisor. The results of this research may or may not be directly related to the student's thesis topic.

Non-Canadian graduate students attending this university require a work permit (employment authorization) to accept any graduate appointment. Information on the procedure to be followed may be obtained from the Department at the time that the student is notified of the appointment.