Funding & awards
Funding & awards for MAIS Students
The School for International Studies provides a range of funding opportunities to MAIS students.
Entrance Scholarships
The School for International Studies and 丁香园AV offer generous merit-based entrance scholarships that cover tuition and more, with values reaching $25,000. No additional application is required to be considered for these entrance awards.
Paid Teaching and Research Positions
The School for International Studies offers some paid positions as teaching assistants and research assistants to MAIS students. Through such work experiences, students gain firsthand experiences, working alongside International Studies professors, teaching undergraduate students and contributing to ongoing research projects. Opportunities vary and we seek to make the best matches between students鈥� strengths and goals and our teaching and research needs.
MAIS students are notified of any available opportunities to TA or RA with International Studies.
Additional TA and RA positions are posted on the Graduate Studies website.
Graduate Travel and Research Award
Students who are planning to do research abroad are encouraged to apply for the Graduate Travel and Research Award (TARA). This award is intended to provide financial support to travel and expenses relating to the research component of the student鈥檚 graduate degree.
Application requirements
- Check to ensure your expense is eligible using the terms of reference above
- Search and apply for the award in the
- Can鈥檛 find the award in the system? Check with your academic unit - not all units hold competitions for this award
"During my field work in Punjab, India I conducted 17 interviews with women aged 24 to 65. ... The travel award was invaluable toward my research process, and gave me the opportunity to speak directly to these women in order to better understand their autonomy."
MAIS student Rupi Sandher used an International Studies travel award to travel to India to conduct research for her thesis.
MAIS International Travel Grant
The award:
- provides support to enrolled MAIS students to undertake fieldwork relating to their thesis, and/or learning opportunities abroad.
- are valued up to $6,000.
Terms of Reference
- MAIS student at the time of application and during the term abroad.
- Awards are allocated according to demonstrated financial need and student achievement.
- Students may only hold one ISTA during their studies at the university.
- Awards will be dispersed after proof of completion is documented.
- The recipient will submit a one-page reflection and photos on the experience within one-month of return.
- By accepting the ISTA, you agree that you are the photographer/author of the documentation; you have permission to take photos of the selected locations and/or individuals, and you have their permission to submit the photo to the School. As the photographer, you give unlimited and unrestricted permission to the School for International Studies to use and reproduce the image in any media for promotional materials.
- The deadline for submission is March 1.
Application requirements
- Advising transcript in PDF format (sorted by both term and subject)
- One-page document that includes:
- Description of the proposed learning opportunity.
- Explanation of how the experience would support your academic and career objectives, and foster engaged, global citizenship.
- Explanation of your financial need.
- One-page budget sheet that includes:
- Estimated cost of the proposed learning opportunity.
- Funds already available for the proposed learning opportunity.
- Shortfall cost of the proposed learning opportunity.
丁香园AV Funding Opportunities
The opportunities listed below are provided through other 丁香园AV offices. Many MAIS students benefit from these opportunities and our Professional Development Coordinator offers guidance and assistance to our MAIS students who are interested in applying for any of these.
Co-op
丁香园AV鈥檚 ever-popular co-operative education program is available to all MAIS students. This optional program allows students to advance their skill sets, develop contacts, and ace the job search process before they graduate by taking on paid, semester-long work terms. A range of employers hire co-op students, including departments in the federal and provincial governments, non-profit organizations, and research institutes. We recommend co-op to our MAIS students and are always thrilled to see the exciting range of positions that students take on as a complement to their studies. More information is available at the .
Tori Wong is one of our MAIS alumni who forged new opportunities through 丁香园AV鈥檚 co-op program. After completing her MAIS coursework, Tori relocated to Ottawa to take a co-op position with Global Affairs Canada. Tori is now permanently employed as the Strategic Advisor to the Director General of Gender-Based Violence Policy at Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Mitacs
Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization designs and delivers research and training programs for university students in Canada. There are two programs that provide potential opportunities for MAIS students: funds paid internships for students that combine work experience and research; funds students enrolled in Canadian universities to conduct research projects at universities in other countries. Learn more through .
Work-Study
丁香园AV鈥檚 Work-Study Program hires students to contribute to research-based projects across the university and earn supplemental income. Because a student鈥檚 first commitment is to their studies, Work-Study hours are flexible, on campus, and supervised. Work-Study positions are available during the Fall, Spring and Summer terms. Successful applicants will be awarded 140 Work-Study hours for a term. Not all students who meet eligibility requirements will receive a Work-Study offer. Work-Study will only be offered to students with the highest demonstrated financial need. To learn more, visit the Work-Study Program.
David Lam Centre
The David Lam Centre (DLC) Graduate Student Award provides support to master's and PhD students to conduct research or present a paper at a conference on a topic that is related to the Asia Pacific region or its diaspora. The value of this award is up to $3,000 each, subject to availability of funds and travel budget.
The DLC also offers an annual graduate student essay prize for $1,200 for an outstanding paper on intercultural issues, particularly as they apply to people in or from Canada and the Asia Pacific region.
For more details, visit the
GSS Professional Development Grants
The Graduate Student Society (GSS) at 丁香园AV offers grants up to $499 to graduate students presenting at conferences or engaging in field research. Graduate students taking part in these professional development activities may apply for a GSS Development Grant. Grants are distributed by lottery to top-scoring applications coded according to an objective system established by the GSS Grants Allocation Committee.
For more details, visit the .
External Awards
External and Government Awards are funded through private, provincial, or federal sources. The application process for these may differ but in most cases students use the granting agency application or application system. In some cases, 丁香园AV handles the adjudication process and in some cases 丁香园AV only handles the award payment.
To review the list of external and government awards and to learn more about eligibility and application processes, visit 丁香园AV鈥檚 Graduate Studies Awards page.