Rationale
The Department feels strongly that graduate students should receive funding to allow them to concentrate on their courses and research. In order to achieve this goal, it is imperative that we distribute available funds as equitably as possible. To this end, we will use funds at the disposal of the department to supplement the funds that students are able to obtain through other sources.
Funding Policy
All full-time students will be funded as follows: MA students for 20 months (from September of MA1 through April of MA2); PhD students for five years (PhD1 through PhD5 for students entering without prior M.A. degree, or PhD2 through PhD6 for students who enter with a prior M.A. degree).[1][2] The funding package is contingent on maintaining a CGPA of 3.5 or higher in graduate (500-to-700-level) Linguistics courses. Qualifying year (QY) students are not eligible for funding. The target funding levels for PhD and MA students are the following (as of Fall 2024):
PhDs (per year)
$23,500, in addition to tuition and fees. The amount to cover tuition and fees will depend on a student’s residency status (Quebec resident/non-Quebec Canadian/International; Full-time/Additional session). Rates are available at https://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-charges/fallwinter-term-tuition-and-fees/graduate-fees).
MAs[3]
$20,000 for 12 months in MA1; $13,333 for 8 months in MA2. Tuition and fees for both years are also covered. The amount to cover tuition and fees will depend on a student’s residency status (Quebec resident/non-Quebec Canadian/International; Full-time/Non-thesis extension). Rates are available at https://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-charges/fallwinter-term-tuition-and-fees/graduate-fees).
Funding Sources
Funding comes from a variety of internal and external sources, including:
- External funds obtained by the student
- Faculty of Arts Fellowships
- Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Fellowships
- Department of Linguistics Cremona Fellowship
- Research funds
Application for External Funds
Students are required to apply for external fellowships each each they are eligible to be guaranteed their funding package (minimally: SSHRC Doctoral, CGS Masters, FRQSC Masters, and FRQSC Doctoral fellowships, as applicable). External funding will count towards the student’s total funding package. Students must report to the department in writing the names and amounts of any award(s) you receive within two months of receiving the notice of the award(s). Failure to to inform us of any funding obtained can result in deductions to subsequent funding from the department.
Funding from Expected Employment
Based on recent historical data, we expect that you will have the opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant:
- PhD: 120 hours per year, on average, in Years 2-5
- MA: 240 hours, in Year 2.
This assumes that you are legally allowed to work in Canada, apply for the recommended number of posted employment positions, and meet all stated requirements of those positions.
The department encourages students not to TA in their first year, as they already have a heavy courseload and are fully funded. However, all allocations of TAships are subject to the requirements set down by the union that manages TAships (AGSEM) and the Department of Linguistics does not guarantee when or how often you will TA.
When you have TAed for less than 480 hours (PhD) or 240 hours (MA) total , the department may write 1-2 TAships into your annual funding letter for Fall term and/or Winter term (one TAship per term) as expected employment counting towards your funding. If you apply for a TAship anticipated in the letter and do not receive a position, or there are no TAships available to apply to, the department will increase your funding package by the amount of one TAship, from another source (e.g., a research grant).
Students who TA while fully funded on an external fellowships (or equivalent) will receive their TA salary in addition to their funding package.
Students who teach linguistics courses as Course Lecturers will receive these salaries in addition to their funding package, if the required TA hours described above have been completed.
Funding from Research Grants
Students who receive research funds will join research teams associated with professors within the department.
[1] Determination of funding will normally be made before the beginning of each academic year.
[2] PhD students who switch to the MA after two or more years in the PhD will not be funded in the MA.