Below are some answers to some frequently asked questions about being a graduate student. If you can't find what you are looking for here, more information can be found on the websites for the Graduate Students' Association (GSA) and the Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies (GPS). Another great resource is the collective agreement between the GSA and the U of A Board of Governors.
Information specific to graduate programs in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering can be found here, including the Graduate Studies Handbook.
If you have further questions, please get in touch with me!
Yes! MSc and PhD students are paid a stipend during their studies. This is typically a minimum of $25,000/year for MSc students and more for PhD students.
Yes! Graduate students are eligible to work as teaching assistants (TAs). These are paid positions and money earned for TA work is added on top of their regular stipend amount.
Yes! There are many scholarships available to graduate students at the U of A. More information on scholarships can be found on the Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies (GPS) website, here.
Yes, all graduate students in our department take graduate courses. The specific number of courses varies by degree type (i.e., MEng, MSc, or PhD). Detailed degree requirements can be found in the most recent version of the Department Graduate Studies Handbook.
Water resources engineering graduate students can choose (together with their supervisor) from a selection of core and elective courses. The core courses include:
CIV E 739 - Open Channel Hydraulics (listed as "Advanced Topics in Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics" in the course catalogue)
There is not predefined list of elective courses, but a wide variety are available and can be selected by the student together with their supervisor.
MSc and PhD students must write and defend a thesis as part of their degree. MEng students do not write a thesis, but do complete a Capstone research project. Detailed degree requirements can be found in the most recent version of the Department Graduate Studies Handbook.
Yes! Graduate students at the U of A are provided with a health and dental plan by the Graduate Students' Association, and the cost of this plan is already included in their non-instructional fees. More information can be found on the GSA website, here.
Yes! Graduate students are allocated 1 week of vacation time per 4-month term (3 weeks per year). They will also have several other days off throughout the year during statutory holidays and other U of A closures (e.g., the week between December 25 and January 1).
More information on benefits and supports can be found on the GSA website, here. These benefits include a subsidised transit pass (the U-Pass), mental health support and counselling services through the Graduate Student Assistance Program, supports for graduate students who parent, and more!
Probably a bit of both! Some research projects only require one student, while other require multiple students focussed on different aspects. However, even if you are working independently on your research project, I hold regular group meetings with all of my students. This is a good way to keep everyone aware of each other's research and encourage collaboration.
I encourage my students to work a regular work week (~35 hours per week) and to allow themselves time to relax and get away from their studies on evenings, weekends, and holidays. That being said, the workload of a graduate student tends to ebb and flow throughout their degree. Sometimes extra hours will be required, whether that's to finish a crucial set of experiments or to get a paper written before a deadline. However, this is not the norm, and if my students find that they are becoming overwhelmed by their work I want to help find ways to alleviate their workload and restore some balance.
No! I provide my graduate students with laptops and/or desktop computers which are suitable for the research work that the student is conducting.
Graduate students are provided with assigned office space throughout their studies. This gives them a place to work when they are on campus and to leave some important materials (e.g., textbooks, computers, etc.) so that they don't have to carry everything to/from home every day. There are also a lot of communal spaces for students to work when they are on campus.
Yes! Under the current collective agreement which was negotiated between the Graduate Students' Association (GSA) and the U of A Board of Governors, graduate students are eligible for up to 16 weeks of paid child bearing or parental leave. More details can be found in the collective agreement.
Additionally, students who are paid out of a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), or those who are paid directly by NSERC (e.g., NSERC Master's, PhD, or PDF award holders), may be eligible for up to 12 months of paid parental leave. More information is available on the NSERC website, here.
The GSA offers other supports for graduate students who parent including the GSA Child Care Grant. More information can be found here.
If you have additional questions about the application process, please see the excellent FAQ pages provided by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
The minimum admission average for graduate studies is set by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The current minimum admission averages for MSc, MEng, and PhD programs can be found here.
Yes, all applicants must be proficient in English since English is the primary language of instruction at the U of A. More information on the ELP requirements can be found here.
No! Applicants will be considered with undergraduate degrees in fields other than civil or environmental engineering as long as they have the relevant background to succeed in the Water Resources Engineering graduate program. Your undergraduate degree does not even need to be from a different field of engineering; applicants with relevant degrees in other science fields will also be considered.
Yes! The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) does count graduate studies as engineering work experience. A total of 12 months can be claimed by P.Eng. applicants with MSc degrees, or 24 months for P.Eng. applicants with PhD degrees. More information can be found on the APEGA website.