Graduate Studies

The CGS M program provides financial support ($17,500 for 12 months, non-renewable, tenable only at an eligible Canadian university) to high caliber scholars who are engaged in eligible Masters or, in some cases, doctoral programs in Canada. This support allows these scholars to fully concentrate on their studies in their chosen fields. The CGS M program supports 3,000 students annually in all disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada’s three federal granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The selection process and post-award administration are carried out at the university level, under the guidance of the three agencies. Students submit their application to the university at which they propose to hold their award via the Research Portal. Students can only hold one of these scholarships in their lifetime.

When planning an application, you should be aware of the award allocations for the University you are planning on applying to. Eligible universities with a CGS Master's award allocations.

Please refer to this website for more information on selecting the appropriate agency for your research topic.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read all instructions prior to starting the application!

• Instructions and other resources
• Research Portal < To Create an Application >
• Common CV < To Create a CV >

• Create an application through the Research Portal;
• Create a CGS M Canadian Common CV;
• Outline of proposed Research (maximum 1 page attachment);
• Bibliography/Citations (maximum 1 page attachment);
• Transcripts - Only Up-to-date, official, transcripts are to be attached. A copy of the legend for each is also required; and
  
• Reference Assessments (total of 2)

When writing the 1-page proposal, please keep these percentages as a guide:

Proposal (The What?): Focus 25% -
>Clearly state your objective(s), purpose, research questions, and/or hypotheses!
>Brief description of your research area and its position within a broader research context
>Identify the research/theoretical gaps that have led to your proposal

Proposal (The How?): Methodology 50% -
>How are you going to achieve your objective(s)?
>Explain your methodology or theoretical approach in detail, but limit/avoid jargon.
>If relevant, mention the specific techniques/analyses you plan to utilize

Proposal (The Why?): Significance 25% -
>What is the potential impact?
>Is there a direct or indirect impact on society?
>Will your research stimulate future research?
>Is it relevant to the world --- it helps humanize your proposal if it is.

The following document has been created to assist you with completing the CCV.

Qualifying Canadian universities receive a CGS M allocation indicating the number of students to whom they can award scholarships; these allocations are divided by broad fields of study: health, natural sciences and/or engineering and social sciences and/or humanities.

ADMISSION DEADLINE: Applicants MUST also apply to graduate studies at the Universities they propose to hold the award. Acadia University's admission application deadline is February 1st for consideration (except for December 15th for MSc in Psychology applicants and December 1st for M.Ed. in Counselling applicants). It is the applicant's responsibility to check admission deadlines at the Universities they are proposing.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 1st, before 8:00pm (ET). Complete applications must be submitted by this deadline using the RESEARCH PORTAL. If the deadline falls on a weekend, applications must be submitted by the following business day before 8:00pm (ET).

RESULTS DEADLINE: Competition results will be available in the RESEARCH PORTAL as of April 1st.

• MUST have achieved a first-class average in EACH of the last two (2) completed years of study. If the last 2 completed years of study were taken at Acadia University, first-class average is defined as a GPA of 3.67/4.33. If the studies were elsewhere, the applicant is responsible for contacting the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the selected institutions for more detailed info;
• Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
• Be enrolled in, have applied for, or will apply for full-time admission to an eligible graduate program at a Canadian institution;
• Respect the internal admission deadlines at the University(s) of choice. Contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the selected institutions for more detailed info;
• Not have held a previous CGS Masters award; and
• Have completed, as of December 31 of the year of application, between zero and 12 months of full-time studies (or full-time equivalent) in a:
  • Master’s program; or
  • Doctoral program, if admitted to doctoral program directly from Bachelor’s (never registered in M program), or are registered in combined Master’s-PhD program); or
  • Master’s program, fast-tracking from Master’s to Doctoral program within 12 months of starting Master’s;

Applicants MUST upload up-to-date, OFFICIAL, transcripts for this competition.

• Master’s programs that are based only on course work are not eligible
• Joint programs with a professional degree (e.g. MD/PhD, DVM/PhD, JD/PhD, MBA/PhD, MA/MBA) are eligible if there is a significant research component. Clinically-oriented programs of study, including clinical psychology, are also eligible programs if there is a significant research component. (You must justify and explain!)
• Original, autonomous research that leads to the completion of
  • Thesis
  • Major research project
  • Dissertation
  • Scholarly publication
  • Performance, recital and/or exhibit that is merit/expert reviewed at the institutional level as a requirement for completion of the program

CGS M holders may be eligible for the related funding opportunities. For a complete list and details, please visit the CGS M website.

• Request your OFFICIAL transcripts early (as a request can sometimes take up to 5 days to process);
• Make contact with your referees (2) as early as possible. You should refer them to the video on how to complete the reference form. You should also consider setting a personal deadline as to when their letter should be submitted (ie. Nov 25th). That way, if the reference letter isn't submitted, you will still have time to approach another referee;
• Attachments to the application must be uploaded in a specific format. Refer to the presentation and attachment standards.
• If applicable, indicate how sex, gender and diversity considerations have been taken into account in your proposed research. Accounting for sex, gender and diversity makes research more ethically sound, rigorous, and useful; and
• If there has been any impact on disseminating research results or academic achievement, due to health problems, family responsibilities, parental leave, disabilities, or other applicable circumstances, PLEASE indicate this under "Special Circumstances" within your free-form section.

After the December 1st deadline, the Graduate Studies Officer reviews all applications for eligibility (eligibility criteria listed above). Those that do not meet a requirement are marked in the Research Portal as Ineligible. All remaining applications are then shared with the selection committee.

The selection committee is comprised of 2-3 members of the Senate Committee on Graduate Studies, the Dean of Graduate Studies [Chair], and the Graduate Studies Officer.

The documents provided to the selection committee include:

• Complete application for each eligible applicant;
• A spreadsheet (provided by the Graduate Studies Officer) that lists info on each eligible applicant (ie. name, GPA in last 2 years, last Univ. attended and program/dept of choice);
• Documents from the NSERC and Tri-Council website:
  
  • http://nserc.ca/ResearchPortal-PortailDeRecherche/Instructions-Instructions/CGS_M-BESC_M_eng.asp
  • http://nserc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/CGSM-BESCM_eng.asp
  • http://nserc.ca/Students-Etudiants/PG-CS/RR_CGSM-RR_BESCM_eng.asp
• The Institution Grading Systems Table

The following evaluation criteria is used by the committee:

• Academic Excellence (50%) - as demonstrated by the OFFICIAL transcripts, and scholarships/awards held;
• Research Potential (30%) - as demonstrated by the research history, proposed research, its potential contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the field, and any anticipated outcomes; and
• Personal Characteristics/Interpersonal Skills (20%) - as demonstrated by the past professional and relevant extracurricular interactions and collaborations (ie. work experience, leadership experience, or involvement is academic life)

The review of applications is based solely on the information provided in the application.

• Must be held at the university from where the offer is made
• The award is not portable between universities
• Must comply with the policies and guidelines set out in the Tri-agency research training award holder's guide.

If an applicant is, has been, or will be under the direct supervision of a Selection Committee member, the member must withdraw from the discussion when the applicant's file is being discussed at the meeting.

If an applicant is, or will be, at the same institution (in the same or different department), the member is permitted to participate in the discussion.

If there is a personal link and/or situations in which a reviewer decides to declare a conflict of interest, the member must withdraw from the discussion when the applicant's file is being discussed at the meeting.

All application material is provided to members in confidence and must be used for review purposes only. All matters discussed during the review meeting are confidential and must not be divulged to others.

Notifying applicants of the results is the responsibility of NSERC staff. If approached by an applicant or other individual concerning a decision, or any other matter, members must decline discussion and refer the person to NSERC.

There are two (2) opportunities:

1. Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral program; and
2. SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship

Applicants need to submit only one application to be considered for one or both awards. As each award has notable differences, applicants must read the descriptions for each award carefully to determine if they are eligible to apply for and hold each award. Applicants eligible for both the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and CGS D Scholarships will automatically be considered for both awards.

There is an internal Acadia deadline of mid/late October of each year. The Graduate Studies Officer will send a competition notice by email in late August early September.

We have created a SSHRC Doctoral Information Sheet/FAQ document to assist you with your application.

The researchNS Scotia Scholars Awards are intended to provide financial support to high caliber trainees engaged in health research related to academic study at Nova Scotia universities. The goal of the awards is to support the development of the next generation of highly qualified health researchers and leaders in the Nova Scotia health research enterprise. For further information see https://researchns.ca/ssa/

Funding support for graduate and PhD students is available.

There is an internal Acadia deadline of mid/late April of each year. The Graduate Studies Officer will send a competition notice by email in March or April.

The Research and Innovation Graduate Scholarship program was created to help advance the economic and social wellbeing of Nova Scotians by investing in graduate thesis research in the following defined priority sectors: Ocean and Marine Technology, Life Sciences, Information and Communications Technology, Clean Technology, Aerospace and Defence, Resource Sectors, Financial Services, Health and Wellness, and Social Innovation.

At Acadia, the Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarships are awarded to incoming students.

Graduate students must be nominated by their department/school via the Graduate Coordinator using Acadia University’s Nova Scotia Provincial Graduate Scholarship application form.

These graduate scholarships are available to both Canadian and International students:

• Master’s scholarship: $10,000/year with possible renewal for a 2nd year for 2-yr full-time programs; and
• Doctoral scholarship: $15,000/year with possible renewal for a 2nd year of support for full-time study

There is an internal Acadia deadline of mid/late June of each year. The Graduate Studies Officer will send a competition notice by email in May/June.

This funding opportunity is open to trainees engaged in patient-oriented health research and entering or enrolled in a Master’s, Doctoral, or Postdoctoral Fellow program.

For more information on this funding opportunity please visit the MSSU website.