Theatre at UBC
Graduate Funding Opportunities
All domestic and international students who are accepted and registered full-time in our department’s graduate programs (Ph.D., M.F.A., M.A.) will be eligible for financial assistance from teaching assistantships, research assistantships and Graduate Support Initiative (GSI) funding allocated as entrance awards, multi-year funding awards, tuition awards and/or scholarship top-up awards.
Applicants to our programs will automatically be considered for GSI funding so a separate application is not needed. The department’s Graduate Committee will allocate these funds on the basis of merit as determined by a combination of grade point averages, letters of reference and, where applicable, statement of intent, writing sample, depth of resumé and/or artistic portfolio. Faculty in the various program streams also support incoming and current students in their applications for external funding and our students have been highly successful in competitions for Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Master’s Scholarships Program, Social Science and Humanities Research Council Doctoral scholarships as well as Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. The department’s various graduate program streams (Film Studies, Film Production, Directing for Theatre, Design for Theatre, Theatre Studies) also have internal scholarships for which students will be eligible upon entrance. These will also be awarded on the basis of merit. It is important that all graduate students also consult the Faculty of Graduate Studies website concerning awards and financial aid for further information and award opportunities.
Teaching Assistantships (www.cupe2278.ca)
Students accepted into our programs are eligible for Teaching Assistantships. These positions are awarded competitively to qualified graduate students and may be full or part-time. The positions are aimed at supporting undergraduate teaching in the department. Typically M.A. students are hired within their first two years of study and Ph.D. students in their first four years of study. There are two main classifications: PhD students are considered GTA I and receive a stipend of $11, 342; M.A and M.F.A. students are considered GTA II and receive a stipend of $10, 914. These figures above are drawn from the Teaching Assistants’ union website and reflect the yearly salaries effective September 1, 2009. The stipend is for a full TA-ship in the Winter Session (from September to April) involves 384 hours of work, including time off for vacation. The salary for part-time (partial) TA's is calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Research Assistantships
Faculty members in our programs are actively engaged in research and are therefore often able to provide research assistantships to qualified students. The stipend, hours and duties will vary according to the faculty member’s research program.
