Teaching Assistantships

Most full time, thesis-based graduate students are offered GAT support, upon acceptance to the program. This support is conditional upon your progress and good standing in the program. These teaching assistantships are awarded on the basis of "units" of support. Each unit covers one regular semester, the Fall or Winter (four month periods). Summer teaching support is extremely limited (general only 1/3 GAT unit given).

GAT funding currently carries a stipend of $7,957.29 per four-month period. This funding requires the student to conduct undergraduate labs and tutorials, requiring a maximum of 12 hours per week during the four-month tenure of the award (including preparation and grading).

Note: Overseas students, whose first language is not English, will be required to attend English as a Second Language courses if the Department determines that English proficiency is not satisfactory for teaching purposes.

Full-time thesis-based M.Sc. students will be guaranteed GAT funding for two years and Ph.D. students will be guaranteed for at least four years. You must apply for GAT funding via the department's online form, which is available only during application periods (Dec/Jan and Aug/Sept). You'll need your CPSC account name and password to access this site.

Details on terms and conditions relating to GAT funding can be found in the Collective Agreement between the Governors of the University of Calgary and the Graduate Students' Association 2008 - 2011.

If you are unsure of your skills in leading a classroom, The Teachng & Learning Centre offers a University Teaching Certificate (UTC) program designed to prepare graduate students to successfully meet their teaching responsibilities now and in the future. For more information visit the UTC site.