Frequently Asked Questions For Graduate Students

The university has recently communicated details around the strategy for Summer 2020 course offerings and deadlines.  Please read the full message from the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).  Students who would normally take comprehensive examinations and/or present thesis proposals in the Summer 2020 term should consult with their department to determine if these activities will continue during the Summer 2020 term, using the online formats.

For official COOP placements, please contact the COOP Office.  For internships or practicums, please contact your graduate supervisor or placement coordinator.  FGPA is working with units to develop flexible arrangements to accommodate practicums depending on the individual program requirements.

The Carleton Office for Research Initiatves and Services has prepared this list of FAQs. You may also want to talk with your research supervisor.

We shared this information on May 28. As you can see in that message, to prioritize safety, in line with public health information available at this time, we are guaranteeing that all scheduled graduate courses for the fall term will be delivered online. This decision ensures that we can continue to provide excellent academic instruction in every possible circumstance, including those that require continued physical distancing.

We remain hopeful that we will be able to reopen our physical spaces partially over the coming months and offer some optional on-campus activities when it is safe to do so. In particular, graduate students who have program elements – notably memoirs and theses – requiring specialized research facilities will be contacted over the coming months when their lab or research space is ready to safely open.

The deadline to apply to change your winter 2020 grades to a satisfactory or SAT status is now over. The SAT Request Form was deactivated the morning of May 30. For more information, please refer to our SAT/UNS FAQ.

We will reasonably accommodate students who require an extra term to complete their studies due to delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  University-level discussions continue around the issue of funding during this term.

Sept. 29, 2020:  Last week the Carleton Senate officially confirmed the recommendation of the Carleton University Scenario Planning (CUSP) Working Group that the winter semester proceed online, with some leeway for selected optional instruction on campus (e.g. specific labs, capstone projects, recitals) if circumstances allow. In other words, we will essentially be following a similar approach for the winter term as we did for the fall term.

July 15/20:  As course registration has begun for the Fall and Fall/Winter terms, we must start looking ahead to the next major milestone: planning for the Winter 2021 term. We remain hopeful that it will be possible to welcome some students back to campus in January; however, it seems very unlikely that the pandemic will be fully resolved by then.

In planning for Winter 2021, we must remain responsive to evolving public health guidelines. We will continue to be guided by the key principles outlined by the Carleton University Scenario Planning working group, and we will continue to place the health and well-being of students, staff, faculty and the broader community above all other considerations. If public health restrictions are eased such that some face-to-face instruction could resume, we recognize that many students may not be able – or may not be comfortable – to return to campus.

Course instructors have been advised to develop their Winter 2021 term courses in a manner that will allow them to be delivered remotely. If Carleton University is able to offer face-to-face instruction in the Winter 2021 term, some courses may be available to graduate students in face-to-face format; remote delivery, however, will likely remain the primary mode of instruction.

We remain hopeful that we will be able to partially reopen our physical spaces over the coming months and offer some on-campus activities when it is safe to do so. In particular, graduate students who have program elements – notably memoirs and theses – requiring specialized research facilities will be contacted, when their lab or research space is ready to safely open.

These are challenging times, but the Carleton community is committed to continuing to support you in every step of your academic journey.

Stay safe and well,

Patrice Smith

Dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
Carleton University

The International Student Services Office (ISSO) has certified Immigration Advisors who can provide guidance to students. You can contact the ISSO at isso@carleton.ca. You can also review the ISSO’s FAQ website by clicking here.

Effective fall 2020, new and current full-time international PhD students will be eligible to receive a bursary that will reduce their tuition to the amount paid by domestic PhD students in the same program. There is no need to apply; full-time international PhD students within five calendar years from the date they started their program are eligible to receive this tuition support. Existing bursaries, offered through the IDTS program, will be replaced with the new bursary, which covers the difference between international and domestic PhD tuition fees. For more information, click here.

Yes but only due to the pandemic or an emergency.

At this time, the International Student Services Office (ISSO) is providing services remotely during their regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday). The best way to connect with the ISSO is by email. You should receive a reply to your inquiry within 2-4 business days. There are several FAQs available on the ISSO’s website that provide useful information.

For graduate students registered in a degree program, your UHIP coverage will be valid until August 31, 2020 whether or not you enroll in the Summer Term. This includes graduate students who take a Leave of Absence in the summer term.

However, if you are registered as a Special student, your UHIP coverage is valid only for the term(s) you are enrolled in classes. For example, if you are registered in Winter term classes as a Special student, your UHIP will expire April 30, 2020.  If/when you register for summer classes, your UHIP will be reinstated for the period May 1 to August 31, 2020.

Kindly note that UHIP does not cover the cost of presciption drugs, and dental and vision care. These are offered through the supplemental plans with the Graduate Student Association (GSA), and students should consult with them directly about how non-registration may impact coverage.

You can join Carleton President Benoit Antoine Bacon on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020 at 1 p.m. ET for an online celebration of our Fall 2020 graduates! Watch for an email in mid-October with more details and registration information.

On Sept. 1, 2020, President Benoit-Antoine Bacon wrote:  “Unfortunately, we must postpone our fall Convocation ceremonies to a later time, but we look forward to the day when we can all celebrate the 6000+ members of the class of 2020 in person. In the meantime, we will virtually celebrate our graduates in November.”

Please review details at the following webpage:  https://newsroom.carleton.ca/2020/may-june-carleton-events-including-spring-convocation/

The following explains the process by which Research Assistants will be paid for 2020-21. Payments for all Type A Research Assistants (fixed payment not linked to specific hours worked) will be applied directly to their graduate student account for this year, rather than what happened in the past e.g. being paid over four months via payroll. The full amount of the RA (rather than the 92% that Payroll limits the grads to) will be applied to their student account.

Faculty and students both still use the Grad RA Payment System to set up the funding. Data from that system will be applied to the student account.

For domestic students, a T4A will still be issued. For international students, a T4A-NR (same form, for a non-resident) will be produced. Students will be able to request a refund of the amount applied to their account in excess of their tuition fees.

As announced on April 22, the Government of Canada committed $291.6M to support students and postdoctoral researchers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through the federal research funding agencies. All award holders of research training programs covered by the Tri-agency Research Training Award Holder’s Guide (TARTAHG) that end between March and August 2020 can benefit from a four-month extension, provided they meet certain conditions. Click here to view more details. Note: Instructions will be sent to eligible students but they must complete an online form through the Tri-council. The deadline to submit the form is July 9^th.  Award extensions will not be applied to student accounts until the decisions are sent to the institution. Completing the online document is only the first step in the process.

Incoming students who request to defer their admission and have an external award, may only defer by FOUR months or they lose the funding and must reapply next year. The following information is posted on the Tri-Agency website.

“Training award recipients (master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral) may defer the start date of their award, or request an unpaid interruption of up to four months for reasons related to the COVID-19 situation. For master’s and doctoral award holders, this can be adjusted to align with the next available start date (May 1, 2020; September 1, 2020; or January 1, 2021).”

This is possible but it is up to your supervisor to decide how he/she wants to handle this. Please consult with your thesis research supervisor regarding details around a Research Assistantship, as FGPA does not directly administer RA funding.

No you do not.

Students in financial need should take advantage of the financial assistance programs announced by both the provincial and federal governments, as applicable. Students who are in need of emergency assistance and are not eligible for other government programs, can complete the Student Emergency Fund In-Take Form available to graduate and undergraduate students to receive funding for essential expenses that may have arisen as a result of COVID-19.

If you take a Leave of Absence, and have remaining terms in your official time to completion, then the OGS funding will be deferred to the next available term (that does not have an OGS award already in place).

You cannot defer your award. However, you can defer your registration for a term by taking a Leave of Absence and your funding will be moved to the next term.

Incoming students who request to defer their admission and have an external award, may only defer by FOUR months or they lose the funding and must reapply next year.  Please see below.  The following information is posted on the Tri-Agency website.

“Training award recipients (master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral) may defer the start date of their award, or request an unpaid interruption of up to four months for reasons related to the COVID-19 situation. For master’s and doctoral award holders, this can be adjusted to align with the next available start date (May 1, 2020; September 1, 2020; or January 1, 2021).”

FGPA continues to remotely offer one-on-one writing consultations to assist you with writing-related challenges, or to discuss the effectiveness of your research and writing strategies. To request a consultation by phone or through other electronic means, please fill out and submit this web form.

New students should submit a photo through MyPhoto.Carleton.ca.  An email will be sent to you when the photo is reviewed (this starts in July) and will have further instructions. Students who are not physically on campus do not need a student ID card.  Library Access and other services are available remotely using your Carleton login credentials.  All details and instructions can be found on the Campus Card website.

The Carleton University Bookstore continues to offer lots of services including:

• Free Shipping with all domestic orders through the Carleton Bookstore website This includes various formats of course materials, supplies, apparel, technology, and more.
• The Bookstore’s rental return date is April 25. To get a FREE return label for your current rental, please contact Kelly, the manager at the Bookstore at  0936mgr@follett.com. If you need your book until the April 25, please return it right after you are finished with it.
• Textbook adoptions are still being accepted. If you are teaching a course during the summer term, be sure to submit your textbook adoptions ASAP to give the Bookstore time to get physical and/or digital copies of the materials you need. Submit your textbook adoption form.
• If you have questions or concerns, please contact Kelly at 0936mgr@follett.com.

There are several FAQs on the University website that talk about support and services for students. Click here to view the FAQ about mental health services.

FGPA is using online approaches, such as ZOOM, to facilitate defences remotely. For PhD defences, Information Technology Services (ITS) has been very helpful in successfully conducting several defences so far. Associate Dean Paul Keen will continue to coordinate the remote thesis defences with students and their committees. All other defences (Masters defences, proposals, etc.) will continue to be coordinated by the departments/program. ITS is available to help with facilitating the remote/online defences. Program/Departmental staff/faculty may contact Jonathan Lindsay in ITS (Jonathan.Lindsay@carleton.ca) for help and support in arranging the remote defences/thesis proposals. Arrangements for comprehensive exams are also being coordinated by the department/program. Graduate students should contact their graduate supervisor if they have questions about these elements of their program

Carleton University Senate (on the recommendation of the Graduate Faculty Board) has recently approved the extension of PhD times-to-completion (to 6 years). In addition, newly approved regulations require that decisions regarding extensions would be coordinated within the programs/departments. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the way in which we operate and we are grateful for the departmental commitment to supporting students with compassion and flexibility during this difficult time.

Masters students and Graduate Diploma students who display summer 2020 as the final term and are in good standing in their program will have their time of completion extended by one term. Summer registration is not mandatory for this accommodation.

Doctoral students who display summer 2020 as their final term of completion and believe they are unable to meet the timeline should contact their department/supervisor and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral affairs to discuss their needs and progress.

Yes, provided that a defence date can be arranged based on the availability of the thesis committee and external/internal examiners. The defence date must take place before June 12, 2020 and allow time to complete any final revisions. The thesis or dissertation in its final, defended form, must be uploaded no later than June 12.

In our effort to remain as flexible as possible, it is possible to do this, depending on the student’s circumstances.

Yes you can. If you alert FGPA, we will register you retroactively for the term.

Masters and Graduate Diploma students who display summer 2020 as the final term and in good standing in their program will have their time of completion extended by one term. Summer registration is not mandatory for this accommodation.

Doctoral students who display summer 2020 as their final term of completion and believe they are unable to meet the timeline are required to correspond with their department/supervisor and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral affairs to discuss their needs and progress.

FGPA is not directly responsible for the administration of OSAP, however, we are happy to refer this query to the AWARDs office, which is directly responsible for the administration of OSAP.

Please contact our Graduate Registrar at Joanne.Bree@carleton.ca if you would like to request a leave of absence (LOA). We are cognizant of the fact that the collective response to COVID-19 may result in interruptions in your research and requests for LOA will be reasonably accommodated.

As of September, the ground level in MacOdrum Library is now open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with limited staff. Several precautions are being taken.

Please click here to see a list of resources available from MacOdrum Library as of May 7. You may also want to read this update about what Library services are being offered. As of June 22nd, the Library is offering a limited curbside pickup and mailing service for print materials in its collection.

While the parental leave policy has not yet been approved by Senate, we are working with the library to determine what accommodations could be arranged to allow access for in-progress students, who take a Leave of Absence.  There are some limitations however around online licencing agreements that may restrict usage.

As of September, the ground level in MacOdrum Library is now open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with limited staff. Several precautions are being taken.

Please visit the library website for access to resources and for more information about changes to library services and how to get library assistance while the building is closed.

Graduate students on an approved leave of absence will be provided a temporary account by the library.  FGPA will notify the library directly about students on approved leaves and the library will contact students by email with temporary account information.  Students on leave are not required to contact the library for access.

Graduate students who have keys for library graduate students spaces are not required to return them and there will be no fines associated with the delay in the return of keys for these spaces.