Important information for grad students and postdocs

We know that the past year has been different than you expected. As we move into the new academic year, know that your mental health is important to us in the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. If you have immediate concerns, please visit Student Mental Health Services.

You are encouraged to view the mental and physical wellness tips shared by Ontario Tech research experts and department leaders.

If you find yourself ill, we ask that you take the time to focus on your physical and mental health. If you have any specific predetermined deadlines, you should contact your supervisor or advisor and/or SGPS to discuss alternative arrangements, if possible.

Winter term classes will begin one week later and start Monday, January 17 in online formats only. Classes will remain online until at least Monday, January 31. We will monitor the situation and communicate any additional updates once we have a better sense of the Omicron variant direction.

Graduate candidacy or oral examinations will continue as scheduled with modified procedures. Thesis defense and candidacy oral examination will proceed as per normal practice, although with remote participation. 

SGPS has temporarily waived the Thesis Oral Examination for Master’s and Doctoral Candidates Policy requirement that “no more than two members of the examining committee, including the thesis examiner and doctoral external examiner,, may attend the defence remotely” in line with the university’s recommendations to move online. However, the following policy still applies: “The examination will be rescheduled if one or more members of the examining committee are unable to attend”. Attendance for the purpose of these guidelines means participation in person or remotely in real time (as opposed to the submission of questions to be read by the chair).

SGPS will facilitate thesis examination and a representative from SGPS may attend the defence. See the SGPS guidelines on remote defence.

Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in interest in our online workshops and other grad professional development opportunities. As a result, many of our offerings will continue to be scheduled online. More information on available workshops can be found on the Graduate Professional Skills page on the SGPS website. 

You are expected to be continuously registered in each semester. Students are expected be able to progress in their academic and research programs.

Any requests for a leave of absence should be completed after discussion with the student’s research supervisor and/or graduate program director. For those specifically related to COVID-19, you should clearly outline that you’ve explored specific alternative academic/research activities and you’ve found it impossible to continue your studies at this time.

Should you be considering a leave of absence, refer to the university’s policy on leaves from study for graduate students. 

Physical access to the labs remains a priority and will be contingent upon public health guidelines. It is expected that you will be able to continue your research in the 2021-2022 academic year.

Yes, students and supervisors should submit research progress reports each term. Research Progress Reports are a useful tool to connect with your supervisor/student, if possible. We hope you view this as an opportunity to discuss and to document the past terms goals. How was your research affected? What can be done in order to achieve your goals moving forward?

Travel is subject to university travel information and advisories, which are regularly updated.

Thesis submissions will be processed in accordance with the 2020-2021 Academic Schedule for Spring/Summer 2021 and the 2021-2022 Academic Schedule for the 2021-2022 Academic year. Contact gradthesis@ontariotechu.ca if you have any questions pertaining to your thesis submission.

If milestones are delayed, email SGPS to document reasons for delay and the expected completion date. Milestones include but are not limited to: submission of progress reports, candidacy exams, submission of Form 1-Establishment of Supervisory Committee. Your program or supervisor may have additional milestones and you are encouraged to discuss any concerns with your research supervisor or graduate program director. You are encouraged to document any perceived delays in your research progress reports.

If you have any questions or concerns about other milestones, contact SGPS.

If you are outside your time limit, you are expected to submit a program extension in order to maintain active registration. Program extension requests should advise of your plan and timeline moving forward and describe the impact of the current situation on your timelines. 

Note: students who request/require a program extension are still responsible for tuition and ancillary fees in each semester they are registered.

As per the graduate academic calendar language, once your thesis, project or major paper has been approved, you must submit the work formally. Normally, SGPS must receive a physical thesis package in order for you to be eligible to graduate. However, since the university is currently unable to obtain the physical packages, the following conditions apply in order for SGPS to confirm the thesis is complete: 

As per the thesis package checklist, you must upload the approved post-defence thesis (see thesis template for specific requirements), certificate of approval and signed submission form to the shared google drive. Please ensure the abstract adheres to the library requirements. 

NEW: The following must also be uploaded to Google drive: the thesis non-exclusive license, ProQuest (if applicable), and withhold form (if applicable) with original signatures (not digital).

Note: Students will still be responsible for providing SGPS with a hard copy of their thesis, the non-exclusive license, and submission form but at a later date. Delivery of the physical thesis package will not delay graduation, as long as all other degree requirements have been met.

At this time, we cannot provide a date as to when your final thesis package should be submitted to SGPS as we do not know when we will return to campus. If comfortable, you can mail your thesis package to SGPS at your earliest convenience. 

Once SGPS receives notification as to when the office will reopen, an email will be sent to advise of the deadline. Otherwise students can drop off their thesis package once the office reopens. Email gradthesis@ontariotechu.ca to let SGPS know your preferred method.

The third party company, Wallaceburg Bookbinding, who binds Ontario Tech theses, has confirmed they are still operating. At this time, students can utilize their Self-Serve Binding Options. This means students can send an electronic copy of their thesis to bindery for printing and binding. See the Library Website for instructions and the Wallaceburg Thesis Binding Direct Form.  

Note: While Wallaceburg Bookbinding is operating, production is sporadic with delayed delivery timelines. For more information about thesis binding delivery times, please email them directly. 

Due to the university's extended Holiday closure, the Winter 2022 tuition and fees deadline has been extended to Monday, January 17, 2022. 

For more information, please visit the Tuition and fees page on the SGPS website.  

Continuing students will be charged ancillary fees based on their full- or part-time status. These fees ensure students will continue to have access to important services and resources that are in some cases being delivered at a distance. Other fees cover the year-round costs for maintaining and operating buildings and facilities for student use that are not funded through general university revenues.

Some fees, however, may be reduced or waived where access to the services has been decreased or where services are no longer being delivered. These include the Universal Transit Pass (U-Pass), infrastructure enhancements, sport and recreation, and printer services.

If you are continuously registered and are in good academic standing within your standard program length, you will continue to receive the support outlined in your offer of financial support or revised funding letter.

A student on a leave of absence is not eligible to receive financial support.

Students not studying in Canada may not be able to hold employment.

If you have questions regarding your specific circumstances, contact gradfinance@ontariotechu.ca.

If you have received a commitment of teaching assistantship hours, you will continue to have this commitment met, as outlined in your offer of financial support and according to the TA/RA Collective Agreement. 

You will be expected to perform their duties in a blended-learning format. These duties will be discussed with your employment supervisor and outlined in the TA/RA Hours of Work form.

There have been no changes to the 2021-2022 external scholarships. All awards processes are continuing as usual. If you have questions regarding your specific case, contact gradscholarships@ontariotechu.ca.

Based on current information, the Fall 2021 scholarship competitions are expected to run as usual.

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, contact connect@ontariotechu.ca to make an appointment to discuss your circumstances with Student Awards and Financial Aid.

Yes. If you are unable to travel to Canada due to travel restrictions, you may be able to start your program online with the approval of the graduate program director and/or research supervisor.

However, if you are in a research program, you should be aware that there may be implications on the financial support package. 

If you are in this situation, you may begin your classes while outside Canada. For more information, check the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website or contact iss@ontariotechu.ca. 

Yes, you can take courses offered in an online delivery format from your home country without a study permit. We do strongly encourage you to apply for your study permit at this time if you haven’t yet as you will require the approved document in order to begin your studies in Canada when this option becomes available. For more information about the impact on your PGWPP eligibility, check the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website or contact iss@ontariotechu.ca.

You may be able to continue your program remotely if your program is completely remote. You should discuss your individual circumstances with your research supervisor and graduate program director. Decisions regarding studying remotely should be made in consultation with SGPS. 

Financial support may be impacted as a result of remote enrolment.

No. Courses delivered online on an exceptional basis will not affect Post-Graduation Work Permit Program eligibility if you have a Letter of Introduction (study permit approval) or a valid study permit. For more information, check the IRCC website.

In order to receive employment, such as a teaching assistantship, or scholarship income, such as a graduate research assistantship, you must have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) and Canadian bank account. 

If you choose to start your program remotely, you may be unable to obtain a SIN and therefore my not be eligible for a portion(s) of your financial support package.

Applicants are normally required to meet their admission conditions in order to be eligible for registration. Exceptions, where reasonable, may be made on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants with pending admission conditions may use their conditional offer of admission to apply for a study permit. For more information, contact the international office at iss@ontariotechu.ca.

You may request to defer your admission to an alternative term by filling out the form on our website. Deferrals are subject to the approval of your supervisor (if applicable), graduate program director, and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS).

Graduate student registration will take place in July. Visit the SGPS course registration website for more information.

All postdoctoral fellows are eligible to participate in the University’s Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP) facilitated by LifeWorks (Morneau Shepell).  

Employee and Family Assistance Program access information can be found on the Human Resources website and the Ontario Tech Information for employees FAQ page.  

Additional mental and physical wellness resources can be found on the Health Recommendations and Services section of the Ontario Tech Covid-19 information webpage.  

• Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) 
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 
• Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) 

 A list of all agency updates in response to COVID-19 can be found on the Office of Research Services website. 

Information on travel, work permit applications and additional links related to COVID-19 can be found on the IRCC website as  well as the SGPS website.    

You can also visit the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Program delivery instructions page on the IRCC website for information on processing, Visa Application Centre closures and Travel restrictions.   

Postdoctoral fellows are welcome to participate in a number of professional development resources offered by the university. The Graduate Professional Skills program offers free online training and workshops. Professional development opportunities are also available through Human Resources. In addition, there are a number of online resources to support postdoctoral fellow’s career and professional development. For more information on programming, please refer to the professional development page on the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.

Postdocs should adhere to the university's travel policy and all related advisories, however, you are encouraged to purchase travel health insurance shoud you choose to travel. Please note the Health Spending Account (HSA) is not sufficient to cover potential travel health-related costs.