Graduate Studies: Prospective Students

 

HOW TO APPLY

Candidates should apply via the online application process beginning October 15.

REQUIRED APPLICATION FEE:  $95.00

All supporting documentation should be sent to:

Graduate Coordinator
Department of Economics
University of Western Ontario
1151 Richmond Street North
London, Ontario N6A 5C2
Canada

Hard copies are no longer available.

 

Admission Requirements

For admission to the Master’s program, applicants must possess an Honours BA or international equivalent i.e. four-year degree from an accredited university. The program requires at least a 78% overall average in the last two full-time years of the undergraduate degree. Equivalent qualifications may be considered based on the standards of the discipline or profession. Candidates with a 3 year general degree are not eligible. The core courses in the graduate program are taught using mathematical techniques. Candidates are expected to have as a minimum, one semester each of university calculus and linear algebra with at least a B+ level of understanding. It is assumed candidates have achieved a B+ standing in an undergraduate econometrics course (level of Wonnacott and Wonnacott, Introductory Statistics for Business and Economics), as well as completed undergraduate courses in both intermediate and advanced microeconomics and macroeconomics.

For admission to the Doctoral program, applicants must possess a Master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited university and provide evidence of research potential. The program requires at least a 78% average in the Master’s degree. Equivalent qualifications may be considered based on the standards of the discipline.

No application will be considered until it is complete. The responsibility rests with the applicant to ensure that all documents (i.e. transcripts, letters of reference, test results) are submitted by the program’s deadline for application.

Applications will not be processed until January. The Departmental Assessment Committee will not review applicants until after the February 1st deadline. The results of their decisions will not be known until late February-early March.

Application requirements:

  1. Fill out on-line application.

  2. The online application process will provide the program with the following:
    • Biographical information
    • Contact information
    • Statement
    • Academic background
    • Electronic transcripts from Ontario universities/colleges (see below for information on transcripts)
    • Referee information (references collected electronically upon receipt of application) – two referees are required for an application to Western’s graduate program in economics
    • Proficiency in English Scores (applicant must have testing service send score electronically to Western)
      • The Test of English as a Foreign Language www.toefl.org (TOEFL). (minimum score requirement 550 paper based, 213 computer based, 86 with no individual score below 20 on the internet based version). Western's TOEFL ID is 0984.
      • The International English Language Testing Service www.ielts.org (IELTS) of the British Council. (6/9 minimum score requirement)
      • Test Scores (GRE) (550 minimum score requirement). Western's GRE ID is 0984.
    • Application fee

  3. One official academic transcript from each post-secondary institution attended**
    • Past or current students of The University of Western do not need to provide transcripts for their academic history at Western. This information will be obtained internally.
    • If you have attended or are currently enrolled at any Ontario university or college other than The University of Western Ontario you MUST use the electronic application process in order to request transcripts. These transcripts will be delivered electronically to each of the programs to which you are applying.
    • All other transcripts must be forwarded in hard copy to Western to complete your application. Western considers a transcript official only if it is received in a university envelope that is sealed and signed on the flap by the official person in the office issuing the transcript. If the transcript and degree certificate are not in English, a certified translation must also be included. (Non-English transcripts from institutions within Canada do not require a translation.)
       
  4. Candidates who are currently enrolled as students should make sure that a record of their performance for the first term of the current year is submitted. In the case of universities which offer one-term courses, students should make sure that the transcripts they submit include first-term marks for the current year. In the case of universities which do not offer one-term courses, students should ask the chairman of their department or their instructors to submit a letter listing preliminary mid-year marks or an evaluation of their performance. Candidates who apply before the end of the first term should update their applications by sending first-term results as soon as they become available.

  5. GRE SCORES - Institution Code: 0984, Department Code: 1801. All candidates are encouraged to take the Graduate Record Examination General test and submit their scores. Applicants whose previous degree is not from a Canadian university are required to submit the GRE. Others who feel that their academic record may not provide an accurate measure of their promise for graduate work in economics, as well as for those who do not have an Honours Economics degree, will find it in their interest to take these tests also. Students who take the exams when they are offered in October, December, or January will have their scores available in time to be considered by our Department. The deadlines for registering for the exams are about seven weeks before the exams are given. For information and registration forms, write to Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey 08541, U.S.A.
     
  6. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Institution Code 0984. Candidates whose language of instruction has not been English are advised that the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will require them to demonstrate proficiency in English. PRIOR TO REGISTRATION, candidates MUST achieve a score of at least 550.
     
  7. See the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for further information.

Summary

Deadline:  February 1

All applications will be considered after the deadline and not before. First round offers are expected to go out in late February with the possibility of second round offers in late March/early April. Candidates should therefore complete their application and ensure all their supporting documents reach our office by February 1st.

Tuition and Fees (2009-2010)

  • Canadian or Permanent Resident $1930.00 (tuition) + $702.98 (fees) = $2632.98 per term
  • International Students $4300.00 (tuition) + $954.98 (fees) = $5254.98 per term

International Students Note: All International students must be covered by the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP). The International student fees above include the cost of UHIP (ie.$252.00 per term).

International Student Authorization

Students who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents must have a student authorization in order to study in Canada. International students should apply for a student authorization at the Canadian High Commission or Canadian Embassy in their country immediately after they have been accepted into the graduate program. The authorization could take up to 3 months to process as a medical is required.

Landing papers (if applicable)
For permanent residents of Canada only, please include a photocopy of both sides of your Permanent Resident Card or a photocopy of your Record of Landing. If you are applying to be a permanent resident, but have not been granted landed-immigrant status, you must apply as an international applicant.

Financial Assistance

Departmental Scholarships and Assistantships

In order to be eligible for funding, students must have a minimum admission average of 78% or B+, as determined by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, based upon the marks of the last two years (20 half courses) of study.

All eligible Canadian PhD students are guaranteed a support package of domestic tuition*  plus $12,000, which for the 2009-2010 academic year amounts to $17,790, during their first 4 years of study. All eligible International PhD students are guaranteed a support package of international tuition plus $12,000, which for the 2009-2010 academic year amounts to $24,900, during their first 4 years of study. This support package may come in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, Western Graduate Student Scholarships, summer teaching positions, and summer research positions. See tuition and fees above.

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*We pay tuition portion only. Students are responsible for all ancillary fees.

Students admitted to the MA programs may be offered funding packages which could include a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and a Western Graduate Student Scholarship.

Outside Scholarships

Candidates are also urged to apply for all outside scholarships for which they are eligible. Students who obtain outside scholarships are eligible for supplementary assistance from the Department of Economics. For certain fellowships the combined support can total $25,000. Consequently, it is very much in a student's interest to win an outside scholarship in addition to qualifying for assistance from the Department.

In the recent past, students at the Department of Economics have held many of the following scholarships, and candidates for admission are urged to apply for all of these for which they are eligible. This is just a partial list of Awards that are available to students. To obtain a full listing, contact The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Room 130, Stevenson-Lawson Building, London, Canada, N6A 5B8. Since scholarship deadlines are generally early in the Fall prior to the awards, candidates should apply during the Fall of their last undergraduate year.

1. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowships (SSHRC)

  • Eligible: Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
  • Value: $20,000 (as of 2008-2009) a year for up to 48 months.
  • Deadline: November 15.
  • Address: School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, U.W.O., or the candidate's university, or Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, P.O. Box 1610, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6G4

2. National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

  • Eligible: Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
  • Value: $17,500 (one year) to $21,000 (2 or 3 years).
  • Deadline: November 15.
  • Further Info: School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, UWO, or the candidate's home university, or Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, 350 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 1H5

3. Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS)

  • Eligible: Canadian citizens or permanent residents. (International students must have been granted a Student Authorization to Canada and be in Canada at the time of application to OGS).
  • Value: $5,000 per term for up to 3 terms.
  • Deadline: November 15
  • Address: School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, U.W.O., or Student Awards Branch, Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Mowat Block, Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M7A 2B4

4. Commonwealth Scholarships

  • Eligible: Students from other Commonwealth countries.
  • Value: Living allowance plus tuition, fees, and travel
  • Deadline: October 31, (December 31 for Australia and New Zealand)
  • Address: Government of applicant's own country or Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Committee, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, 151 Slater St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 5N1

5. Canadian International Development Agency Scholarships

  • Eligible: Canadians and candidates from various developing countries.
  • Value: Living allowance plus tuition, fees, and travel ($25,000)
  • Deadline: February 12 and September 3
  • Address: Ministry of Education in candidate's home country