Funding & awards – Faculty of Engineering

Funding & awards

Many graduate students at McMaster are eligible for financial support, such as teaching assistantships, research funds, University graduate scholarships, external scholarships and bursaries.

McMaster ensures that full-time graduate students in PhD programs and in many Master’s programs receive scholarships (awarded annually). A PhD student is normally funded for four years. Students in Master’s programs are usually funded for their first three to six terms depending on the department.

As of September 2023, the Faculty of Engineering has increased its minimum funding package for full-time domestic and international doctoral students. This new minimum amount is $21,000 plus tuition. Many programs have support levels in excess of this amount. Please contact the graduate recruitment office to find out more.

TA positions are provided to many graduate students who are offered admission to regular full-time programs. Depending on the program, duties can consist of conducting tutorials, lab demonstrations, or marking. Normally, programs offer 130 hours of employment as a Teaching Assistant per academic year

A list of these awards is found in the School of Graduate Studies Calendar. These awards have various amounts and conditions associated with them.

Many scholarships awarded by granting councils can be held at McMaster University. These include the following:

W Booth scholarships

The W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology offers the following four scholarships. Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria and is interested in any of these scholarships should contact their program administrator.

Value of the Award:  $3,000 – $3,500 

Number of Awards: Up to 20 students per year    

The W Booth Entrance Scholarship is to recognize the demonstrated academic excellence of incoming new graduate students. The selection will be based on a comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors including but not limited to GPA, recommendations of the referees, candidate’s statement of interest, curriculum vitae/resume, and KIRA talent scores. All new domestic and new international students, joining the W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology, are eligible to be considered for this scholarship.    

Value of the Award:  $1,000 – $1,500 

Number of Awards: Up to 20 students per year  

The W Booth Academic Excellence Scholarship recognizes outstanding academic performance of the brightest students, and the students who contribute significantly to advance McMaster’s Vision and Mission. This scholarship not only emphasizes high-quality learning achievements, but also encourages students to be engaged in creative scholastic activities, practical research, and student-led initiatives. All graduate students registered in the W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology are eligible to be considered for this scholarship.  

Value of the Award:  $1,000 

Number of Awards: Up to 12 students per year  

Community-engaged learning is an essential and integral part of implementing the practice-based education approach at the W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology. This scholarship is to recognize students who demonstrate excellence in leading and delivering high quality community-engaged projects. The awardees are expected to enhance community partnerships and advance innovation, inclusiveness and teamwork on and off the campus. Students would need to demonstrate exceptional capacity and capability in community-engaged learning, including but not limited to, demonstrating skills of leadership, communication, technical knowledge, project management, and collaboration. All domestic and international students who successfully completed the first half of their community-engaged projects are eligible for this scholarship.  

Value of the Award: $1,000  

Number of Awards: Up to 8 students per year  

The W Booth Women in Engineering Scholarship recognizes outstanding female students for their academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and achievements in advancing gender equity, diversity, and inclusion in the field of engineering and technology. Candidates would need be contributors to a safe and inclusive environment for women in engineering. All domestic and international women students registered in the W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology are eligible for this scholarship.