NSERC PGS-M Discontinued :(

[hmm...]

Seriously WTF! This makes no sense as PGS-M allows funding to N. American schools and US schools especially don't fund their masters programs at all. PhD usually always gets funding, but the PGS-D is still available.

[TakeruK]

Interesting -- it seems like the Masters level NSERC has gone under a big overhaul. Not only is the PGS-M level ended, the decision on who receives which award is now made by each individual university (like how the OGS now works) instead of NSERC. I think NSERC still provides the money though. Thus, the new condition is also: "Awards must be held at the university where the offer of award originates" 

 

The negatives that come to mind for this change are:

1) Like you said, now Canadian students cannot get funding for US programs

2) Canadian students can't use the NSERC CGS-M as a "bargaining chip" for admission to Canadian schools in the same way as before.

 

But I think there are positives too:

1) The NSERC graduate awards are intended for students to pursue a research based PhD program in the end -- the Masters award is basically separate because the Masters programs in Canada are separate from US. Most of the unfunded Masters programs in the US are either professional programs or they are mostly course-based terminal Masters that don't lead to PhD admission. In Canada, although you don't have to go to a PhD program after your Masters, that's the usual path. 

2) Since you can still apply for the CGS-M at multiple schools, a student can still get multiple CGS-M offers from all the schools they applied to and can still decide to attend a school with a CGS-M offer over a school without a CGS-M offer. 

 

Overall, it's too bad that it went this way. I think the first change (getting rid of the PGS-M award) isn't a big deal. If you look at the stats, less than 5% of -M awarded are PGS level, most of them are CGS level. The second change is more crippling I think. Instead of having the money awarded to you form NSERC which you can choose to take anywhere, the school can now decide whether or not to give you a CGS-M at the same time they decide admission. Fortunately, the -D awards are still the same!

[hmm...]

 

Most of the unfunded Masters programs in the US are either professional programs or they are mostly course-based terminal Masters that don't lead to PhD admission.

Except for MBAs, I would have to say that most STEM masters in the US are nonterminal, but provide the option to either continue to towards a PhD or to enter industry and also provide thesis-based or nonthesis based tracks. I remember seeing a stat from a US school where 25% of admitted PhD candidates possessed a masters. For example almost every school has masters in engineering (civil, mechanical, computer, electrical, etc), math, biology, physics, chemistry, etc, and also provide PhDs in those fields.

 

I see this effectivly shutting down masters programs for Canadians in the States as most charge a tuition of $25k-$60k with only a few rare ones providing funding to some domestic students. Canadian programs however, have to depend not only on your qualifications, but also on lab position availability and funding availability.

 

Does anyone know the reason this was shut down? I've heard rumors that it was due to high administrative costs compared to low number of applicants relative to other NSERC programs.

 

Can you explain a bit about how the CGS-M was used? I thought masters programs are two years and you only get CGS-M funding for the last year. Are you saying that some undergrad seniors already had a set project, applied in their senior year and moved their project to another institution and another lab?