Funding
The funding package offered to incoming business doctoral students consists of two major components:
- Basic funding of $35,000 per year for up to five years.
- Tuition and non-instructional fees paid on behalf of the student for five years.
The sources of funding support may vary and include Alberta School of Business scholarships, external scholarships, teaching assistantships (TAs) and research assistantships (RAs); some of these may be in addition to our basic funding offer. Students are required to teach two classes as assigned by the chair of their department in years three and four of the program. We note that you may be required to complete a teaching assignment of up to two courses during the fifth year as assigned by your department chair depending on the financial support you receive from your supervisor’s research funds, external or internal awards, your level of performance in the program, and the School budget.
You must be living in Canada in order to receive scholarship, fellowship and award funding.
Financial support from the Alberta School of Business will be maintained, conditional on:
- Maintaining full-time registration. If you take a leave of absence, financial support will be put on hold until you return.
- Submitting annual reports of your progress.
- Meeting the expectations of the PhD Program for high-quality scholarly performance, including:
Financial support may decrease if performance is below expectations, as noted above.
As an incentive, students who complete their program within 5 years will receive an additional $5,000 scholarship in the month of completion.
In addition to the above funding package, the business PhD program allocates up to $1,500 per year for each student for professional development expenses (research related or to attend conferences) over the course of their PhD program, and an additional $1,500 to participate in the job market at one conference. Other financial assistance may also be offered to help support periodic student events designed to develop and improve students' research and teaching skills from the business PhD program or faculty research accounts.
Competitive Awards
Various forms of assistance are available, including fellowships, scholarships and assistantships. Students can also receive support by applying for government-sponsored research grants offered through the Social Science and Humanities Research Council as well as other agencies. Students who get external grants (SSHRC, FGSR scholarships) or other external funding are permitted to retain some funding from the program. So, there is an incentive to seek such outside funding. Neither assistantship funds nor Alberta School of Business PhD awards, described below, will be granted to students who are not in attendance at the University of Alberta in the regular term or summer period. Thus, students who leave the Edmonton area to take up residence elsewhere will not receive assistantship or PhD Award funds. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
PhD Endowment Fellowships
Fellowships are endowed by the following donors and allocated by the Business PhD Program: Bentley, Deloitte, Domtar, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PhD Endowment, Sun Life Financial, Poole, and Ziegler.
Alberta School of Business PhD Awards
Awards are given based on the prior year's performance and available funds, and subject to regulations governing major awards held.
Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) Scholarships
The FGSR website has current information on scholarships and the application process.
Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Fellowships
$20,000 or $35,000 award; renewal for a second or third year of doctoral study is granted upon evidence of satisfactory performance. Please visit the Government of Canada website for updated information on SSHRC funding and the application process.
Other financial assistance is available in the form of competitive awards described in the Graduate Financial Aid Section 180 of the University of Alberta Calendar.
Funded Teaching Positions
Students in the candidacy stage, working solely on their theses, may apply for temporary sessional teaching positions in their respective departments. These positions are subject to available departmental funds and cannot be guaranteed. For candidate students who have exhausted their funding, sessional positions may provide the funds required to remain on campus while working on their theses.
Updated July 7, 2022