Sources of Competitive Funding

There are several competitive funding opportunities offered through federal and provincial government bodies, as well as external awards and other forms of assistance.  The Graduate Office distributes, via email listservs, information on upcoming awards and their application information/deadlines.  The details are also posted on the Student Award and Funding Opportunities page of the DLSPH website, or you may visit the Awards & Funding page on the SGS website. Finally, Ulife has a database which allows you to set search filters (i.e. level of study, campus, type of award) to search for awards.

Students who successfully obtain competitive funding will need to formally accept and activate their award. Please visit the SGS website at this link for instructions. Students should also inform the Graduate Office by forwarding a copy of their award notice.

Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant Opportunities

Teaching Assistant opportunities are posted on our TA Opportunities page of the website. These opportunities are also sent by email and displayed on the 5th floor bulletin board beside the student lounge. Positions are generally advertised in June for Fall session courses, and in October for Winter session courses.  Research Assistant opportunities may also be posted on our Professional Opportunities page. Students are encouraged to visit the websites of other departments for information on teaching and research assistant opportunities for which they may be eligible. Your supervisor is also a good resource for potential Research Assistant positions.

Professional Master’s Bursary (PMB)

The Professional Master’s Bursary is available to full-time Master’s students in the MPH, MScCH and MHSc programs with demonstrated financial need.  An announcement is sent each year in October with application details. Funds are paid in the Winter term. To be eligible for this funding, applicants

  • must be registered in the MPH, MScCH or MHSc program;
  • should have applied for OSAP or other provincial/territorial government student aid;
  • must demonstrate legitimate financial need.

Professional Master’s Financial Aid (PMFA)

Bursary funds are available for professional Master’s students who are not eligible for the University of Toronto financial aid program – UTAPS. Students must be registered as Full-time, and must have applied to OSAP, or other provincial/territorial government student aid.  Eligible students are automatically considered; no application is required, however, students receiving other provincial/territorial government student aid (not OSAP) must complete the online Out of Province Financial Aid/UTAPS application on the U of T Financial Aid website.

Practicum Stipends

Students in practicum placements may receive an hourly rate of pay, a stipend, or no remuneration. This varies by the policies and resources of the agency where each placement is completed. Students in the Required Practicum placement (one or more of CHL6010Y/CHL6011H/CHL6012Y) where there is no remuneration may be eligible for Professional Master’s Financial Aid (PMFA) support (separate from the PMFA funds described above).

Global Public Health Master’s Travel Award

Recognizing the financial challenges faced by students for whom travel is a necessary part of research, the Global Public Health Master’s Travel Award provides support to Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science (MSc) and Master of Science in Community Health (MScCH) students whose practicum placement outside Canada is focused on global health. The Centre for Global Health invites Master’s students, whose practicum placement links to global health issues, to apply for the Global Public Health Master’s Travel Award by submitting completed applications electronically to globalhealth.dlsph@utoronto.ca  by the application deadline.  More information is available on the Centre for Global Health webpage.

Public Health Science Student Conference Travel Award

Recognizing the value of conference participation and the financial challenges students face, the PHS Student Conference Travel Award provides support to PHS students whose graduate work has been accepted for presentation at conferences.  Applications for the Student Conference Travel Award are accepted annually. Information will be sent by email. Completed applications should be submitted electronically to awards.dlsph@utoronto.ca by the deadline outlined in the email.

PHS School Prizes

Each year the School offers awards to students based on academic achievement or contribution to the PHS student community. A description of these prizes can be found on the Student Awards & Funding – Internal page under School Prizes.