Guidelines

Definitions

A full WRTC student is one who has been accepted into the Masters or PhD program in one of the following academic units and universities:

  • Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta
  • School of Public Health, University of Alberta
  • School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia
  • University of Calgary
  • Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
  • Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Regina
  • University of Saskatchewan

An affiliate WRTC student is one who has been accepted into the Masters or PhD program at any university in western Canada, excluding the academic units listed above.

Stipend

Full WRTC students receive $17,850 per year, paid on university payroll from 01 September to 31 August. Affiliate students receive $5,000 per year. Benefits are not provided.

WRTC students receiving other awards will have their WRTC stipends adjusted accordingly, and will be given an incentive top-up.

The WRTC stipend will cease prior to the end of the funding year if at any time the student’s status has changed (e.g., leave from the program, completion of the program, etc.) during the course of that year. The stipend may be terminated at any time if the WRTC Director or the student’s supervisor feels that the progress of the student is not satisfactory.

Full WRTC students are expected to devote the majority of their time to graduate training. They must ensure that the number of hours per week committed to non-research activities (e.g., Teaching Assistantship, paid employment) does not exceed 20 hours per week. Those engaged in paid work beyond 20 hours will have their stipends reduced.

Term

Students may receive support from the WRTC for a total period of up to 2 years. To be eligible for a second year of funding, all students must submit a progress report to the WRTC. Students must be judged to have fulfilled all training requirements to be awarded a second year of funding, and this is at the sole discretion of the WRTC Admissions Committee.

Training Requirements

WRTC students must complete the following training activities, in addition to those required by their respective graduate programs:

  • Two courses in health research and health policy (one course for affiliates)
  • WRTC seminar course
  • Attendance at the annual Fall Institute
  • Attendance at the annual conference of the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR)
  • Field placement (optional for affiliates)

Progress Report

All WRTC students are required to submit a progress report prior to 30 April of their funding year.