Current Graduate-Student FAQ

Carleton’s M.A. Internship Placement offers students paid employment opportunities. Most of these are at government agencies such as Human Resources Skills Development Canada, Industry Canada, the Competition Bureau, and Environment Canada.

The Internship option is available to full-time students in the M.A. program who are eligible to work in Canada. Registration in the Internship option requires departmental permission and is limited by availability of placements. Application for an internship placement will be considered after the student has successfully completed 2.0 credits, including ECON 5020 (Microeconomic Theory) and ECON 5027 (Econometrics I).

Students are invited to find their own internship positions. A good place to start is by checking the Web sites of the many government agencies located in Ottawa.

During their work term, students are required to register in ECON 5902 (Internship Placement), which is additional to the program requirements described above. While taking ECON 5902, students are considered to be part-time, and may register for at most 1.0 credit in total.

Master’s students are not required to write a thesis. However, if you wish to write a thesis, you must first obtain permission from the M.A. Supervisor who will discuss the viability of your research proposal as well as potential thesis supervisors.

If you receive permission to write a thesis, your M.A. requirements will typically be 5 courses plus a thesis, instead of 8 courses.

You need to send an e-mail to the Graduate Administrator requesting a change of status. Please read Section 7.10 of the Graduate Calendar, which describes the circumstances whereby a change of status is allowed.

The first thing to do is start early. Since the federal government begins most of its recruiting initiatives in the fall, master’s students need to start thinking about applying for jobs almost as soon as they begin their program.

Useful sites for job search include jobs.gc.ca and Carleton’s Career Startup site.

Make sure that the Graduate Administrator has your current e-mail address and check your e-mail regularly. Whenever we hear of any job opportunities, we circulate them to the students.

First of all, realize that health problems due to stress are not at all uncommon—many students find life in a graduate program. Talk to other students, find time to eat properly and exercise, and if you need help contact Health and Counselling Services.

If you miss a mid-term exam or an assignment for health reasons, contact your instructor. If you miss a final exam for health reasons, contact the instructor and the Graduate Administrator in order to request a deferred exam.

If your health problems are interfering with your studies, it is vitally important to get proper documentation. Any health-related problem must be supported by a proper medical certificate.

Teaching assistantships (T.A.s) are awarded on the basis of academic merit. There is no need to ask to be considered for a T.A. once you are at Carleton, as all eligible students are considered prior to admission.

Qualifying-year students are not eligible for teaching assistantships.

Make sure you read notices from the M.A. Supervisor and the Graduate Administrator. If we learn of any job opportunities, we always circulate them to our graduate students. Talk to your peers, as other students in the program may have useful connections. Also, use the resources available on campus, particularly Career Services and the International Student Services Office (ISSO).

(Note also that some graduate-student opportunities or links thereto are posted under “Graduate Studies / Employment and Award Opportunities” on this Web site. Of particular interest to Ph.D. candidates nearing completion of their theses are the job postings under “Community / Employment Opportunities”.)

If you have a financial emergency, you can apply for an emergency bursary of up to $1,000. An application form can be obtained from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (this form is not available online).

For an MA student to take elective courses at the University of Ottawa, please fill in a copy of the Graduate Exchange Form available from the Graduate Administrator. This form needs to be signed by both the Department and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at both Carleton and the University of Ottawa.

Courses at universities outside Ottawa can be taken with special permission of the M.A. Supervisor.

In order to fulfill Carleton University residency requirements, you must take at least 60 percent of your courses (5 out of 8) at Carleton.

MA students must achieve a minimum grade of of B- in ECON 5020 (Microeconomic Theory), ECON 5021 (Macroeconomic Theory), ECON 5027 (Econometrics I), and ECON 5029 (Methods of Economic Research). If you receive a grade below B-, you must repeat the course. A maximum of two C+ grades in other courses can be counted towards your degree with the permission of the M.A. Supervisor and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs.

If your overall average falls below 7.0 (B-) after two terms of full-time study, you may be required to withdraw from the program.

Once you have completed your PBD requirements, fill out an OUAC application form for the master’s program. As long as your overall average in the PBD program is B+ (9.0) or higher, admission into the M.A. program is more or less automatic. A student who performs well in the Fall term of their qualifying year should consider applying to the master’s program before February 1 in order to be guaranteed consideration for funding.