Click on the headings below to read more...

It is good to arrive at McMaster this weekend.

Graduate students in all programs should come to the Economics office to receive your office assignments, TA assignments if they are available, and meet with the graduate adviser for academic counseling and course selection and registration.

Registration is July 12-August 3. You will need both your Student number and your Bar code from your offer of admission to access the on-line registration system. International students must also present their Passport with a valid study permit at the School of Graduate Studies upon arrival to complete their registration.

There are also late registration dates between August 6 and September 9 , but you will be assessed a late charge of $50.  THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PAYMENT AGREEMENTS. Graduate students are required to register prior to the start of the term for which they have received  admission. Those students offered a Teaching Assistantship must be at McMaster for the start of the undergraduate classes to begin their TA duties.

Administrative Meeting with MA and PhD students, and Math classes begin:  Meeting of incoming economics graduate students. Information will be provided and questions answered on course registration, TAs, offices, etc.

MAEP (Policy) meeting date TBA.

A four-day session of math classes will also begin on this day, continuing Friday September 7, Monday September 10, and Tuesday September 11. Times and locations will be announced later.

If you are taking a class offered by another department or faculty, it may begin earlier. Be sure to check start dates and end dates of all your classes.

Details TBA.

Final Exams for Fall term Economics courses: TBA.

An exam schedule will be worked out during the term.

Wednesday January 2, 2013

First Day of Classes (term 2 and 3)

Break week -- no classes. Department and university remain open.

Last day of classes (term 2 and 3)

An exam schedule will be worked out during the term.

1.  Registration is on line. Please note that there is a financial penalty for late registration

2.   A failure (which is a grade below B-) in any graduate course triggers a withdrawal from the graduate program unless the department petitions to allow you to stay. Note that MBA students can pass their courses with a grade below B-, but for Economics grad students, B- is the minimal passing mark, even for MBA courses.

3.   All incoming PhD students are required to take a full course load (8 half courses) in their first year.  As well, in May and June, the microeconomics and macroeconomics comprehensive examinations must be written.  In the second year the remaining electives should be taken.  All comprehensive exams must be completed within 24 months of admission to the PhD program.  For current M.A. students considering the PhD program, there is no reason they cannot maintain the same progress, completing many of the PhD requirements while still in the MA year.  This means that, from the time of beginning the MA program, it may be possible to finish the PhD program in 3 or 4 years.  Most students, however, take one year for the MA degree and four years for the PhD degree.

4.   Graduate Advisor: The Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee is the advisor for all MA students, and PhD students until they get a thesis supervisor.   A student who is having academic difficulties should consult their advisor as early as possible.  In extreme cases, M.A. students sometimes can postpone a course or two until the following fall and lengthen their program, but there is normally no additional financial aid, tuition must be charged for any additional terms, and this change must be approved at the School of Graduate Studies. The only comparable option for Ph.D. students is to ask for a leave of absence, which means giving up all T.A. and scholarship income. It also must be approved by the School of Graduate Studies, and is usually granted for health reasons.

5.   If you are a full-time student, the graduate school monitors how many hours you are working on campus. In any term in which you have a full TA, you are considered to be working 130 hours and any further employment on campus requires the approval of the Associate Dean through the Graduate Advisor.

6.  External Scholarships for future years. For students who think they might be continuing in a graduate program next year, it is very important to apply for external scholarships, and the deadlines come very early. COMPLETE OGS applications are due to the department in early-mid October, SSHRC in early November. An important component of these applications is a statement of research plans, so you might be wanting to think about this in advance. Students who have won these awards often have run a few drafts by faculty members before the submission date. Success in these competitions can add substantially to your funding.  The two most important competitions are the OGS (information forthcoming) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) doctoral fellowship.

We urge every student who is planning to continue to apply for both, if eligible. Applications are done online.  A SSHRC scholarship is valued at $17,500 per year. Only citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada may apply. The OGS is valued at $15,000 per year, and is open to all graduate students in Ontario. The OGS is not automatically renewable, though students can re-apply each year. A printed copy of your application, including references, and university transcripts must be submitted to the graduate secretary by the specified deadline. If you get references from a professor from another university, please ask him/her to send the letter directly to the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee, Department of Economics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4.

7.   Professor Arthur Sweetman is the department member most involved with job placement. Students will be provided with information on job matters via e-mail. Anyone who wants to be considered for a job with the Public Service should apply before the deadline, which usually is around Oct. 4. The Bank of Canada operates its own hiring procedures and also begins the process in the fall.

8.   Computing.  All grad students can work in our departmental 9-computer lab in KTH-401. MSOffice XP and Stata 9 are available on all eight Dell computers, which also have external (off-campus) internet access.

9.   A $20.00 deposit will be required for your office and mailbox keys, which will be refunded when the keys are returned.

10.   For those who will need parking, note that parking is allocated on a first-come first-served basis. See: http://parking.mcmaster.ca/grad.htm . Parking availability on campus is very limited.

11.   There is no charge for use of the university's basic athletic facilities by graduate students. However, there is an additional (optional) charge per term for use of "The Pulse" (the fitness center) and some extra charges for various optional services such as apparel rental. For more details see http://www-athrec.mcmaster.ca/registration/index.htm

12.   The department typically has seminars Wednesdays at lunch and Friday afternoons. Graduate students are very welcome and encouraged to attend.  Many of the department visitors are willing to set aside time to meet with graduate students.  This is an opportunity for you to discuss your research, and is good practice for employment interviews.