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Doctoral Completion Award (DCA)

The aim of the Doctoral Completion Award (DCA) is to provide support to full-time PhD students for the two years after their graduate funding ends and within the time-limit for the degree. 

Value

The DCA value is determined by the graduate unit and it may not be the same for every award holder. Students must be registered to receive award payments and will not receive any payments once degree requirements are completed. A student who withdraws mid-session is expected to return any award funds received in that session.

The DCA is awarded in two installments for the year (September and January).  These installments are applied to tuition/outstnding fees first.

Eligibility requirements (minimum)

The 2021-22 DCA allocation is for students who will be eligible for the award as of May 2021, September 2021 or January 2022.

In addition to any individual department criteria, recipients of the DCA must be:

• beyond the funded cohort as established by the graduate faculty/unit practice;
• within time limit for the degree (students on approved program extensions are ineligible);
• in good academic standing (i.e. achieved candidacy) and making satisfactory progress toward the completion of their degree requirements; and
• a  registered full-time PhD or SJD student (DMA, EdD and flexible-time PhD students are ineligible).

Application Procedure

APHD

Please submit the completed application electronically to Kerri Bailey (kerri.bailey@utoronto.ca) by June 1, 2021.  This is firm. Applications will not be accepted after this date.

The following should be included in your application:

1. DCA Application - Applicant section 
2. DCA application - Supervisor Section – (to be completed by your thesis supervisor)
3. CV (3 pages maximum)
4. ROSI print out of transcript (no official transcripts required)
5. Copy of your most recent Annual Review Form
6. Financial Need Assessment Form

Application Criteria

The DCA adjudication process will consider the following protocols and priorities below.  Award recipients will be notified in late summer.   

1. The DCA award amount generally considered will be the value of tuition, but may vary depending on the number of DCA applicants. Additional funds will be provided on the basis of need and depending on the relative ranking of merit of the student being considered.

2. The maximum amount of funding awarded will not exceed the value of tuition plus the value of a regular GA.

3. Students with major external awards are eligible to receive a DCA award if they are able to demonstrate good progress on their thesis and financial need even with the external award funding.

4. One important criteria of the DCA is that students are devoting 50% of their time to their thesis. Accordingly, students completing fulltime internship are generally not eligible. However, students who have defended or submitted a full draft of their thesis to their committee - by the time of the award decisions at the end of August - are eligible for the DCA as the criteria of devoting 50% of their time to their thesis is not applicable. Students who have defended their thesis and are on internship will still need to demonstrate financial need.

5. The application form will require the student to note if a full-time internship is scheduled.

6. International students are eligible for the DCA.

7. Students can apply for the DCA twice. Preference will be given to those students who are applying to the DCA for the first time. Students who have previously received this award will be required to demonstrate their progress over the time period of the last award.

Notes:

1. It is extremely important to be clear about order of authorship and whether or not publications/ presentation are refereed. The committee will assume that material is not refereed if there is no specific indication.

2. In evaluating quality of research, emphasis will be placed on the contribution of the thesis to theory and/or policy and/or practice. It is important that the supervisor’s letter elaborate on this point.

3. The committee takes note of the level of enthusiasm reflected in the letter.

4. In the past the Awards Committee has interpreted the purpose of this award as being to support students who are only part way through the thesis process. It is not meant to support students who are very close to scheduling the oral exam, except in cases where the student will be going on internship.

CTL

The following was included in the 2020-21 application:

1. DCA Application - Applicant Section 
2. DCA Application - Supervisor Section – to be completed by your thesis supervisor and then sent to you, for you to include in your application package)
3. CV (3 pages maximum)
4. U of T transcript (unofficial transcripts are suitable – please include the grading legend where possible)
5. Financial Need Assessment Form

Application criteria:

1. Academic merit and supervisor’s evaluation
2. Financial resources available to support the student: preference should be given to students who are at risk of unduly delaying graduation because of lack of funding: We will look at other sources of income, other financial responsibilities (e.g. dependents) and if they have made attempts to secure additional funding (without success/pending). 
   N.B. Please note that personal financial emergencies should not normally carry much weight since these may be eligible for Emergency Grant support.
3. Expected time to complete the degree including any unusual requirements of the research that needed extended time or unforeseen events in the research program that caused a delay may be taken into account. Obstacles might include: difficulties with obtaining ethics approval from external agencies; sudden unexpected changes to subject pool; problems with supervisory access (change or illness or death of supervisor); etc.

LHAE

Please submit the completed application electronically to Dana Britton (dana.britton@utoronto.ca) by May 14, 2021.

The following should be included in your application:

1. DCA Application - Applicant Section – applicant page
2. DCA Application - Supervisor Section – to be completed by your thesis supervisor
3. CV (3 pages maximum)
4. ROSI print out of transcript (no official transcripts required)
5. Copy of your most recent Doctoral Progress Form
6. Financial Need Assessment Form

Application Criteria:

1.    Academic merit (including academic standing) and supervisor’s evaluation

2.    Financial need. Although preference is given to students at risk of unduly delaying graduation due to lack of funding, the DCA is not intended for extenuating personal circumstances (e.g. financial emergencies), which may be eligible for Emergency Grant support

Committee will consider all sources of income, including awards and graduate assistantships, as well as students’ attempts to secure additional funding through these channels.

3.    Expected time to complete the degree.

Any unusual requirements of the research that needed extended time or unforeseen events in the research program that caused a delay may be taken into account and should be included in the application. Obstacles might include: difficulties with obtaining ethics approval from external agencies; sudden unexpected changes to subject pool; problems with supervisory access (change or illness or death of supervisor; etc.)

Note:

Preference will be given to those students who are applying to the DCA for the first time. Students who have previously received this award will be required to demonstrate their progress over the time period of the last award.

SJE

Students must complete and submit an application form and the supporting documents to the Graduate Liaison Officer, in SJE by TBA.

The following should be included in your application:

1. DCA Application - Applicant Section
2. DCA Application - Supervisor Section – to be completed by your thesis supervisor
3. Proof of successful completion of pre-thesis requirements (completion of coursework, comprehensive exam, research proposal and thesis committee approval) by TBA.
4. At least one chapter of the doctoral thesis has been written and approved by the supervisor by TBA.
5. CV (3 pages maximum)
6. ROSI print out of transcript (no official transcripts required)
7. Financial Need Assessment Form

*** Please note that students who have previously received this award will be required to demonstrate their progress over the time period of the last award. ***

Please submit your application by email at oise.sjegrad@utoronto.ca. Thank you.