School of Graduate Studies Awards
The School of Graduate Studies offers several graduate scholarships and other types of financial assistance, including:
- SGS restricted awards
- Travel awards/grants
- Completion, Accessibility and Emergency grants, and emergency loans
- Entrance scholarships (by nomination of the department)
Please visit the SGS website for a complete listing of financial support resources available to graduate students. Graduate Award Deadlines are variable and award announcements are forwarded to students by email as they become available.
Faculty of Arts & Science Awards
The Faculty of Arts & Science has several awards which are available to graduate students. Application for these awards are submitted through department in the winter session. Please visit the Arts & Science website for a complete listing of awards.
Departmental Awards
The Department is grateful for the generous support of graduate students by its members, alumni and friends. The contributions are reflected in the following Departmental awards. The availability of awards and deadlines are available in the summer.
Alexander B. Leman Memorial Award
Established by the Leman in memory of Alexander B. Leman, Ing.Arch., FRAIC, FRSA, (1926-2010) an architect and urban planner who founded his own architectural firm (1958) as well as Leman Group Inc., (1972) an urban development and planning consulting company. A Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, London, UK, he served as President of the Ontario Association of Architects as well as President of the World Society for Ekistics. It is awarded to a graduate student enrolled in the collaborative program at the Centre for Environment and the Department of Geography’s Program in Planning, based on academic merit and financial need.
Black Graduate Scholar Award in Geography & Planning
Established in 2021 through a funding partnership with the University of Toronto Black Research Network, The Black Graduate Scholar Award in Geography & Planning provides an award of $5,000 to a student in each of the M.A., M.Sc., Ph.D., M.Sc.Pl programs (4 awards in total). Graduate students across the tri-campus in Geography and Planning who identify as Black are eligible to apply for the award.
Donald F. Putnam Graduate Scholarship
Established by through the generous donations of the alumni and friends of the department of Geography. It is awarded to a graduate student concentrating in physical and environmental geography with outstanding achievements, who is entering or continuing in a research oriented degree program.
Geography and Planning Awards for Black, Indigenous and International Students
Established by the graduate department in 2020 to support outstanding research led by Black, Indigenous and International students, capturing the diversity of experiences and interdisciplinary qualities of our graduate programs in geography and planning.
Graduate Alpar Grant
Established in honour of the late Zehra Alpar, the department’s student advisor for many years spanning the 1960s through 1990s and generously supported by the alumni and friends of the Department of Geography and matched by the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund (OSOTF), Endowed Adjustment Fund (EAF) and the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS). It is awarded to a graduate student registered with the Department of Geography and Program in Planning who is making good progress to the completion of the degree requirements.
Graduate Alpar Scholarship
Established in honour of the late Zehra Alpar, the department’s student advisor for many years spanning the 1960s through 1990s and generously supported by the alumni and friends of the Department of Geography and matched by the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund (OSOTF), Endowed Adjustment Fund (EAF) and the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS). It is awarded to a graduate student registered with the Department of Geography and Program in Planning who is making good progress to the completion of the degree requirements.
Graduate Anne McMaster Grant
Established by the alumni and friends of the Department of Geography, in honour of Anne McMaster, former business officer, who provided over 27 years of outstanding service to the Department, on the occasion of her retirement in 1994. It is awarded to a graduate student registered with the Department of Geography and Program in Planning, on the basis of financial need, where academic merit may also be considered. The award is intended to cover costs such as departmental field trips, field courses, professional experience courses, etc.
Graduate Anne McMaster OSOTF Award
Established by the alumni and friends of the Department of Geography, in honour of Anne McMaster, former business officer, who provided over 27 years of outstanding service to the department, on the occasion of her retirement in 1994. It is matched by OSOTF and EAF. It is awarded to a graduate student registered with the Department of Geography and Program in Planning, on the basis of financial need, where academic merit may also be considered. The award is intended to cover costs such as departmental field trips, field courses, professional experience courses, etc.
Graduate Geography and Planning Student Society (GGAPSS) Endowed Bursary
Established through the generous donations of current students, alumni, family, friends and colleagues of the graduate program in Geography and Planning and matched by OSOTF and EAF. It is awarded to graduate students in the Department of Geography, on the basis of financial need and academic merit.
Indigenous Graduate Scholars Admissions Award
Established in 2021 in consultation with Indigenous and ally scholars from across the University of Toronto, the graduate program offers at least one $5000.00 admissions award annually to Indigenous students applying to any of our graduate programs. All applicants who identify as Indigenous to Turtle Island, including those who identify as First Nations, Métis, Inuk (Inuit), Alaska Native, Native American, and Native Hawaiian people are eligible for consideration.
J.E.R. Ross Scholarship
Established by Mrs. Margaret E. Ross. It is awarded to a graduate student enrolled in a program in geography and who is making good progress towards their degree.
James T. Lemon Memorial Scholarship in Geography
Established by the friends, family and colleagues of James. T. Lemon. It is awarded to a graduate student in urban and historical geography, with special consideration to students whose research speaks to issues of social justice, based on academic merit and financial need.
John D. Barnes Geodetic Sciences Fellowship
Established by the Estate of John Duncan Barnes. It is awarded to a graduate student enrolled in a program in Geography, where preference will be given to a student(s) who is doing graduate work in the field of geographic information systems/geomatics.
John Horner Graduate Scholarship in Geography
Established by alumnus John H.R. Horner (BA, Geography, 1962; MA, Geography, 1967). It is awarded to a graduate student in the Department of Geography based on academic merit, where financial need will also be considered.
Joseph A. May OSOTF Scholarship
Established by the family, friends, and colleagues of the late Professor Joseph A. May, Department of Geography and matched by OSOTF. It is awarded to a graduate student who has approached the study of the following fields from a qualitative rather than a quantitative perspective: history and philosophy of geographic thought; historical geography; and social and cultural geography; geography of Canada.
Joseph A. May Scholarship
Established by the family, friends, and colleagues of the late Professor Joseph A. May, Department of Geography. It is awarded to a graduate student who has approached the study of the following fields from a qualitative rather than a quantitative perspective: history and philosophy of geographic thought; historical geography; and social and cultural geography; geography of Canada.
Oscar J. Marshall Graduate Fellowship
Established by the Estate of Oscar Charles Joseph Marshall. It is awarded to a graduate student enrolled in a program in geography, who is doing graduate work in the field of geographic information science/land information systems/geomatics/remote sensing.
Griffith Taylor Scholarship in Geography
Established through the generous donations of the friends, colleagues, admirers of Griffith Taylor and alumni. It is awarded to a graduate student registered in the Department of Geography and Program in Planning based on academic merit.
Geography Toronto Award
A commemorative memento for a graduating student who has made an outstanding contribution to the life of the Geography Department while at the same time achieving above-average academic success.
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Endowed Awards
Available to students who hold Ontario Graduate Scholarships:
- Donald F. Putnam/George Tatham OGS in Geography
- Neptis Foundation OGS in Geography
- Edward Sorbara/Urban Development Institute OGS in Geography/Planning
- Michael Ralph Walsh OGS in Geography
Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarships in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST)
The QEII-GSST program is designed to encourage excellence in science and technology graduate studies. The program is supported through funds provided by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and funds raised by the University of Toronto.
- William G. Dean QEII-GSST in Geography (physical geography)
- ESRI Canada QEII-GSST in Geography (GIS or spatial analysis)
UTAGA JBR Whitney Award
The fundraising for this award was initiated by the University of Toronto Association of Geography Alumni (UTAGA) in 2014 to recognize Joe Whitney's contribution as a founding member of UTAGA, former department chair, and his longtime service to the Association. The award is given on the basis of academic excellence to a graduate student studying the environment or international development.