Information for New Students

Please make certain to present yourself to the MME graduate office upon arrival. If you are unable to arrive by this date, please inform your supervisor and the MME graduate coordinator as soon as possible, to avoid de-registration.

The deadline for completion of admission conditions (if applicable) is the end of the month of the first term in which a student starts his/her program: January 30th, May 30th, September 30th.

If you are an International student, you are required to provide proof of your student authorization (study permit).

You must also apply for a SIN number as soon as you arrive. You must apply in-person for a Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN) at London Human Resource Centre of Canada, Dominion Public Building, 457 Richmond Street, London, N6A 3E3. Their hours are 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding statutory holidays. Information and application documentation may be obtained at Service Canada’s website http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca.

• Your Western University email is the primary method of correspondence regarding your graduate studies. It is the responsibility of the student to check their Western University email account for messages; make sure you have enabled the forwarding option if you are going to use an alternate provider
• All forms must be submitted and processed through our department. After obtaining any required signatures, please submit electronic forms to the MME Graduate Office. A number of forms are now completed through either KUALI or Pathfinder.
• The Graduate Student Policy Handbook is available on the MME department website.
• Update your Student Center with your current address, phone numbers and emergency contact information.
• Updates/extensions to your Study Permit, Citizenship Status or SIN, should be brought to the attention of the MME Graduate Office, in order to keep accurate records of information. Proof of documentation is required.

• You are required to present your original valid Citizenship and Immigration Canada Student Authorization, as well as any other documents, if any, listed in your offer of admission.
• Please familiarize yourself with the SGPS web page. All policies and procedures pertaining to the successful outcome of your graduate program are listed and updated here. Additional information regarding the Western Student Center, Academics, Thesis Information, Financial Information, as well as other Student and Career Resources is also here.
• The University of Western Ontario utilizes several independent information systems to coordinate your academic and/or professional careers at Western. While access to these systems is maintained through one constant digital Western identity, it is important for you to understand the information and services that each of these systems can provide. More information may be obtained at http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/information_services.htm.
• SGPS requires proof of your study permit (and extensions) at all times.
• Should you apply for and receive Permanent Residency stat at any time during your graduate studies, you are required to inform SGPS, as well as provide proof of documentation issued.
• It is your responsibility to make certain your information and academic program information is completed within the deadlines, and the information is correct.

• As part of a successful graduate student experience at Western, we encourage students to make their health and wellness a priority. Western provides several on campus health-related services to help you achieve optimum health and engage in healthy living while pursuing your graduate degree. For example, to support physical activity, all students, as part of their registration, receive membership in Western’s Campus Recreation Centre. Numerous cultural events are offered throughout the year. Please check out the Faculty of Music web page http://www.music.uwo.ca/, and our own McIntosh Gallery http://www.mcintoshgallery.ca/. Information regarding health- and wellness-related services available to students may be found at http://www.health.uwo.ca/
• Students seeking help regarding mental health concerns are advised to speak to someone they feel comfortable confiding in, such as their faculty supervisor, their program director (graduate chair), or other relevant administrators in their unit. Campus mental health resources may be found at http://www.health.uwo.ca/mental_health/resources.html.

• Where you go to obtain your student photo ID card and pay your tuition (if applicable).  Please follow the instructions at https://registrar.uwo.ca/services/western_onecard_and_photo_standards.html
• Visit the Office of the Registrar’s central website which provides valuable information on tuition, fees, schedules, and convocation.
• Your “Student Center” is a self service system that provides year round access to student records including, offer of admissions, academic records, and changes of address, personal timetable and registration for courses during certain times of the year. All students have access to the Student Center system. Please make certain to check your information and update it regularly.

• In order to be set up in myHR, you must first be appointed a Teaching Assistantship (TA)  or a Graduate Student Fellowship (GSF.
• GSF is input directly into your student center, to be received approximately one week later.
• TA pay usually occurs the second last working day of the month.
• HR Is responsible for setting you up as an “employee” in order to be paid. Once you have been set up, you will receive your Employee ID and password from Human Resources. You MUST access Western University's myHR to update your address and input your banking information for direct deposit.
• You may wish to access the HR site for more information regarding this matter.
• You are able check and review your financial remuneration in myHR two days prior to this date. Please see the MME Graduate Office as soon as possible after this date, should you believe there is an error in your funding.

• Sets up your Western University email account. SGPS has provided you with confirmation of your Western email address in your offer of admission. Engineering also has an IT group that manages the Engineering computer labs.

• Is required for all students, faculty and staff. Graduate students are required to complete the following trainings offered by Occupational Health & Safety: 1) Worker Health and Safety Awareness, 2) Laboratory Safety and Hazardous Waste Management, 3) WHMIS, 4)Workplace Hazard Communication form, 5) Safe Campus Community, 6) AODA, 7)Gender Based Sexual Violence, 8) Cyber security, and 9) Anti-Racism. Plus any other training deemed necessary by his/her supervisor. These are offered by Human Resources, Safety & Wellness.
• Once completed, please email the PDFcertificates to the MME graduate office.  Please also complete and have your supervisor sign the health and safety form vailable on our MME website under program forms.

Desk space is only assigned and provided after completion/submission of ALL health and safety certificates. Assigned space is a limited University resource that should be managed responsibly while upholding our commitment to workplace health and cleanliness. Please adhere to basic cleanliness standards, including proper waste disposal and overall tidiness of desk area. By working together and taking collective responsibility for the health and cleanliness of our work environments, we can ensure that our assigned spaces remain pleasant and efficient places to work for everyone.

Keys are not provided until health and safety training is completed. You will receive further instructions when you have provided the certificates to the MME graduate office.

• Home to a variety of confidential services specifically designed to meet student needs through the Writing Support Center, Indigenous and International Student Services, and other areas. They are a great resource for new students to Western, as well as continuing students, by offering a variety of activities for students, their spouses and families as you make the transition to Canada and Western a reality. Check out all SDC have to offer.

• UHIP is mandatory health insurance coverage for non Canadian residents, with the cost included in your total tuition fee. Additional premium is payable for eligible family members within 30 days of your arrival.

• As a Domestic Full-time graduate student, each student is automatically enrolled in the SOGS health and dental plan. If you have alternate coverage and wish to opt-out, you must submit proof of coverage to the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS).

• Phone or walk-in appointment is available. Western also has an on-campus pharmacy in UCC.

• SOGS provides valuable information for international students.
• If you are a Full-time graduate student, you are eligible to receive a bus pass, available each term.
• Graduate Engineering Society (GES) is another for Graduate Students. More information available from SEB 2079.

The Proposed Program form lists all the courses you plan to take during the entire period in our graduate program. You are responsible for ensuring this form is filled, in consultation with your supervisor, and returned to the Graduate office before the end of your first term of registration. You must do so before the course enrolment deadline. Forms are available through KUALI.

• If you are requesting course exemption, the form must be submitted before you enrol in any course, together with the appropriate course outline.
• Should you wish to change your course selection (with the consent of your supervisor), a revised Proposed Program of Study must be resubmitted to the Graduate office, for the approval of the Graduate Board Chair.

Each term you will receive an email from the Graduate Office regarding tuition, registration and course enrolment. This email provides information regarding courses for the upcoming term, pertinent information regarding the procedure, and the enrolment deadline. As a new student, please consult with your supervisor, regarding the courses you will be taking.

Funding is allocated to M.E.Sc. or Ph.D. by your supervisor term by term.

• Funding is provided from a variety of sources. Contingent upon maintaining eligibility, each student may receive support in the form of a tuition scholarship (WGRS), Top-up, GSF (Graduate Stude4nt Funding) or teaching assistantship (either singly or a combination of all). Funds may sometimes be unevenly distributed each term, and each graduate student is expected to budget his/her finances on the basis of the yearly support outlined in the offer letter.
• A base tuition fee plus ancillary fees will be paid directly into each student's tuition account by the tuition deadline, along with a graduate student fellowship (if applicable). It is each student's responsibility to check his/her Student Centre and take care of any remaining balance (if applicable).
• Any credit owing, will be disbursed after the tuition deadline.

TA is NOT offered to new graduate students in the first term.

• In each term a student is appointed as a TA, you will receive additional payment (paid monthly) as per the PSAC Collective Agreement.
• Should you receive a TAship, it is strongly recommended you participate in the Teaching Assistantship Training Program (TATP) within the first year of registration. Upon completion, please present your certificate to the MME Graduate office.
• Ontario’s new Accessibility Standards for Customer Service are effective as of January 1, 2010. Western is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. In our formal and informal interactions with members of the campus community, each of us has a role to play in fulfilling this commitment. By law, each person who interacts with students, alumni, visitors, or retirees is obligated to know the requirements of these new standards and communicate with persons with disabilities in a manner that takes the person's disability into account.

Attendance is MANDATORY for each student to attend BOTH the departmental and faculty-wide orientation sessions, in which each student will be provided with an orientation package outlining important information regarding initial steps to be taken upon arrival.

Orientation sessions are usually held in the first week of each term.

An individual orientation session is not held, should a student not attend the scheduled mandatory ones. It will then be up to the individual student to "catch" up on missed information.

In addition, the School of Graduate and Postgraduate Studies also offers a university-wide orientation session.