FAQ

As a GSEP member, you will have access to a series of opportunities. We encourage all members to showcase the value of their research or study interests. GSEP members can compete for the GSEP Award by submitting an article of their choice, and the winners receive complimentary registration to Cannexus and a $1,000 prize. The articles are published on the CERIC website and accessible to the general public to read. GSEP members are invited to attend networking events (connecting with peers and experts in the field), granting them the opportunity to meet colleagues working on similar topics, increasing their chances of collaboration. Experts in the field (like Norm Amundson and Spencer Niles) and past GSEP members (Candy Ho, Roxy Merkand) have also dedicated time to meet with the GSEP members and answer their questions. Interested GSEP members can submit their CVs and a Letter of interest to join one of CERIC’s Advisory Committees and contribute to the latest developments in the field while being part of a diverse and experienced group of experts.

As the name says, GSEP is an engagement program. Once new members are welcomed into the program, they can choose how to get involved and participate. We know that graduate students often need to reconcile busy study schedules and work and family life, so GSEP allows its members to tailor their experience according to their goals and availability. Members are expected to communicate regularly with CERIC staff and their peers and attend quarterly events and activities. Members can choose to compete for the GSEP Award, join one of the 3 Advisory Committees, present a poster at Cannexus and more.  

Eligible GSEP applicants are admitted to GSEP for 1 year. GSEP members who would like to remain in the program must re-apply for the program each year by providing a new letter confirming their full-time or part-time student status. 

This Award, presented to select GSEP members who are full-time or part-time graduate students annually, provides a free registration to Cannexus, Canada’s Career Development Conference and up to $1,000 to cover expenses to attend the conference. Cannexus offers an excellent networking opportunity as well as cutting-edge professional development. Students can indicate if they want to compete for the Award at the moment of their application by simply uploading their articles in the application form. Guidelines are available in the form as well as on the website.

Eligibility is based on submitting a one-page article on an indicated career development topic, which may be published on the GSEP Corner on CERIC’s site. 

Award winners will be encouraged to submit a proposal to present at Cannexus, by co-presenting with their faculty supervisor or to present a student poster. GSEP members who have submitted an article but have not won the GSEP Award in the past are welcome to compete for it again by submitting another article. To apply for the GSEP Award, you will need first to join GSEP. 

To complete the application form, you will need the following: 

• A letter from your school registrar on official letterhead to confirm your student status. (full-time or part-time student).
• Indicating whether you want to compete for the GSEP Award and uploading your article in the application form.
• If interested in joining a CERIC Advisory Committee, a CV and a Letter of interest specifying what you hope to bring to the work of the relevant committee(s) and any other dimensions of your background you would want to be considered. 

To be eligible for GSEP, you need to be a full-time or part-time student enrolled in a masters’s or PhD program at the moment you are applying and be able to prove your status with an official letter from the registrar’s office of your academic institution (grade transcripts, admission letters etc. are not considered). 

Yes, as long as you keep the full-time or part-time student status for the year to come (students in their final year who have finished their school classes and are in the thesis writing stage are also eligible).  

No, GSEP is open only to students currently living in Canada and enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary institution. Canadian citizens/residents enrolled in a foreign academic institution are not eligible for GSEP.  

When applying to the program, you will be asked to submit an official letter from the registrar’s office of your academic institution, attesting you are a full-time or part-time student for the current year/upcoming semester(s). Other documents like grade transcripts, admission letters, and letters from academic supervisors will not be considered.  

Yes, please view the Guidelines for Writing a GSEP Corner Article. We also recommend you visit the GSEP Corner and read the existing articles we published, written by former GSEP members. The winning articles from previous years are marked.

GSEP members come from different departments and fields of study, usually in the social sciences and humanities areas, with a variety of expertise and perspectives. The connection to the career development field is unique to each graduate student; they are the best advocates for highlighting this connection. Connection to the field can be expressed by a research topic they are interested in exploring during their program or the topic of the master’s or PhD thesis; it can have a theoretical or more practical nature. For more information, consult the themes discussed/developed by past GSEP members in their GSEP articles.  

We encourage GSEP members to submit their candidature and join one of the three CERIC Advisory Committees: the Practical & Academic Research Committee, the Content & Learning Committee and the Advocacy & Community Engagement Committee. On our website, you can find details about the role and mandate of each committee as well as information on current members.  

The time commitment involved in being part of a committee includes:  

• Committee meetings: Each committee meets once a month for about 1 and a half hours to define, discuss and action CERIC priorities.  
• Preparation for committee meetings: All committee members receive materials in advance to read, review, and offer feedback on. Depending on the nature of the materials and processes involved, this may require 1 to 3 hours of meeting preparation.  

Most committee work is performed in English, but francophone or bilingual members are encouraged to apply, and their participation/contribution will be facilitated.  

At the end of the application process (November 1), CERIC staff will send emails to welcome all new GSEP members into the program. The 4 winners of the GSEP Award will be announced at the end of November. Applicants interested in joining one of the advisory committees will be informed in May.