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PhD research

7 Nov 2019

PhD research

Are there admissions at Mila? 

  • No, Mila is not a university and does not grant diplomas. All research students at Mila are affiliated with one of the partner institutions, which handle the formal admission procedure to the PhD program. 

However, Mila facilitates the matching between students and potential supervisors through the Mila supervision request platform which is open from October 15th to December 1st. More information can be found here

Note that the Mila supervision request is a required first step to be advised by a Mila professor affiliated with the operation research and computer science department (DIRO) of Montreal University. 

Keep an eye on the admission dates for each institution at the following addresses to ensure you complete your application in a timely manner:

Important: Request for supervision at Mila and university admission are separate processes which must be completed in parallel.

When are the Milasupervision requests open?

  • From October 15h to December 1st

When will I get an answer from Mila for my supervision request?

  • From February to March, sometimes early April.

What are the admission terms?

  • Fall, Winter, Summer.

What’s the duration of PhD?

  • On average 4 to 5 years.

I am a senior bachelor student, can I apply for the PhD. program similar to US universities (PhD. direct) or I should apply for the M.Sc. Program?

  • It is possible for exceptional students with demonstrated prior research experience.
  • Normally, if you hold a bachelor’s degree from the US, you must apply for the M.Sc., in Quebec. With the possibility of a fast track to the PhD. program, if you qualify for it, you can switch to the PhD. program after 1 year of the MSc program. But recently it has become possible to apply directly to the PhD program without a MSc for exceptional students (with an increased number of courses required for the PhD program in this case).
  • Typically, a PhD in the US takes about the same amount of time as a MSc + a PhD at the affiliated universities of Mila.

Here is a summary of the different paths to the PhD program:

Masters then PhD
MSc1 | MSc2 -> apply and be accepted to PhD program -> PhD2 | PhD3 | …
Masters with fast-track into PhD after 1 year
MSc1 -> apply for fast-track to PhD and be accepted ->  PhD2 | PhD3 | …
Direct admit to PhD (exceptional)
BSc  -> apply and be accepted to PhD program -> PhD1 | PhD2 | PhD3 | …

Do I get a scholarship during my studies?

  • Yes, you will receive a scholarship (usually coming from one of your supervisor’s research funds). Please discuss with your potential supervisor to know the amount. 

Am I allowed to get another or more scholarships?

  • Yes, and we encourage that.

Do I have the possibility to get a teaching assistant position?

  • Yes.

Do we need to provide  GRE scores?

  • No, it is not required.

Do I need to speak French to follow the program?

  • No, although learning French would be an asset for you to better enjoy the richness of Quebec culture and if you want to stay in Quebec after your studies.

Is the program offered to international students?

  • Yes.