M.Sc. or Ph.D. studies are important steps in your life. They are demanding and sometimes destabilizing due to all the freedom you are faced with during grad studies and the many decisions you have to take during your research project.
Advice for new students
Before enrolling in a graduate study program, please think about the following:
- How are you going to pay for your day-to-day life? A M.Sc. generally lasts for 2 years and a Ph.D. is 4 year long. Most graduate students get a fellowship from the Canadian or Quebec government, or from other sources.
- Why are you interested in graduate studies? The main cause of failure in grad studies is a lack of long-term motivation. Two bad but common reasons to start graduate studies are to be afraid to face the work market and the social pressure. The only good reason to start graduate studies is a strong will to get a high level formation in research or conservation. You have to be prepared to spend lots of time and energy in this formation.
- Have you already talked to M.Sc. or Ph.D. students ? Do you have a clear idea on what graduate studies are about, and how your life is going to be during graduate studies?
- If you want to work with animals in the field, do you have any pertinent experience with that respect ? Do you have any reason to believe you will be happy living for months at a time in field condition where comfort is minimal ?
- There is of course a field part (15-30% of your time) during graduate studies in the field of ecology, but most of the time is spent reading, writing, and analyzing data. The quality of a M.Sc. or Ph.D. thesis is generally mostly determined by the intellectual effort that is put in it.
If you have carefully thought about all these points, do contact Dominique Berteaux or Joël Bêty to know what projects are available within the Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity, or to suggest your own ideas.
When grad studies go well, they stay as perhaps the most exciting years of one’s life.
Graduate programs
Students wishing to work within the Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity can do so through 6 different programs at Université du Québec à Rimouski. Please note that a good level of french is needed for all the programs.
- Maîtrise en gestion de la faune et de ses habitats (profil recherche)
- Diplôme d'études supérieures spécialisées en gestion de la faune
- Doctorat en biologie
- Maîtrise en géographie (avec mémoire)
- Diplôme d'études supérieures spécialisées en analyse et prévention des risques naturels
- Doctorat en sciences de l'environnement
The graduate program in which a given student is enrolled depends on the level and specialization of the student. All programs can be followed while the student is physically at the laboratory of the Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity at the Université du Québec à Rimouski.