PAPERWORK FOR NEW RESEARCH STUDENTS (regular graduate and visiting)

The guide below aims to streamline the arrangements that new regular graduate students have to carry out to register properly and obtain full access to all the facilities of the Faculty of Computer Science and Dalhousie University.

Actions by student category:

Regular Master's and PhD students: actions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
Visiting graduate students: actions 6, 1, 8, 9
Visiting undergraduate students: actions 7, 1, 8, 9

People you will have to see:
Barbara Borden: Receptionist (front desk)
Menen Teferra: Graduate administrator (rightmost office behind front desk)
Anne Publicover: Dean's admin assistant (down the corridor to the right of front desk)
Graduate forms:
Computer Science forms
Faculty of Graduate Studies forms.

Action 1: All Students: obtain your Dalcard

First register online (See B.0 below) then go to the Dalcard office (http://www.dal.ca/dalcard) with a government issued photo ID (e.g. passport) to obtain a Dalcard.

Action 2. Access to facilities

Spaces
The process of access to buildings and labs is a little complicated because we have two buildings (Goldberg and Mona Campbell)
and two different security access systems for differnt parts of the Goldberg building. What you need to do to obtain the access you need
depends on where your supervisor's office is located.
The process is described in SECURITY-ACCESS-for-STUDENTS.pdf
The most relevant parts are in red.

Computing facilities:
Take a look at the tech support http://www.dal.ca/faculty/computerscience/about/tech-support.html

Action 3. Online Registrations

You need to register for dummy course REGN9999 (plus your regular courses, if applicable).
See Graduate FAQ
REGN 9999 is the Registration Course that students in programme fee degrees are required to register for each term (in addition to all required courses including their thesis). Scholarship funds can not be processed unless you have registered for REGN 9999.
The Course Registration Numbers (CRN) for REGN 9999 for the fall and winter term can be found in the academic timetable under subject
"Registration Course-Graduate" in the Subject Listing.

Action 4: Supervisor selection form

Fill out, have your supervisor or co-supervisors sign, and give to Menen the Supervisor Selection Form by September 30.

Action 5: Program form

You need to fill out your graduate programme form by early October.
This is an online process described here.

Action 6: Visiting Graduate Students

- Fill out and submit the Graduate Studies application form, Part A in online application or print [PDF - 258kB]
This is required for you to get registered on Banner (see above) and get a Dalcard.
- Perform action 2, register in dummy course REGN9999, before you obtain your Dalcard.
- If you are an international student, you need to obtain your own health insurance and opt-out of the Dalhousie international health insurance fee. Or purchase the GlobalGuard health insurance from the International Centre. If you buy your own health insurance, you need to ensure that the level of coverage is sufficient for the health costs in Canada. Dalhousie recommends purchasing the GlobalGuard health insurance.

FGS Visiting Graduate Research Student Guidelines
There has been increased interest from international students, enrolled in a graduate program at another university, who are interested in coming to Dalhousie to conduct research with a faculty member. The students must be accepted as a Visiting Student Graduate Studies (VSGS) – Research. The student must complete the graduate application and pay the $70 application fee (the degree should be listed as VSGS and the department/subject should be listed as RSST). The graduate application must be sent to the Admissions Officer at the Faculty of Graduate Studies. We also require two letters/emails; one from the Dalhousie faculty member and one from the student’s supervisor in their home university. The letter/email must indicate support/approval for the student coming to Dalhousie and the length of time they are expected to be here (we do not require transcripts, references, TOEFL or other supporting documents).
In order for visiting research students to have an active, current student status at Dalhousie they must be registered each term, or part thereof, they are here. The students do not pay tuition to Dalhousie, however, they are charged incidental fees for each term they are here (approximately $100 per term), this gives them access to the libraries, internet and computer labs. They will also have an official Dalhousie academic transcript. Registration must be done by the Admissions Officer at Grad Studies; students cannot register online.
International visiting research students are required to have Health Insurance. They are automatically enrolled in the Dalhousie Health Insurance Plan (the current rate is $491 for the academic year - September to August and will be prorated depending on the number of terms the student is here). If the student has their own health insurance plan they may be able to opt-out of the Dalhousie Plan. They must take a copy of their health insurance plan into the Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) Health Plan Office; the DSU will evaluate the plan to ensure its meets our minimum coverage.
These steps are necessitated by the increasing number of visiting research students to Dalhousie and the liability posed by the visitors in our laboratories and on campus. It is imperative that the student has the correct student status, is properly registered and has adequate health insurance coverage.

If you are a visiting undergraduate student, and will not be taking any classes at Dalhousie, then your status is that of Visitor. You require a banner number in order to access the facilities. In order to get one, a Faculty Payroll Profile needs to be completed (instructions) at least two weeks in advance of the arrival of the student.

The key area on this form is the box for Employee Class, which in this case is AC-Access. Then the relevant portions of the form (the identification part) need to be completed and the form signed by the Dean. The form is then submitted to the payroll office where a Banner number will be assigned. This assignment can take up to two weeks, but it can be assigned right away if you go to the Payroll office in person, with your faculty supervisor.

Once the banner number is assigned, the ID card can be obtained from the Dalcard office.

If the student is a visiting undergraduate student, and will be taking classes at Dalhousie, then they will be considered a special undergraduate student. They take their letter of permission to the Registrar's office for processing. This process will provide them with a banner number and access to DalOnline. The student can then get their ID card from the Dalcard office. Access to the buildings is then as above.

Action 8: How to pay visiting students

Visiting students who receive financial support from their supervisor at Dalhousie come to Canada on a work visa. Reimbursement for their expenses is administered as follows:

1. Airfare and travel expenses are paid as a travel advance. Supervisor submits a cheque req. form with the itinerary and proof of payment. The student needs to sign the cheq. req. form and the supervisor needs to enter the account number.

2. Living expenses are paid monthly by way of a cheq. req form. This can be done as an advance each month and then submit a monthly travel claim for the per diem amount. Per diem amount x 30 exceeds the monthly payment of typical graduate student support.

Action 9: Setting up for direct deposit of pay

Payments from Dalhousie are by direct deposit to the student's bank account. Student needs to open a bank account, get a statement with the account's details from the bank, and submit it with a completed DIRECT DEPOSIT OF PAY INSTRUCTIONS form.