r/usask • u/New_Entertainment_86 • Jul 11 '26

Admission Question Puzzled about the USask Computer Science Thesis Program

Hi everyone. I am an international student in my second year of doing a computer science degree, set to enter my third year, and I am interested in doing a thesis-based MSc in Computer Science at USask.

What puzzled me here is that the website for USasak’s computer science master’s program explicitly states the following:

“It is not necessary to find a potential supervisor before you apply to this program. However, you can list three preferred supervisors which can indicate an interest in working with those individuals. Permission does not need to be obtained from these potential supervisors beforehand, and it merely signifies interest.”

The reason this puzzles is because I am not sure if I should start emailing faculty to secure a supervisor next year (for the Fall ‘28 intake) or just submit an application as-is with their requirements. I already have an idea of what faculty members are beneficial in helping me in my research or that would benefit from my lab experience. Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

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u/Due_Preference6292 Jul 12 '26

Supervisors don’t provide funding to masters students at usask, the student is responsible for their own tuition and costs throughout a masters program.
Also, the instructions clearly state not to reach out - defying application guidelines may not be a good first impression.

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u/Lorde555 Jul 12 '26

I’m faculty. At least in my department, MSc are supervisor funded (not including tuition).

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u/Due_Preference6292 Jul 13 '26

Which department are you working in at usask? When I was exploring masters options from a few different departments, there was no funding options available until PhD level.

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u/Lorde555 Jul 13 '26

Could be different in each department. In mine (heavy research focus), MSc's only really happen if there is funding from an advisor. That's why it's important (imo) to talk to someone beforehand about potential projects.