Current Algoma University Students
- Undergraduate Students: Current undergraduate students may be able to complete Bachelor theses under the supervision of Prof. Hu for course credits. Usually, a thesis course will run from September until April of the next year. Therefore, an interested student should reach out to Prof. Hu during the summer semester to get started. Alternatively, a student may ask for a directed study course for a single semester. If paid opportunities become available, they will be advertised internally. It is important to note that a student cannot earn money from a thesis or directed study course, and they cannot earn course credits from a paid position.
- Graduate Students in the Applied Program: A graduate student in the applied program (MCS) can earn computing project courses by working with Prof. Hu. Please consult him ahead of time. If paid opportunities exist, they will be advertised. It is important to note that the a student cannot earn money from the computing project courses, and they cannot earn course credits from a paid position. Alternatively, a current graduate student in the applied program can change their program to the thesis-based one (MSc). If the conversion is successful, the student will earn $22,000 per year - much of which will subsidize the tuition fees. It is important to note that conversion will not always be successful.
Exchange Students and Postdoctoral Fellows
Occassionally, Prof. Hu may be able to host an international student or send a current student to study temporarily at a different country. He may also have funding for a postdoctoral fellow. If opportunites become available, it will be advertised as appropriate. Prospective Mitacs Globalink Research Awards students are welcome to inquire at anytime. However, they must be mindful of the deadlines and the university's student quota.
Thesis-Based Master's Degree Students
To apply for the thesis-based Master's degree program, the applicant must first ensure the following that they meet the entrance requirement. This means, they must have sufficiently high GPAs and they must be proficient in English. The requirement can be read below:
If the applicant can meet the requirement, they should then understand where Algoma University campuses are located. Algoma University, as it turns out, has multiple campuses that are quite far apart from each other. There are two campuses with professors who can supervise students:
- Sault Ste. Marie: The Sault Ste. Marie campus is the main campus and it is the campus where Prof. Hu is based in. Therefore, a MSc student who has successfully applied to work with Prof. Hu will likely need to move and settle in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. It is important to note that despite its French name, Sault Ste. Marie is not located in Europe nor in Quebec. The applicant should also not confuse the city with Sault Ste. Marie, USA. While it is visible from the broadwalk from Canadian side, the city falls under the jurisdiction of Michigan and USA.
- Brampton: Brampton, Canada is located close to Toronto. It is about 683 km away from the Sault Ste. Marie campus by car.
The applicant should then be aware of the funding package at Algoma University. Currently, the funding package is set to be at least $22,000 per year. This amount comes from two sources:
- Supervisor's Grant (Graduate Research Assistantship): The supervisor must provide at least $10,000 per year. The student cannot cover this amount by their own private fund. This restriction may be waived if the student has their own scholarship (e.g., NSERC scholarships, foreign scholarships).
- Graduate Teaching Assistantship: To get $12,000, the student must work as a graduate teaching assistant.
It is important to note that the university does not cover the tuition fee. Therefore, assuming the grant is $22,000 pear year, a domestic student will actually only receive $11,600 per year, and an international student is expected to incur an anual debt of around $3,600. An applicant should read this page on funding and tuition fees very carefully:
After understanding all of the university's requirements and the funding package, the student should then choose the supervisor. This means reading Prof. Hu's webpage and some of his recent works carefully. One ready, the student may reach out to him by email. It is important to send him a human-written email. All AI-generated emails may be ignored or reported as spams. Once Prof. Hu has provided an approval, the applicant may list him as a supervisor on the application form.
Doctor of Philosophy Students
Algoma University does not offer a PhD program. To work with Prof. Hu, the student must first be accepted by Dalhousie University and become a member of GEMLab. Only then, the student may ask Prof. Hu as a co-supervisor or a member of the student's examination committee.