Application Process

McMaster's MPH program accepts both Domestic and International students. The academic requirements and application process is the same for all applicants. International students, and domestic students who have studied abroad, may need to refer to the English Proficiency requirements, as outlined in 'Required Documents'. 

To apply to graduate programs at McMaster University, applicants must use the application portal, facilitated by the School of Graduate Studies, called Slate. You can refer to the SGS Admissions website for technical application instructions, but please refer to this MPH website for details related to specific MPH admission requirements and required documents.

Successful candidates will receive a letter of offer from the Assistant Registrar of the School of Graduate Studies. All applicants are expected to respond to an offer of admission within the specified time in the application portal. Applicants who are not offered admission will receive notification from the MPH Admissions Committee.

Required Documents - All documents must be uploaded using the application portal as part of your application. We do not accept email or mailed submissions of documents without prior consent of the department. Any materials mailed in support of an application cannot be returned. Please see the list of required documents in the tab below.

Program Pathways - All applicants will apply to the general MPH program. Those selected for admission will be asked to declare the practicum or thesis pathway following the first term of study. Applicants do not need to declare this pathway at the time of application, and therefore do not need to secure a supervisor ahead of time.

To be considered for admission to the Master of Public Health program, applicants need to demonstrate the following:

1. Completion of a four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited university by time of entry in September. The MPH program accepts students from a variety of academic backgrounds (eg. science, social science, business, etc.); there is no restriction on the subject matter of the undergraduate degree. In addition, approved professional degrees are accepted (i.e., Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Nutrition, Rehabilitation Sciences, Pharmacy or Social Work – BSW or MSW).
   
   
   
2. B+ or higher GPA in the final 10 senior courses (300 & 400 level). Updated November 2020: due to changes in grading during the COVID-19 pandemic, some changes may be made to the grade calculations for 2021 to account for pass/fail courses that may be listed on transcripts.
   
   
   
3. An undergraduate course in Statistics or Mathematics with at least a B+ grade to ensure appropriate quantitative ability for the epidemiology and biostatistics courses. This can include courses named statistics, probability, data analysis, quantitative methods, mathematics, calculus, or algebra. Please note, if applications are submitted with transcripts that do not demonstrate the successful completion of this requirement, they will be deemed ineligible and will not move on to the next stage of review. We encourage applicants to include the relevant course syllabus within your application to verify the completion of this requirement.
   
   *IMPORTANT: All applicants (both international and domestic) with an MD, MBBS, BDS (or similar degree) must meet the Statistics/Mathematics requirement. The completion of a full statistics or mathematics course must be evidenced within the application. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the applicant being deemed ineligible. There are no exceptions to this requirement. We do not accept statistics courses from providers such as Coursera. Due to a large volume of applicants, the MPH program office will not always be able to respond to questions like, ‘Does course X count as a statistics course?' Please use the guidelines above to determine your eligibility. If in doubt, applicants are encouraged to include a copy of the course syllabus along with the transcript so the statistics course can easily be identified by the review team.

Upload the following items in the application portal (Slate) in support of your application: 

*Please note: All documents should be scanned in and submitted using the online portal. Please do not mail documents into the MPH office.

1. Current Curriculum Vitae

Please upload your current CV during the application process.

2. Transcripts 

At the application stage, applicants must provide a scanned copy of transcripts (to date) from all post-secondary institutions attended that demonstrate the completion of (or near completion of) a 4-year Bachelor's degree, from an accredited university. To be deemed eligible, the ten most recent, senior level courses must calculate a GPA of B+ (77%) or higher. In addition, a transcript must demonstrate the completion of a statistics or math course (B+ or higher). It is recommended that you include the course syllabus along with your transcript so the required statistics course can be easily identified by admission reviewers. If you are offered admission into the program will you need to have all original, official transcripts sent to the program office (e-transcripts are preferred) directly from the issuing institutions. 

Unofficial transcripts (or grade reports issued by the university) are accepted only if they include:

• Your name
• Your student number
• The full name of the issuing post-secondary institution
• The name of the program you were/are enrolled in

Attention McMaster Students - If you completed your undergraduate degree at McMaster University, you still need to submit a copy of your unofficial transcript as a part of your MPH application. You can request a PDF copy from Mosaic and simply upload this into the application portal.

Hints for scanning your transcripts - If we can’t read it, it cannot be reviewed. Illegible documents can cause an applicant’s file to be dismissed before review, so please check your files before submitting your application.

             - Please ensure all files are in PDF format and are 5MB or less
             - If your transcripts are double-sided, and/or have shaded areas, please ensure they are legible
             - Please place a white sheet of paper on the side not being scanned
             - Check your scanned file for clarity before uploading to your application

GPA Calculation - The ten most senior level courses (300 or 400) will be used to calcuate the GPA. (However, it is not necessary for applicants to have completed all ten senior level courses at the time of application if they are still studying. If this is the case, GPA calculations will be based on the available senior level grades at the time of application.)

International Transcripts - If you have completed your studies outside of Canada, an international grade conversion tool is used by the McMaster admissions committee. It is encouraged that you submit a transcript assessment document (eg. WES) along with your transcript. This is not required, but can be helpful in the assessment of your academic background.

Transcript Langauge - Non-English transcripts must be translated and notarized. The applicant is responsible for providing an official translated version of the transcript. Both the original untranslated transcript and the official translation are required to be submitted. The only exception to this requirement is where the official translation is done by the degree issuing institution (university). In this case, the translation is acceptable. Acceptable sources of translation include translations performed by a country consulate representative/notary public.

3. Academic References 

Two confidential academic letters of recommendation from instructors most familiar with your academic work are required. An appropriate referee is someone who has a university faculty appointment, including any rank of professor or instructor, but not a teaching assistant (TA). Referees should be able to speak to the candidate's:

• Academic suitability for the MPH program
• Applicant plans to make use of the MPH degree after graduation
• Applicant fit with the McMaster MPH program in terms of terms of interest, self-direction and team work
• Relevant academic skills (eg. communication -written and verbal, quantitative skills, etc.)
  

If you have been out of school for at least 3 years:

• One academic reference must be a professor or instructor of a course you have taken (this can include continuing education). The referee must clearly indicate their academic appointment status in their reference (eg. Associate Professor, Professor, etc.)
• The second referee may be a work supervisor (someone who monitors your performance) who can also speak to your academic abilities.
• Recommendations must be provided directly from the referee through the portal, using their institutional/work email accounts whenever possible.

Important information: Applicants will need to provide the contact information (name, academic position, institutional email) for their two referees in the application portal. After you apply, your referees will automatically get an email prompting them to complete a reference. Both academic references must be submitted no later than two weeks after the application deadline. (This means all references are due no later than February 8; please communicate this firm deadline with your referees.) If either reference is incomplete after this date, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. Please note, while referees will have two weeks to complete the reference following the application deadline, it is strongly recommended that references are completed as soon as possible, or before the application deadline to ensure a timely review process. 

4. Statement of Interest

An original written Statement of Interest must be included (maximum 750 words). This should provide the reviewers with an understanding of:

- How previous academic, work, and life experience has shaped your decisions to pursue training in public health
- How you anticipate using the skills and knowledge from this program in your future career
- What you would bring to the program such as prior experience in a field related to public health
- How McMaster's MPH program is uniquely suited to your interests and future goals
- How you perceive yourself contributing to the work of colleagues or fellow students, being a team player and a leader

5. TOEFL or IELTS score (if applicable)

If you have not completed your previous studies in English, a copy of your TOEFL score or IELTS test report form is required. A minimum TOEFL (iBT) score of 92 (580 on the paper-based TOEFL test or 237 on the computer-based TOEFL test) or a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5 is needed for the Faculty of Health Sciences (with at least 5.5 in each section). Students who have completed a post secondary degree from a university/program where the language of instruction is English are not required to provide a TOEFL or IELTS scores. Your transcript must state that the medium of instruction was English, otherwise you must supply a letter from the issuing institution on official letterhead stating that the medium of instruction for your degree program was English.

UPDATE (Dec 2020) - If you cannot take one of the pre-approved English proficiency tests (such as TOEFL or IELTS) because centers have been closed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, the MPH program has temporarily approved the use of the Duolingo English Test. Duolingo will be accepted until further notice. The overall minimum Duolingo English Test score that will be accepted is 115.