Applicants must have a 4-year baccalaureate degree (120 units/credits or equivalent):

• The degree can be in any university discipline; none are favoured.
• The degree must be completed from an accredited institution.
• Applicants may apply in the fourth year of their degree but must provide proof of graduation prior to June 30th, of the year they apply in.

For applicants with a 3-year baccalaureate degree:

• An additional 30 units/credits (in addition to a three-year degree) are required to total 120 units/credits.
• Contained within the 120 units/credits, 10 courses (30 units/credits) must be at the third or fourth-year level.

A minimum sub-GPA of 3.3/4.0 (B+ or 77%) on the ORPAS scale, over the last two years or 60 units of university academic study is required.

• Grades will be converted to the ORPAS scale to calculate your sub-GPA.
• Click here to review how your sub-GPA is calculated by ORPAS and the types of courses included/exlcuded.
• Grades from all graduate work will be included in the sub-GPA and calculated by the Program separately. Graduate courses are weighted the same as undergraduate work.
• For applicants who apply during their fourth year of their degree, the sub-GPA will include fourth year Fall term grades up to December.

Four prerequisite courses (listed below) with a minimum grade in each course of 3.3/4.0 (B+ or 77%) on the ORPAS scale, is required. Please click on each course for further information and approved course listings.

1. 3 unit (0.5 credit) course in human physiology
2. 3 unit (0.5 credit) course in human anatomy
3. 3 unit (0.5 credit) course in statistics or health research methods*⁺ NEW FOR THE 2022 CYCLE
4. 3 unit (0.5 credit) course in humanities or social science**⁺

Notes:

• Prerequisite courses must be completed by December 31st, prior to the application due date in January. Courses cannot carry over into the Winter term.
• Grades will be converted to the ORPAS scale as noted here: https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/orpas-conversion-table/ 
• Courses submitted with grades below the minimum requirement, for either of the four prerequisites, will not be accepted and the application would be deemed ineligible.
• Prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited university.
• Applicants are required to record all four of their prerequisite courses on the ORPAS Prerequisite Module of their application for consideration.
• Prerequisite courses accepted during one admission cycle may not be accepted during another admission cycle. Please review the approved course listings above annually.

*For statistics and research methods courses not listed, please reference the criteria we are looking for here. If criteria is met, you may submit a course outline to askpt@mcmaster.ca to confirm approval.
**Only subject areas identified by McMaster University’s Faculties of Humanities or Social Sciences will be accepted.
+One course cannot satisfy both the statistics/research methods prerequisite and the humanities/social sciences prerequisite. Two separate courses must be submitted on the applicant’s ORPAS application.

You must be proficient in spoken and written English. If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of English-language proficiency. The only exception to this requirement is for those who have completed an entire university degree in Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand.

If your native language is not English, an official copy of your TOEFL score (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic test report form is required. These test results must not be more than two years old at the time of the ORPAS application deadline.

TOEFL Requirements:

• A minimum score of 600 (written) or 250 (computer) or 92 (iBT) (reading-22, speaking-24, listening-24, writing-22) is required.
• The TOEFL score must be sent directly from the TOEFL Centre to McMaster University (McMaster code: 0936, Department code: 48).

IELTS (Academic) Requirements:

• A minimum overall score of 6.5, with at least 5.5 in each section.
• As with TOEFL, results must be sent directly from IELTS to McMaster University.

International applications require the same admission requirements as domestic applicants. In addition, applicants with foreign transcripts, excluding the United States, United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand, are required to submit with their application to ORPAS:

• Original transcripts sent by the originating institution(s);
• Notarized English copies of all degree course work completed to date and of the appropriate diploma or degree awarded;
• Translation copies of transcripts and prerequisite course descriptions, if not available in English; and
• A grading legend from the university explaining the grading scale is also encouraged.

Note: Individuals who have previously completed a degree in physiotherapy (internationally or through another Canadian institution) are ineligible to apply for the McMaster MSc(PT) Program. Applicants with an international physiotherapy degree are encouraged to review information about physiotherapy bridging programs at: https://www.alliancept.org/bridging-programs/

Indigenous applicants who meet the above criteria and who have a FIAP endorsed application will be invited to complete the online interview. Each year, up to six year one positions will be designated for Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) applicants.

Applicants wishing to apply to the physiotherapy program with Indigenous status, must complete the following: 

1. Go to the ORPAS website to complete your application and submit the required fees

2. Go to McMaster University’s Facilitated Indigenous Admissions Program (FIAP) website, read & complete the supplemental Self-Identification Application, and submit to by Friday, January 8th, 2021

Only endorsed FIAP applications will be reviewed under the Indigenous specific criteria for admissions to the physiotherapy program.

The McMaster Physiotherapy Program understands that many future applicants to the Program may be impacted during their Winter 2020 studies term due to COVID-19. Students at many institutions were given the option of selecting a pass/fail grade over a letter/number grade. Please review the following information in regards to how COVID-19 may impact an applicant’s prerequisite courses and sub-GPA for the Physiotherapy Program:

• Prerequisite Courses: The Program will still require an eligible course with a letter/number grade of at least a B+, 77% or 3.3/4.0 for each of the four prerequisite courses. Unfortunately, we cannot accept a course with a grade of ‘pass.’ Each application cycle, applicants have until December 31st to complete their prerequisite courses.
  • *Update Nov 2020*: The Program will accept a letter (on university letterhead) from a course professor, indicating the grade the student would have achieved in a course from the Winter 2020 term, if a letter/number grade would have been issued. This is only to satisfy a prerequisite and will not be included in an applicant's sub-GPA. This letter must be uploaded to ORPAS with your application in order to be accepted.
• Sub-GPA: Courses with a grade of ‘pass’ will not be included in an applicant’s sub-GPA calculation, which is the same process as in previous and current admission cycles. If an applicant has any courses with a grade of pass in their last 60 units of study, grades/courses may need to be extracted beyond the last 60 units completed in order to calculate their sub-GPA. For more information on how your sub-GPA is calculated, we encourage you to review the information posted on the ORPAS website: https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/orpas-gpa-calculations/

• ORPAS forwards your complete application to the McMaster University Physiotherapy Program for review and further decision.
• ORPAS calculates each applicant's sub-GPA (please refer to the ORPAS GPA Guide to review how the GPA is calculated and to review the courses that are not included in the GPA calculation). The Program will calculate the sub-GPA when an applicant has completed graduate-level courses, a college-level degree and/or international study.
• All applicants with a 3.3/4.0 (B+ or 77% or 9/12) sub-GPA and who have met the requirements for the four pre-requisite courses, will be invited to participate in an online interview. If an interview has been granted and upon further review, requirements are not met, the applicant’s interview will not be reviewed and fees will not be refunded. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that they have met all requirements stated on the McMaster Physiotherapy Program's admission website and the ORPAS Application Guide.

• All eligible applicants who have met the academic requirements, will be invited to complete an online interview through Kira Talent.
• The cost of the interview is $50.00 CDN (non-refundable) and must be paid before the online interview can be completed. Applicants will be notified via email when and where to submit their online payment (mid-February). Check your junk mail regularly.
• Once payment is received, applicants will receive a link from Kira Talent to complete the online interview within the time frame provided. There is no individual date and time assigned, as such, applicants can complete the interview at anytime during the specified dates. Deadline extensions are not granted. 
• To complete the interview, applicants must have a computer, webcam, microphone and internet. Tablets or mobile devices are not compatible with Kira Talent.

Accommodations

Applicants are eligible to receive accommodations to complete their interview if submission of proper documentation is received. Applicants will be notified when and how to submit accommodations if needed.

Are there practice questions?

• Yes, you can complete the practice questions as many times as you need in order to feel comfortable with the online interviewing process. Although, practice questions may not be similar to the actual interview.
• Practice questions are not saved and are provided for you to prepare and learn from. Practices are recorded so that you can replay them, but they are never sent to the interviewer.
  • Note: You will not be allowed to review your actual interview responses or redo them. Once they are completed, they are forwarded to the Program for assessment.

How does the interview work?

1. Question – A randomized verbal or written-response question will be presented.
2. Preparation – A set amount of time is provided to allow you to prepare your response. 
3. Response – A set amount of time is provided for you to respond.

• Applicants who completed the online interview are ranked on a combination of their interview score (75% of final ranking) and their sub-GPA (25% of final ranking) to determine the final ranking for offers of admission.
• Approximately 67 students are admitted to the MSc Physiotherapy Program each year.
• The final approval of applicants for admission will be granted by the Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies.
• Applicants will be notified of the admission decision via the email address that was provided to ORPAS in the online application. Applicants will receive either an offer of admission, notification of their position on the waiting list (including wait list number) or a decline letter.
• Applicants being offered admission must complete the online offer of acceptance to ORPAS and pay a non-refundable deposit fee of $500.00 CDN (credited towards tuition).

• As per the McMaster University School of Graduate Studies Calendar, admission is competitive and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The admission decision is not subject to appeal. Feedback is also not provided to applicants who were not granted an offer of admission.
• Applications from one year are not held over to another year.
• Successful applicants are not allowed to defer their start date.
• There is no provision for advance standing or transfer into the MSc Physiotherapy Program.
• Applicants should understand that where it is discovered that any application information is false or misleading, or has been concealed or withheld, the application will be deemed invalid, and the matter will be forwarded to the Office of Academic Integrity. If the student has already been admitted and registered, withdrawal from the university may be required, pending a university investigation.
• Professionalism is an important requirement of the McMaster Physiotherapy Program. In keeping with the standard of excellence required in our program, we expect applicants to the MSc(PT) program to conduct themselves in a professional manner throughout all phases of the application process. Any and all interactions throughout the admissions process, where applicants are engaged with Physiotherapy program staff, faculty, students, and/or community volunteers may be taken into consideration in making admission decisions. Admission may be denied to applicants who, among other critical determinants, behave in a manner that is considered below the level of professionalism expected of similarly situated candidates, regardless of their academic standing or interview performance.