Graduate School

Exploring Programs

Ideally you should use your research and subject interests as your guide. What do you want to explore and learn at an advanced academic level? If you are exploring Graduate programs mainly as a career booster, then use your career plans to guide your exploration of graduate programs. For example, you will need to look at the employers and the job descriptions of the type of work you are thinking of and then work backwards to look at the graduate level training beneficial for that work.

You may have something specific in mind or maybe just a general sense of what you’d like to do, but the clearer you are on what you would like to do after your graduate studies, the clearer it will be to find the graduate program that is right for you.

There are increasing options when it comes to types of Graduate programs. There are research based programs, course based, applied project based and some offer internship or co-op options.

To explore graduate school programs you can use a variety of resources.

• Talk to your professors and Graduate student TA’s  about schools, departments and research interests (not only to find out about programs and professors to approach but also about what graduate studies is really like).
• Talk to people in the career area you are interested in and get their ideas on what graduate programs are marketable or required for the career path you are considering.
• Approach the Graduate student run clubs and get connected to grad students who can guide you in your search and offer some tips along the way.
• Use databases (provided below) to search a broad spectrum of programs and allow you to do a thorough search across Canada and internationally.
• Gather information about the school, the department, research groups and individual professors and their research interests.

 
To help you narrow down your options and focus on the programs that are right for you, you’ll need to think about “fit”.

• Do the department focus area and the professor’s research interests fit with yours?
• How many graduate students does the department accept yearly? How many students does the professor you are interested in supervise? Is that good or bad for you?
• Are there connections to industry or non-academic organizations that can facilitate your entry into the workforce?
• What about funding options? What does the school or department offer?
• Does the professor have a good reputation for supervising (i.e. Training you to be a good researcher)?
• What are the facilities and work spaces like? (i.e. Will you be spending a lot of time in the lab or in an office? Are you with others or are you working alone or is there even space for you?)
• What other opportunities are there in the program or with the school to support your success in the program and success afterwards?

 
To answer some of the questions above and gather more information, you’ll need to reach potential supervisors and department admissions officers directly by phone, e-mail and in person.  However, to help you get started here are some resources to begin your graduate program search:

• The Canadian Universities database – this will help you find the program that interests you. 
• Career Cruising – a Canadian career and education information database.  We highly recommend this as a place to start and try different search criteria (ex. Public health, community health, population health etc.). You will need your MAC ID to access if you are off campus.
• Canadian Association of Graduate Studies Publication: Your Future - a guide for potential graduate students (2005).
• Prospects – The UK’s official graduate careers website has a comprehensive database of graduate programs as well useful information about careers.
• Peterson’s Guide – US site that has searchable database for a wide variety of graduate programs in the States. 

There is a complete list of web links to Canadian University Graduate Calendars on the Education Planning section of our website. This is great if you know there are only specific universities you are interested in.

Some book resources are:

• Getting What you Came For – The smart student’s guide to earning a Masters or Ph.D. By Robert Peters. Ph.D
• The Chicago Guide to Your Academic Career – A portable mentor for scolars from graduate school through tenure. By John Goldsmith, John Komlos, and Penny Schine Gold

Application Process

The admissions process is managed through the Graduate School department of the Universities. You will need to meet the graduate schools admissions criteria as well as the requirements of the department to which you are applying. Depending on the department, you may also need to have a tentative agreement with your potential supervisor. You will need to make sure you meet the requirements of both the Graduate School and the specific program department.

• Transcripts – request your official transcript from the Registrar’s Office.  Be sure to check into the transcript processing time to make sure you will meet the application deadline.  Each school to which you are applying will require an official transcript be sent to them.
• Academic Requirements – you will need to have a strong academic record, typically B+ minimum, as well as any pre-requisite courses required.
• References – you’ll need three strong references that will attest to your suitability for graduate level research and academic work – sometimes referred to as your “letter writers” and are usually professors that you worked closely with or received strong marks in their courses.
• Letter of Intent - this is a focused essay about your academic and research interests which might also include how you see your graduate studies relating to your career interests. The letter of intent provides the admissions committee with the opportunity to evaluate your “fit” for the department and for your supervisor. This is not the same as a “personal statement” so be sure of what the school is asking for and if in doubt check with the admissions officer.
• CV – this is your resume but one that highlights your research or academic experiences.
• Funding – there are various deadlines and application processes for funding your graduate studies – see our section on Funding for more information.
• GRE’s - some programs might require the Graduate Record Exams. There is the General test which has quantitative, analytic and verbal assessments and then there are subject specific tests which focus on your knowledge of the area to which you are applying. Be sure to factor in the time it takes to register for the tests, study and write the tests in order to ensure they are received by the school by the application deadline.

Student Resources:

This site provides a good overview of a Letter of Intent.  

The Princeton Review website has information about GRE’s, database for program searching, and a great “ Action Plan” tool  that can be helpful for keeping you on track and guiding your through the process.

Official site for the Graduate Record Exams.

Funding

There are different types of funding options to help you pay for your graduate studies.

• Provincial or Federal scholarships and fellowships – tend to have deadlines several months prior to your graduate school application deadlines, so you’ll need to be very focused and clear about your interests in graduate school early. You can refer to McMaster’s School of Graduate Studies website to see a list of scholarships and their deadlines.
• Research Assistant – paid position where you work for the department or your supervisor on their research.
• Teaching Assistant – paid position where you work as a TA.  This could be assisting a professor, facilitating a tutorial or instructing a class.
• Stipends/grants – funds paid to you through research funding or training grants that were awarded to your supervising professor or their department.
• University specific scholarships – some may be administered through your department and some may be university wide and you’ll need to check with each university and department about scholarship options and their application deadlines when you do your initial exploration of programs.
• Student Loans - through OSAP or you can check with banks about lines of credit options.