Please carefully review all of the admission requirements. The admission requirements are the same for all applicants, domestic and international, regardless of previous job or life experience. All minimum requirements must be met to be considered for admission.
Resumes, volunteer experience, statements of interest, and letters of reference are NOT required and will not be considered if submitted.
Academic Requirements
Applicants must have a 4-year baccalaureate degree (120 units or 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 degree conferral prior to June 30, of the year they are accepted into the program.
A minimum sub-GPA of 3.3 (B+ or 77%) on the ORPAS scale, over the last 2 years or 60 units of university academic study is required.
ORPAS will calculate sub-GPA for undergraduate coursework completed at Canadian universities and US institutions.
- Grades will be converted to the ORPAS scale to calculate your sub-GPA.
- Use the ORPAS – GPA Calculations page to review how your sub-GPA is calculated by ORPAS and the types of courses included or excluded.
- 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.
The MSc (SLP) Program will calculate your sub-GPA if graduate work has been completed and/or if ORPAS is unable to calculate your sub-GPA, such as when international education has been completed or your degree was granted from a college.
Applicants are required to complete four prerequisite courses with a minimum grade in each course of 3.0 (B or 73%) on the ORPAS scale. Each course can be a full credit course (6 units) or half credit (3 units).
- Grades will be converted to the ORPAS scale. If you submit prerequisite grades below the minimum, we will not accept them and would deem your application ineligible.
- Prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited university. College courses may not be used, even if transfer credit was granted.
- Applicants are required to accurately record all 4 of their prerequisite courses on the ORPAS Prerequisite Module of their application for consideration.
Prerequisite courses can be in-progress at the time of application. If a prerequisite is in-progress, it must meet the following criteria:
- You must be enrolled by the application deadline, in the winter term – spring/summer enrollments are not accepted in the year you wish to enter the program.
- Your transcripts, due to ORPAS by January 30, must show that you are enrolled in the course.
- Your final transcripts, due to ORPAS by June 30, must show that you have completed the course and achieved the minimum required grade.
- Courses that are in-progress at the time of application should have a grade of IPR entered on the ORPAS application.
Pre-approved courses linked in the chart are only examples, not a limited list. If your course is not on the pre-approved list and you would like it assessed, please open the chatbot and click “Prerequisites” then “Are my Courses Accepted?” and follow the prompts to submit your course for review.
| Prerequisite | Details | Min. Grade | Pre-Approved Courses | Not Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LINGUISTICS | Perceptual processes and psycholinguistic variables related to normal development and use of speech, language and hearing (phonetics, introductory linguistics, psycholinguistics) | B (3.0 on the ORPAS scale) or higher | Linguistics Pre-Approved Courses | Courses teaching another language (including sign-language), writing courses |
| PSYCHOLOGY | A second-year or higher course. Study of human behaviour, normal or abnormal (child development, developmental psychology, aging and perception, cognition) | B (3.0 on the ORPAS scale) or higher | Psychology Pre-Approved Courses | |
| HUMAN ANATOMY/PHYSIOLOGY | Human anatomy/physiology relevant to speech and hearing including speaking, hearing, breathing, and swallowing. | B (3.0 on the ORPAS scale) or higher | Human Anatomy/Physiology Pre-Approved Courses | Animal A&P courses, cellular biology courses, neuroanatomy courses, courses that do not cover the areas relevant to SLP |
| STATISTICS/RESEARCH METHODS | Can be any statistics or research methods course (qualitative or quantitative) | B (3.0 on the ORPAS scale) or higher | Statistics/Research Methods Pre-Approved Courses | Research project courses |
Non-academic Requirements
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 the following places:
- Canada
- USA
- Australia
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is the only acceptable evidence and is required by the ORPAS application deadline.
TOEFL requirements:
- You must achieve a score of 100 (iBT) on the TOEFL test (Reading 24, Speaking 26, Listening 24, Writing 26).
- The TOEFL score must not be more than 2 years old at the time of the ORPAS application deadline.
- The TOEFL score must be sent directly from the TOEFL Centre to McMaster University (McMaster code: 0936, Department code: 55).
If you are an international applicant, completed courses at an international institution or have completed exchange work (excluding the US), you must submit the following required documentation to ORPAS to ensure your application is complete:
- World Education Services (WES) assessment
- WES evaluations must be sent directly to ORPAS by WES and must be received by the application deadline.
- Original transcripts sent by the originating institution(s). –See the ORPAS Transcript Requirements for assessment of international transcripts and exchange work
- TOEFL (if applicable)
- ORPAS Online Prerequisite Module
If your transcripts are not in English, your ORPAS application must include:
- Notarized English copies of transcripts and prerequisite course descriptions
- A grading legend from the university explaining the grading scale is also encouraged