How to apply

For details on the application process, carefully follow the instructions on the Graduate Studies Office online application page.

If you have any questions, the Admissions Coordinator can be reached at the Guelph-Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry and Biochemistry (gwc@uwaterloo.ca). Please ensure you provide your full name and UWaterloo student number in the subject line of the email. The volume of correspondence is very high, so please be patient.

UW Graduate Entrance Scholarship

Domestic (Canadian or Permanent Resident) students entering with an overall average of 80 percent or above will be eligible for a UW Graduate Entrance Scholarship.

Application deadlines

Application forms and supporting documents are due by the deadlines outlined in the table below.

Students who meet these deadlines will be eligible for consideration for any major awards and scholarships (OGS, Tri-Agency Scholarships, and internal UW awards) to which they have applied.

**For Domestic students (Canadians and Permanent Residents) applications will be considered after these deadlines, although this may impact your eligibility for major awards and scholarships in your first year.

Please note that your application must be complete and all supporting documentation uploaded by the application deadline date.

The department strongly recommends that international students apply at least nine months prior to the start of the term, to allow sufficient time to arrange for a study permit.

Admission requirements

Test score

Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide certification of English language proficiency through one of the accepted examinations. The GRE and the GRE subject area test in Chemistry and/or Biochemistry are not required.

Eligibility

Admission is based on certain eligibility guidelines and varies depending upon the program you intend to enter. Below are the guidelines which determine a candidate's admissibility for the various programs offered. Each case is examined individually and offers of admission depending on other factors, including the availability of an appropriate research advisor.

Academic degree

Please note that if the four-year honours bachelor degree equivalent is not in Chemistry, sufficient upper-level Chemistry course content would be required to ensure that there is an appropriate background to handle Chemistry courses at the Graduate level.

In some cases where the minimum academic requirement is met but previous course work was obtained a number of years ago or an applicant's academic background is lacking upper-level science courses in the areas that the applicant is interested in pursuing, the department may recommend the completion of preliminary courses.

For the MSc program

A student is encouraged to apply for admission to the MSc program with a minimum standing of 75 percent in the last two years of an Honours Bachelor of Science degree, or the equivalent, from an accredited University.

For the PhD program

In general, a student will be required to possess the qualifications as listed for the MSc program, together with a Master of Science degree with a minimum 75 percent, or equivalent, from an accredited University and suitable references from the institution at which the MSc degree was awarded.

Find a research supervisor

With more than forty faculty members, our department is one of the largest Chemistry departments in Canada, engaged in a broad range of research activities. Read about our research faculty and find a research supervisor.