Public Health Sciences - MSc at Waterloo

Program information

Department/School	School of Public Health Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Admit term(s)	Fall (September - December)
Application and document submission deadline(s)	February 1 (for admission in September)
Delivery mode	On-campus
Program type	Master's, Research
Length of program	24 months (full-time)
Registration option(s)	Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s)	Thesis
Research field(s) - Graduate research fields are used to better define a student’s research concentration	Aging and Health Epidemiology and Biostatistics Global Health Health and Environment Health Evaluation Health Informatics Work and Health

Watch the How to apply to Waterloo graduate studies video

Considerations for international students before submitting an application:

While the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo values international students in our graduate programs, we can only accept a small proportion of these students.

Guaranteed funding packages may not be able to cover all tuition and living expenses incurred during a graduate program and students are encouraged to understand more about the cost of completing their graduate program before applying.

Your requested supervisor may also be required to fund your studies for your application to be successful.

What does it take to get in?

Minimum admission requirements

Successful completion of a four-year Honours Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) with a minimum 75% average. The Bachelor's degree will normally be in the biological sciences, behavioural health, health, public health, or social sciences.
Undergraduate experience including coursework in one or more of the behavioural, biological, developmental, health, or social sciences is advantageous, given the multidisciplinary nature of the program. Students should also have a suitable background in research design and statistics to meet prerequisite standards for all graduate level courses.
Students may be allowed to transfer into the PhD program directly from the School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS) Master's programs. Such students must have completed all Master's coursework requirements, have demonstrated a superior academic record, and have evidence of prior research achievements (e.g., adjudicated research report, significant documented contribution as a co-author to a peer-reviewed publication, first author peer-reviewed publication).

Supervisors

Review the finding a supervisor resources
Before applying to the program, students are strongly advised to establish contact with potential supervisors

Application material

Resume/Curriculum vitae
Supplementary information form (SIF)
- Indicating reasons for pursuing graduate studies (e.g., discuss how a graduate degree maps onto your career plans) and outlining research interests.
- Review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completing this form
Transcript(s)
Writing sample
- Students must submit one copy of a term paper written during the last two years of their undergraduate education.
References
- Two references are required, preferably from faculty members
- If applicants have been out of school for an extended period of time (>5 years) and are unable to supply an academic reference they may submit two professional references. Please ensure that one professional referee is able to comment on the applicants academic ability and potential.
Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable.
- TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)
- The School of Public Health Sciences does not consider international applications whose English language proficiency scores fall below the minimum requirements

How much will it cost?

Use the student budget calculator to estimate your cost and resources
Visit the graduate program tuition page on the Finance website to determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program
Review the study and living costs
Review the funding graduate school resources for graduate students

What can you expect at Waterloo?

Review the degree requirements on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree
Check out profiles of current graduate students to learn about their experience at Waterloo
Check out Waterloo's institutional thesis repository - UWspace to see recent submissions from the School of Public Health Sciences graduate students
Check out the Waterloo campus and city tours
Review the School of Public Health Sciences website to see information about supervisors, research areas, news, and events

This program page is effective September 2023; it will be updated annually. Any changes to the program page following this date will be indicated with a notation.

We strive to provide you with the necessary information on each of our program pages. Was there something you found helpful? Was there anything missing? Share your thoughts.