Public Health Sciences (Water) - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

B.C Matthews Hall (BMH)

B.C Matthews Hall (BMH) on Waterloo's Campus, across Columbia St W.

Become an expert and tackle some of the biggest health concerns and global water challenges of today’s world with the PhD in Science Public Health Sciences – Collaborative Water program. Work alongside leading researchers, integrating perspectives from multiple disciplines and using research as a tool to design, implement, and evaluate health programs, policies, and services.

The collaborative approach of this program provides access to more than 140 faculty members involved in water research across Waterloo's campus, encouraging you to push the boundaries of your research. Along with developing expertise in public health and health systems, two interdisciplinary courses will capture both theoretical and practical components, including in-class lectures, fieldwork, interdisciplinary group work, and individual research seminars. 

You’ll be prepared for a career in research (industry, government and academia), the public sector or private industry with in-demand skills like problem-solving and the ability to work in teams and communicate across disciplines. 

Program overview

Department/School: School of Public Health Sciences
Faculty: Faculty of Health
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Collaborative, Doctoral, Research
Length of program: 48 months (full-time)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis

Application deadlines

  •  February 1 (for admission in September)

Key contacts

Program Contact
sphs.grad.admissions@uwaterloo.ca

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.

Supervisors

  • Review finding a supervisor resources to learn how to reach out to potential supervisors. While it is not required to reach out to potential supervisors prior to applying, it is strongly recommended to ensure that the faculty member you are interested in working with is accepting new students and your research interests align.

Admission requirements

  • Students applying to the program are required to complete a Master of Science (MSc) degree (or its equivalent) with content related to health, public health, health systems, or areas relevant to the impacts of water on human health with a minimum 75% average in master's level coursework.
  • Completion of a master's thesis.
  • Submit a letter indicating reasons for pursuing graduate studies and a written statement outlining research interests.

Degree requirements

Application materials

  • Resume/Curriculum vitae
  • Supplementary information form (SIF)
    • The SIF contains questions specific to your program, typically about why you want to enrol and your experience in that field. Review the application documents web page for more information about this requirement
    • If a statement or letter is required by your program, review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion
  • Transcript(s)
  • Writing sample
    • Students must submit a copy of previous academic work, such as copies of preprints, reprints, or master's thesis, or other evidence of written scholarly work
  • References
    • Three academic references are required
    • 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

Tuition and fees