Applicants are required to have a 4-year baccalaureate degree (or its equivalent of 120 units/credits):

• Applicants in their fourth year of their degree may apply, but they must provide proof of degree conferral by June 30th of the application year.
• The degree can be in any university discipline; none are preferred.
• The degree must be obtained from an institution that is accredited.
• Degrees awarded by degree granting colleges are accepted.
• Within these 120 units/credits, at least 10 courses (equivalent to 30 units/credits) must be at the third or fourth-year level.
• Courses not normally included in the 120 units/credits include placements, internships, and activity courses.

For applicants holding a 3-year baccalaureate degree:

• An additional 30 units/credits, beyond those of a three-year degree, are required to reach a total of 120 units/credits.
• Within these 120 units/credits, at least 10 courses (equivalent to 30 units/credits) must be at the third or fourth-year level.
• Courses not normally included in the 120 units/credits include placements, internships, and activity courses.

For applicants with a degree in Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy:

• If your degree was obtained either internationally or from another Canadian institution, please note that you will not be eligible to apply for the McMaster MSc(PT) Program.
• We recommend that applicants with an international physiotherapy or physical therapy degree consider physiotherapy bridging programs. More information on these programs can be found on the CAPR website.

A minimum sub-GPA of 3.3/4.0 (equivalent to B+ or 77%) on the ORPAS scale is required, calculated over the last two years or 60 units of university academic study.

ORPAS will be responsible for calculating the sub-GPA for undergraduate coursework completed at universities in Canada and the United States.

• 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.
• Grades from any Fall term courses taken before the application deadline will be included in the sub-GPA. Applications without these course grades on the transcript will be considered ineligible.

If you have completed a bachelor’s degree at a degree-granting college, completed graduate coursework, completed international coursework, or hold an international degree (excluding the USA), the MSc (PT) program will calculate your sub-GPA.

• Graduate coursework is weighted the same as undergraduate coursework.
• A course-by-course World Education Services (WES) assessment is required to facilitate sub-GPA calculations for international degrees and coursework.

Four (4) prerequisite courses are required with a minimum grade in each course of 3.3/4.0 on the ORPAS scale (or its equivalent of a B+ or 77%). 

If your course is not on the pre-approved list linked in the chart below and you would like it assessed, please use the chatbot and click ->Admissions->Prerequisite Courses and “Yes” to fill out the form. 

The course categories are:

Applicants must complete the prerequisite course section in the ORPAS application. Only the courses submitted in this section will be reviewed to determine whether the applicant has met the prerequisite course requirements.

Course Completion: All prerequisite courses must be completed by December 31, prior to the January application deadline. All four prerequisite grades must be on the submitted transcript.

Grade Requirements: PASS or CREDIT grades are only accepted for courses taken in Winter 2020 (during the Covid-19 pandemic) with a letter on university letterhead stating you achieved a B+/77% or higher. Grades below B+ will not be accepted.

Course Accreditation: Prerequisite courses must be completed at an accredited university. College courses transferred to a university transcript may be accepted with the following conditions:

• You will need to obtain a letter from your university (e.g. the Registrar’s Office) on university letterhead. This letter must state that the college courses you would like to use as prerequisites have been deemed equivalent to specific courses at your university. It should include the college course you took and the equivalent course code, name of the course, and units/credits of the course.
• At the time of application, the aforementioned letter will need to be uploaded with your ORPAS application as an additional document. Please note that we will not accept college courses without this letter submitted on ORPAS.
• We will reference your college transcript for the final grade.

Degree Granting College: If you’re completing a degree from a degree-granting college, the prerequisite courses must be part of your degree.

Application: Record all four prerequisite courses in the ORPAS module of your application, and provide a detailed course syllabus. Accurate entry of course codes, grades, and syllabus URL is crucial. Inaccuracies may lead to disqualification.

Note: Prerequisite courses accepted may vary each admission cycle. Review the approved course listings on our website annually.

Facilitated Indigenous Admissions Program (FIAP):

Applicants wishing to apply through the FIAP must:

• complete the Facilitated Admissions Self-Identification application
  • The deadline for submitting this application is the same as the ORPAS application deadline for the program.
• indicate you are applying through the FIAP in the ORPAS application

Facilitated Black Admissions Program (FBAP):

Applicants wishing to apply for the FBAP must:

• indicate you are applying through the FBAP in the ORPAS application
• complete the separate FBAP application if invited by the program
  • applicants will have the option to complete a personal statement (maximum 250 words)

For more information about these admissions streams, visit our Admission Stream webpage at: https://srs-pt.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/education/future-students/admissions/#tab-content-admission-streams

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 Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand.

If English is not your first language, an official copy of your TOEFL score (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic test report form is required by the ORPAS application due date. These test results must not be more than two years old at the time of the ORPAS application deadline.

TOEFL Requirements:

• A minimum score of 600 (written) or 250 (computer) or 92 (iBT) (reading-22, speaking-24, listening-24, writing-22) is required.
• The TOEFL score must be sent directly from the TOEFL Centre to McMaster University (McMaster code: 0936, Department code: 48).

IELTS (Academic) Requirements:

• A minimum overall score of 6.5, with at least 5.5 in each section.
• IELTS results must be sent directly from IELTS to McMaster University.

If you have an international degree or completed courses at an international institution (i.e.: 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
• Original transcripts sent by the originating institution(s) – see the ORPAS Transcript Requirements for assessment of international transcripts and exchange work.

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

Not required.

Not required.

Not required.

Entrance requirements are not required at the time of application. However, upon acceptance of an offer of admission, you must meet all conditions of the offer as well as entrance requirements to participate in the MSc (PT) Program. Failure to satisfy these requirements may result in removal from the program.

For more information about entrance requirements, visit our Entrance Requirements webpage at: https://srs-pt.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/education/future-students/admissions/#tab-content-entrance-requirements