Admission requirements are as follows:
- Applicants to our graduate programs should have a Honours Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in geology with no less than a 75% (B) standing. Outstanding students in other fields will also be accepted, but will have to take extra courses to strengthen their background preparation.
- Three letters of reference, at least two of which must be from academic sources
- an official transcript showing the awarding of the previous degree
- If applicable, a score of at least 570 minimum overall average on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and 4.0 on the TWE is required. A score of at least 230 is required on the computer version of the TOEFL. Other tests of English may be accepted. (See Academic Regulations - English Language Proficiency Certification, for other acceptable tests of English.)
- GRE scores for all applicants who have completed their post-secondary education outside of Canada or the United States.
Students who do not meet the requirements outlined above may be considered for admission to a transitional, probationary or qualifying program depending on their academic background. For more information see the Graduate Studies Calendar - Academic Regulations - Categories of Admission to the Master's Program).
There is no specific deadline to the Master's program; however, the student should apply well in advance of the term in which they propose to start graduate studies.
Students can obtain an MSc degree by following a thesis option or a master's research paper option.
The thesis option requires completion of at least 4 one-term required courses (0.5 unit weight each) and the preparation and successful defense of a thesis.
In the master's research paper option, eight one-term (0.5 unit weight) courses must be completed satisfactorily, as well as a written report on a research project that is narrower in scope than a thesis and that entails a lesser time commitment than a thesis.
The student has the responsibility of choosing the option that he or she will follow. The thesis option provides an opportunity for the student to acquire a greater degree of research experience, whereas the research paper option provides an opportunity for the student to acquire a broader formal background in his or her chosen area of specialization through training in a larger number of courses.
Students in both the thesis option and the research paper option are required to take a minimum number of credit courses as partial fulfillment of the MSc degree requirements. In addition to these courses, the student may also be required to take additional courses at the undergraduate level as prerequisites for the credit courses.