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Students must meet the following requirements:

1. Admission to the Master of Science program requires that a candidate have a designated supervisor before submitting their application.

   To do so, please consult the list of our research professors here: profiles of our research professors by field or download this summary in PDF here:  les profils de nos professeurs chercheurs par domaine ou télécharger cette synthèse en pdf, and contact them to obtain their agreement to supervise your research and thesis writing.W e recommend reviewing the research profiles and targeting individuals whose areas of expertise align with your project. Then, send them a professional email in which you:

   • briefly introduce yourself,

   • explain your research intentions,

   • attach your letter of intent, your updated CV,

   • indicate what particularly interested you in their profile,

   • and, if possible, request a meeting (virtual or in person) to discuss your project in more detail.

   If you are unable to find a supervisor, an alternative could be the establishment of a supervisory committee with the help of the Graduate Studies Office at Campus Saint-Jean. This committee, composed of professors with varied expertise, would guide the student on aspects such as the quality of the work, research direction, and progress monitoring. However, this option is limited to projects that do not require laboratory experimentation or specific funding, in order to respect available resource constraints. If you wish to consider this second option, please inform the Graduate Studies Office at csjsup@ualberta.ca of the professors you have contacted already without receiving a response.

   2. Admission requires holding a recognized undergraduate degree by the 51ÁÔÆæ, with a minimum admission GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale, calculated over the last 60 credits of university coursework.
   This calculation is performed by the specialized AGPA evaluation team only once the application has been submitted.

   Applications with a GPA below 3.0 will not be considered, and an email will be sent to the affected applicants after their file has been evaluated.

   3. An electronic copy of all official post-secondary transcripts must be provided, with a print date less than one year old for transcripts from studies completed in Canada only. A recent print date is not required for international transcripts.

   Please do not include in your application:

   • High school education 

   • Non-credit post-secondary studies or courses taken out of personal interest

   • Professional development or training

   • Professional designations

   • Continuing education courses

   4. An electronic copy of your post-secondary diplomas obtained

   5. Two references

   6. An updated CV

   7. A letter of intent (or motivation letter), one page, explaining why you wish to pursue a master’s degree.

   8. A research proposal: a letter specifying the research orientation you intend to pursue during your master’s, including the themes or topics you plan to explore.

   9. A sample of a writing or research work you have completed in the past, between 5 and 15 pages maximum.

   10. Candidates must have adequate French language proficiency;
   Please note that for students who do not have a prior university degree completed in French, we require the following document:

   A TEF (Test d’Évaluation de Français) showing a French level of C1, or a French language diploma/certificate with the score to be included when applying.

   Students applying to a program offered at Campus Saint-Jean are not required to take an English test nor to translate their documents into English for their application. If all documents are in French, an English translation is not necessary.

   For more details, please contact csjsup@ualberta.ca.

The program includes two compulsory courses (*6), as well as the preparation and successful defence of a thesis (*12). Students must also complete an ethics course and eight hours of professional development within the first twelve months of study.

Two compulsory courses:

MSFSJ 500 - Introduction to Scientific Research

This course provides an introduction to research methods specific to scientific disciplines. Topics include philosophy of science, scientific method, hypothesis-driven research, statistical analysis, literature search and review, developing a research plan, developing a research budget, presenting and communicating research, and best practices in experimental, theoretical and computational research.

MSFSJ 505 - Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis in Scientific Research

This course introduces experimental design and data analysis methods commonly used in scientific research, including correlation, regression, and analysis of variance. The main focus is on the analysis of variance designs and their application. Topics include design concepts, linear model representations, hypothesis testing and interpretation of results. A major part of the course examines the statistical methodology and assumptions underlying each empirical design. Fixed effects, random effects and mixed models will also be discussed, as well as sampling, size effects, power, and the analysis of differences between means using planned and post-hoc comparisons. In order to master these techniques, students will be required to carry out weekly practical work in the library using statistical software.

Optional courses

At the discretion of the supervisor, additional elective courses (4 courses) may be required during the programme of study to assist with the writing of the thesis.
MSFSJ 509: Directed Studies (1 to 1 with the supervisor) may be part of the elective courses.

Thesis

Students must successfully defend their thesis.

The program is spread over 2 to 4 years, depending on the student's pace.

The maximum time required to complete the Interdisciplinary Master of Science thesis route, as established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, is four years.