Admission Requirements
Candidates must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Students seeking admission to any of the master's programs should have earned an excellent record during four years of undergraduate study. Candidates for the Master of Science in Kinesiology must have an honours or honours equivalent degree which includes the completion of an independent research project. Candidates for the Master of Arts in Health Promotion must have a sufficient background in health promotion with at least 24 credit hours in health promotion or health-related courses. Candidates for the Master of Arts in Leisure Studies must have a sufficient background in recreation, leisure studies, or a related field. An honours or honours equivalent degree is recommended for candidates for the Master of Arts in Health Promotion or Leisure Studies. Although Dalhousie’s minimum GPA requirement is a 3.0 GPA (B), the School of Health and Human Performance requires a 3.5.
Qualifying work may be required of applicants whose background for advanced studies in Health Promotion, Kinesiology, or Leisure Studies is judged deficient.
The application deadline is January 15, however applications received as late as June 1 will be considered pending space availability.
General Program Requirements
Please refer to each program area section for specific requirements.
Students may take a maximum of six credit hours of ancillary courses above and beyond the required program of study.
Elective courses can be taken from within or outside the School. All courses must be approved by the student’s advisor/Graduate Coordinator.
The thesis topic will be determined by the student in consultation with the thesis supervisor. A thesis proposal must be approved by the candidate’s thesis supervisory committee, which consists of at least three members (at least two of whom are members of the School’s graduate faculty), before the thesis research may be undertaken.
Once the proposal has been approved by the thesis supervisory committee, it shall be submitted to either the Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Board or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Ethics Board for consideration. Only after approval has been received from both the thesis supervisory committee and the ethics committee, may the student proceed with data collection.
The thesis examination committee is responsible for approving the completed thesis after a final oral presentation by the student covering the nature and findings of the research. This committee is made up of the supervisory committee plus an external examiner approved by the Graduate Coordinator.
The School holds research-oriented seminars during the academic year. Students are expected to attend and participate in these seminars as discussants and presenters.
Equitable Admissions Policy
The School of Health and Human Performance has an Equitable Admissions Policy intended to create opportunities to increase the support, admission, and graduation of students who self-identify as belonging to historically underrepresented groups: Persons of Aboriginal/Indigenous ancestry (especially Mi'kmaq), members of racialized groups, persons of African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), Acadians, persons with (dis)Abilities, and persons belonging to minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity (SOGI) groups. We encourage applicants to self-identify and indicate which of the target groups applies to them on the Additional Information Form (Note: self-identification is optional).