3. Admission Requirements for Graduate Programs

3.1 Admission Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate Studies sets the minimum admission standards that are required for entry into graduate programs. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to graduate studies. Individual academic units may require additional qualifications of candidates, and enrollment limitations usually mean that successful applicants possess qualifications that considerably exceed minimum requirements. The Faculty of Graduate Studies reserves the right to reject applications from candidates who meet or exceed the minimum admission requirements. Final decisions on all admissions are made by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and there are no appeals on admission decisions.

In all cases, candidates for admission must possess degrees that the Faculty of Graduate Studies deems to be equivalent to those granted by Dalhousie University and that have been granted by institutions that are recognized by Dalhousie.

3.2 Master’s Degree Programs

Candidates for admission must hold at least a four-year Bachelor’s degree with a minimum B average in the last 60 credit hours from a university recognized by Dalhousie, with the following conditions listed below. Please note the successful completion of an undergraduate degree does not guarantee admission to a Master’s program.

1. For entry into a Master’s program with a thesis requirement, candidates must hold a four-year Bachelor’s degree with an honours or the equivalent of honours standing as granted by Dalhousie University in the area in which graduate work is to be done or an area that is relevant to the graduate work. A four-year Bachelor’s degree may be considered equivalent to honours if there is evidence of independent research capacity (such as a research project as part of a course) or if the degree is officially approved as an honours equivalent.
2. Dalhousie University recognizes some three-year degrees from select universities from Bologna-signatory countries as equivalent to a four-year honours degree but makes decisions in this regard on a case-by-case basis. To be considered for admission, such an applicant must also meet the following criteria: (1) evidence of senior matriculation at the high school level (e.g., A-level exams in Britain, the baccalaureate in France, Abitur in Germany); (2) a university program of study with completion of 180 to 240 ECTS; (3) an ECTS-based average of B or better; and (4) evidence of independent research capacity (e.g., senior paper or thesis).
3. Dalhousie University recognizes some three-year degrees from select Canadian universities where a student has taken a two-year Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel, or “General and Vocational College” CEGEP before entering university.
4. For entry into all other programs, candidates must hold a four-year Bachelor’s degree with at least four courses, or their equivalent, taken at a senior undergraduate level in the area that graduate work is to be done or an area that is relevant to the graduate work. Candidates must achieve an average of at least a B in those four courses, as well as the overall B average in the last 60 credit hours for their degree.
5. A small number of mid-career professional Master's degrees (see Section 7.4.3) may admit candidates either with or without a Bachelor's degree, depending on the qualifications of the applicant. Admission to such programs, as with all graduate programs, is at the discretion of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

3.3 Doctoral Degree Programs

The criteria for admission to Doctoral programs are more rigorous than for Master’s programs. The successful completion of a Master’s degree does not guarantee admission to a PhD program. Only those with demonstrated ability to perform research at an advanced level will be considered for admission.

Candidates for admission into a Doctoral program must hold a Master's degree with a thesis, or its equivalent, with a minimum grade point average 3.0 (B average) in the last 60 credit hours of study from a recognized university. The following additional conditions listed below may also apply. Please note the successful completion of a Master's degree does not guarantee admission to a Doctoral program.

1. In exceptional circumstances, candidates may hold a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with a first-class (e.g., a minimum of an A- average) honours standing (including a thesis) for entry into a Doctoral program. Applications for direct entry to a PhD will be considered for admissions on a case-by-case basis. Candidates are normally expected to provide evidence of independent research capacity (e.g., a major research paper, presentations at scholarly conferences, peer-reviewed publications).
2. Candidates with a first-class (e.g., a minimum of an A- average) non-thesis Master’s degree may be considered for admission to a PhD on a case-by-case basis where evidence of independent research capacity can be clearly demonstrated (e.g., a major research paper, presentations at scholarly conferences, peer-reviewed publications). Such candidates may also be admitted into a Master’s program with the possibility of transferring to the Doctoral program as described below.

3.3.1 Transferring from a Master’s to a PhD Program

Some academic units will admit a Bachelor’s graduate with a first-class honours degree into the Master’s program and, at a later point, recommend them for transfer to the Doctoral program. Also, in exceptional circumstances, a student with a non-thesis Master’s degree of first-class standing (average course grade of A- or better) may be admitted into a thesis Master’s program with the possibility of transferring into a PhD on the basis of outstanding academic and research potential. Students who wish to transfer from a Master’s to a Doctoral program should do so within the first five terms of initial registration. Such requests must be made before the term in which the transfer is to take effect. Given that the work conducted during a Master’s program will contribute to a student's Doctoral studies, the start date of the PhD program is considered to be the start date for admission to the Master’s program. Please note that this has implications for degree completion time (see Section 7).

3.4 English Language Competency

English is the language of study at Dalhousie; therefore, all applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate their capacity to pursue a graduate-level program in English before admission (see chart below). The language competency test may be waived if the applicant has completed a degree at a recognized university where the language of instruction is English and in a country where English is one the national languages. The claims may be verified by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Test scores are valid for two years from the date the test was written.

Dalhousie accepts a number of English proficiency test scores:

Assessment	Minimum Acceptable Score
TOEFL* (Academic iBT) (in-person, online and at-home edition)	92**
MET	C1-level and 4-skills test required 64 (with no skills area below 53)
IELTS (Academic) (in-person, online and at-home edition)	7
CAEL (in-person and online)	70 (with no band score lower than 60)
English for Academic Purposes Level 2	A-
Pearson English Test PTE Academic	overall score of 65 and nothing below 54

*The Dalhousie code is 0915 (undergraduate) for the TOEFL test.
**My Best Scores not accepted.  

Please note there are a number of programs that require higher test scores.

3.5 Conditional Admissions

Some admissions may be contingent on certain conditions. If a conditional admission is approved, the condition must be met within the period of time specified in the admissions offer. If the condition is not met by the stated deadline, the student's admission will be rescinded.

Conditions on admission cannot subsequently be waived.

3.6 Exceptional Admissions

The Faculty of Graduate Studies will consider exceptional admission requests when requested by the graduate program. Please contact the program directly if you wish to enquire about exceptional admission procedures. Not all programs support exceptional admission requests.

3.7 Graduate Examination

Some academic units require GRE or GMAT scores of applicants as a criterion for program admission. Check academic unit listings in this calendar for information on specific program admission requirements.

3.8 Students Requiring Accommodation

See Student Accommodation Policy in the University Regulations section of this calendar for detailed information.