Graduate Admissions

Admission to the MPH requires a competitive GPA, strong references, a good statement of intent, and clear evidence of both interest and involvement in public health. You do not need to have a confirmed senior supervisor before you apply to the MPH program.

We gauge interest and involvement based on your academic history, involvement in activities with a health focus, such as working with an NGO, studying/working/volunteering in a developing country, working for an international agency—particularly with a health focus—or volunteering with an organization in Canada that involves public health issues.

Other influencing factors include the quality and quantity of applications received and available seats. If you are a health practitioner or professional with substantial experience in health or a related field, we may also consider your career accomplishments.

MPH requirement list

Complete baccalaureate degree:

Must be the equivalent of SFU’s 4-year bachelor’s degree in any field, with a minimum of 3.33 (B+) based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework when you apply. We will also consider graduate coursework. Your degree can be in progress when you apply but all courses must be complete before the MPH program begins.

How to calculate your GPA

English language competency:

If English is not your primary language you must complete an English language competency examination—either IELTS or TOEFL.

For more information, refer to SFU Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies English language requirements and SFU Graduate General Regulation 1.3.12.

Proof of statistic course completion:

You must meet the statistics prerequisite and provide evidence of completion.

If you have not completed the prerequisite at the time of application but are recommended for admission, admission will be conditional on the successful completion of this prerequisite prior to the start of the program.

Courses that are accepted generally meet the following criteria:

• A course with the word "statistics" in the course title

• A course that covers at least three of the following five topics:

  • Descriptive statistics (means, proportion and standard deviation) and graphical methods (histogram and bar chart)

  • Estimation and 95% confidence intervals

  • Hypothesis testing and p-values

  • Correlation

  • Linear regression

We also recommend that you look into online introductory statistics courses, as these courses are often self-paced and have flexible start dates. Some options are:

• Thompson Rivers University: STAT 1201 (Introduction to Probability and Statistics)

• Athabasca University: MATH 215 (Introduction to Statistics)

If you already meet the statistics prerequisite but would like a refresher, we suggest the online module Introduction to Statistics. This module does not fulfill the prerequisite requirement—it is a suggested refresher only.

Applicants with international credentials

If you have credentials from an institution outside of Canada or the United States, you must submit a credential evaluation report from WES Canada (course-by-course report) or ICES (comprehensive report).

If you completed an exchange or study abroad through a Canadian or American university, you do not need to complete a credential evaluation report.

Credential reports take an average of 3–4 weeks (up to 20+ weeks for some countries) to come from WES or ICES. Start this process early to meet the application deadline.

Admission deferrals

To request a deferral, send your request by email with your reasons to the Manager, Graduate Programs.  Decisions about MPH deferrals are made on an individual basis by the Director of Professional Programs and Accreditation in their capacity of Chair of the MPH Admissions Committee after discussion with the Manager of Graduate Programs. It may take up to two weeks for a response to your request. Deferrals are granted sparingly with about 2-3 deferrals given each year. The Manager of Graduate Programs communicates deferral decisions to students by email. 

The following are grounds for a deferral being considered:

1)    Visa delays: when students have made complete and timely applications for Visas and these are been delayed either in their home countries or in Canada

2)    Personal circumstances: when students have to contend with serious health issues or other serious family matters

3)    Jobs: when students get short-term positions that hold exceptional promise for their future careers.  

The MSc program is competitive and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Other influencing factors include available seats, whether your educational and career interests complement the Faculty research strengths and any additional preparation for graduate study at the Master's level in Health Sciences.

MSc requirement list

Complete baccalaureate degree:

Must be the equivalent of SFU’s 4-year bachelor’s degree in any field, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) or a minimum of 3.33 (B+) based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework, when you apply. We will also consider graduate coursework. Your degree can be in progress when you apply but all courses must be complete before the MSc program begins. You will also need to submit evidence—usually references from qualified referees—of the your ability to undertake advanced work in the area of interest.

How to calculate your GPA

English language competency:

If English is not your primary language you must complete an English language competency examination—either IELTS or TOEFL.

For more information, refer to SFU Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies English language requirements and SFU Graduate General Regulation 1.3.12.

Confirmed supervision:

You’ll need to reach out to prospective supervisors and confirm their supervision prior to the application deadline. Applicants without a confirmed supervisor won’t be considered.

• See a full list of faculty members eligible to supervise student. 
• See which faculty members are actively recruiting MSc and PhD students.

To start a conversation with a supervisor, you must contact them with:

• Resume or CV

• Area of research interest

• Academic transcripts

In your application, explain how your educational, research and/or career experiences prepared you for your selected area of research and align with your supervisor’s research interests. You are required to describe the general area(s) of research interest, but a full research proposal is not required.

The PhD program is competitive and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Other influencing factors include available seats, whether your educational and career interests complement the Faculty research strengths, and any additional preparation for study at the doctoral level in Health Sciences.

PhD requirement list

Complete master's degree:

To apply you must have either:

• The equivalent of SFU’s masters degree, with a minimum CGPA point average of 3.5

• A bachelor's degree, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or a minimum of 3.67 (A-) based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. We will also consider graduate coursework. Individual graduate programs may set a higher admission grade point average. To be admitted directly from a bachelor's degree you must complete at least 50% of the coursework units required for the relevant department’s master’s program if no coursework is required as part of the doctoral degree.

• If transferring from the FHS MSc program: Completed at least 75% of the coursework units required for the master’s program, with a CGPA of at least 3.5. All graduate courses—whether completed at SFU or at an equivalent post-secondary institution—will be considered in the calculation. To be admitted under this category (transferred to PhD) you must have completed all of these requirements and initiated the transfer request within the first 6 semesters at SFU. As per graduate general regulation (GGR) 1.12.3, if you transfer to the PhD program during your 6th term of your MSc, you will transfer directly to the 6th term of your PhD.

Your degree can be in progress when you apply but all courses must be complete before the PhD program begins.

You will also need to submit evidence—usually references from qualified referees—of the your ability to undertake advanced work in the area of interest.

How to calculate your GPA

English language competency:

If English is not your primary language you must complete an English language competency examination—either IELTS or TOEFL.

For more information, refer to SFU Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies English language requirements and SFU Graduate General Regulation 1.3.12.

Confirmed supervision:

You’ll need to reach out to prospective supervisors and confirm their supervision prior to the application deadline. Applicants without a confirmed supervisor won’t be considered. See which faculty members are actively recruiting MSc and PhD students.

To start a conversation with a supervisor, you must contact them with:

• Resume or CV

• Area of research interest

• Academic transcripts

In your application, explain how your educational, research and/or career experiences prepared you for your selected area of research and align with your supervisor’s research interests. You are required to describe the general area(s) of research interest, but a full research proposal is not required.

Yes. All students are required to have medical insurance. Health services in Canada can be very expensive if you don’t have complete medical coverage. There are two levels of medical insurance coverage in Canada: primary and secondary medical insurance. Together, these plans work to help you avoid unexpected health costs. For more information, please visit SFU’s comprehensive medical insurance website.

SFU Graduate and Postoctoral Studies office for international graduate students is the most comprehensive resource for international applicants and students.  

The International Services for Students office provides support and services for all students seeking information regarding a variety of international learning opportunities.

International student advisors can help you with the following:

• Study permit and temporary resident (entry) visas

• On-campus employment regulations

• Social insurance numbers (SIN)

• Co-op, post-graduation, and off-campus work permits

• Visitor visas and work permits for spouses/common-law partners

• Health insurance and the Canadian medical system

• US visitor visas

• Personal, cultural and academic transition

• Any other non-academic questions or concerns

You can visit the office in person, call 778-782-4232, or send an email to intl_advising@sfu.ca. The pre-arrival guide and welcome guides may also help you prepare for your studies at SFU.

Yes. International students with valid study permits can obtain employment. There are various employment options available. However, a Social Insurance Number (SIN) is required. Eligible students may apply for an SIN at a Service Canada office. If approved for a teaching assistantship or research assistantship, students will require a letter from us confirming information required by Service Canada. Contact the graduate program to request this information.

Yes. SFU Residence and Housing manage all student residences on campus. Residences include dormitories, family apartments, townhouses, towers, and a dining facility.

Off Campus Housing Services is a free service that helps SFU students who prefer to live off campus. SFU students seeking housing can review a variety of types of property, post a personal profile and search for potential roommates. Information is reviewed and posted daily, so you know your housing information is always up-to-date.

No. From SFU, students can access the city of Vancouver, North Burnaby, Coquitlam and New Westminster using public and rapid transit (Bus and Skytrain). To help keep student transportation costs to a minimum, SFU has a U-PASS program that gives you access to area transit facilities: you can enroll with your name, photo, and an indication of your enrollment status. The program is available to all eligible SFU students and provides unlimited, all zone access to public transit in Metro Vancouver (the GVRD), including unlimited access to TransLink Bus (including Community Shuttles and West Vancouver Blue Buses), SkyTrain and SeaBus services (all zones), and discounts on West Coast Express Train fares.

The SFU Library is dedicated to providing access to collections, services and facilities in support of the teaching, learning and research goals of the SFU community.

Graduate students also receive additional support from from the library with dedicated space and programs to support you throughout your degree. More information can be found  on our current students page.

There are a limited number of offices in the Bennett Library that are available to graduate students on a semesterly basis. Offices are awarded to applicants through the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies (Maggie Benston, Room 1132. 778.782.6568).

Learn more about the SFU Library services here.