How to apply
Be part of a community of learning
Application to the Graduate Liberal Studies (GLS) program is competitive. Enrolment is limited to up to 20 students per year. Not all applicants will be interviewed and not all those interviewed will be admitted.
To apply for to the GLS program online, please visit the Graduate Studies website.
Please ensure you have completed the application requirements below.
Overview of application requirements
Application to the Graduate Liberal Studies (GLS) program requires the following:
- Complete the online application form
- Pay the application fee of $90
- Upload the following by the application deadline:
- Essay
- Sample of work
- Official transcript(s) of all post-secondary education
- Three letters of recommendation
Soon after the application deadline, we may contact the candidate to schedule an interview. We will make every effort to notify applicants of their status by the end of May.
Requirement details
Application essay
The essay should be three to four pages and should address the following questions:
- Why have you decided to pursue graduate study in an interdisciplinary program?
- How can the liberal studies program further your personal and/or professional goals?
- What special abilities, personal qualities and life experiences do you bring to the program?
Sample of work
Applicants are asked to upload an additional sample of written work to support their application. This can be a course paper, an article or a journal entry.
Official transcript(s)
We require official transcript(s) of all post-secondary education (except coursework done at SFU). Transcripts must be sent directly from their institutions, not by the applicant. Please order electronic versions and have them forwarded directly online to the Office of Graduate Studies SFU by email at gradap@sfu.ca.
Letters of recommendation
We require three letters of recommendation, which must be uploaded by the writer and not by the applicant. Recommendations should be from individuals familiar with the applicant’s intellectual interests and abilities.
There is no specially required form or format for these letters. On your online application, you will find links that you may send to your references so that they can upload their letters directly on the application website.