FAQs - Admissions
UTIAS offers three graduate degrees, one professional and two research:
Master of Engineering (MEng): This degree is a course-based professional master’s degree program. Students take ten courses (one of which may be a project) over one to three years depending upon the program option selected. This is considered to be excellent preparation for work in the aerospace industry.
Master of Applied Science (MASc): This is a research degree based upon four courses and a thesis. The standard length of time of study for the MASc is twenty months most of which involves the production of the thesis. The MASc is considered preparation for further graduate studies or a research and development position in industry.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): The PhD is the pinnacle of research-based degrees in the Canadian university system. It is based primarily on the completion of a major thesis containing original scientific discovery produced over four years. The PhD is excellent preparation for a position in academia or a senior position in research in industry.
Research at UTIAS is the production of original scientific knowledge through experiment, computation or analysis. This knowledge will be recorded in a document called a thesis, produced by a research student, and which forms a crucial part of the degree requirements.
Students undertaking research projects leading to research degrees must be highly motivated and self-directed, and have a strong curiosity about and desire to understand the subject of their research. Research students learn to be independent and to move a research project forward based on their own knowledge, experience and judgment.
What is supervision and how does it work?
Supervision is the process whereby a faculty member takes primary responsibility for assisting a student to learn the craft of research and proceed successfully to attain the degree. Every research student must have a supervisor to be admitted to UTIAS.
Styles of supervision vary considerably between professors, and can change during the course of a particular student’s research program. For example, regular meetings may be necessary early in a student’s research career, but the student may be more independent, requiring fewer meetings, at a later stage.
The School of Graduate Studies provides the supervision guidelines, and describes the roles of both the student and the supervisor.
My degree has not yet been awarded. May I still apply?
Yes. If your degree has not been conferred at the time of application and you are accepted into the program, your acceptance would be conditional upon submission of a final transcript to confirm your final year average and that your degree has been conferred.
Under what conditions do I need to take a test of English proficiency?
Applicants to UTIAS must provide evidence of English proficiency unless, prior to starting their studies at UTIAS, they have completed a degree program from a university in one of the following countries:
Canada, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Ghana, Guyana, Hong Kong*, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa**, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
* Applicants from the Chinese University of Hong Kong are required to provide proof of English proficiency.
** Some applicants from South Africa may be required to provide proof of English proficiency as not all universities teach in English.
An institution’s language of instruction will not be accepted as proof of English language proficiency. English language proficiency scores must not be older than two years at the time of application. Most commonly, applicants present TOEFL or IELTS scores as evidence of English language proficiency. Other tests are also allowed; see School of Graduate Studies for other options.
No. The medium of instruction in a university from a country not listed above is insufficient to demonstrate English proficiency.
The minimum scores for the two most common tests of English proficiency are:
TOEFL: Minimum total 93, both writing and speaking must be at least 22.
IELTS: Minimum overall score of 7.0, with at least 6.5 for each of the four components.
If your test of English proficiency does not meet these requirements, you will have to retake the test until it does meet the requirements before you can register in the program.
Please see further details in English Language Proficiency Testing.
No.
How do I submit my official transcripts?
You are not required to submit official (paper) transcripts until it is requested by the graduate office. The review process will take place using your scanned/electronic transcripts. You will be contacted with instructions if you are required to submit official (paper) transcripts.
I have sent in my transcripts, ELP scores, etc; have you received them? My SGS application still says "documents pending".
Due to the volume of documents received we cannot confirm receipt of transcripts or English proficiency scores on the SGS system. The UTIAS Graduate Office will contact applicants regarding missing documents if necessary.
Please do not email the SGS Admissions office for updates on your application.
Can I get admission in January or May?
The large majority of admissions occur in September. It is rare for research positions to be open in January or May. In the uncommon circumstance that a research position is open in January, the professor funding the position must contact the Graduate Office to request that a particular student be able to apply for a January start.
In this case, the professor should already have determined that they wish to accept a specific student in January. Some students who are admitted for a September start may elect, with the support of their supervising professor, to begin their studies in May.