Applicants should have completed:

• A four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited university by the time of entry in September. The Graduate Diploma in Community and Public Health program accepts students from a variety of academic backgrounds (e.g. science, social science, business, etc.). There is no restriction on the subject matter of the undergraduate degree. Approved professional degrees are also accepted (e.g. Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Nutrition, Rehabilitation Sciences, Pharmacy or Social Work – BSW or MSW).
• A B+ or higher GPA in the final 10 senior courses (300 & 400 level). Due to changes in grading during the COVID-19 pandemic, some changes may be made to the grade calculations for 2021 to account for pass/fail courses that may be listed on transcripts.
• An undergraduate course in Mathematics is strongly recommended to ensure appropriate quantitative ability for the epidemiology and quantitative courses. This includes courses with the following in their titles: statistics, probability, data analysis, quantitative methods, mathematics, calculus or algebra.We encourage all applicants to upload the relevant course syllabus with your application to demonstrate the completion of this course.

A personal/professional resume (submitted online with the application).

• Transcripts should be provided for ALL post-secondary education: Please upload scanned legible copies of your transcripts as attachments with your application. Transcripts must show a breakdown of grades achieved in all courses studied.
• If your application is recommended for admission to the program, you MUST provide original (hard copy) transcript(s) of academic work completed to date at ALL post-secondary institutions attended, sent directly from the issuing institution(s).
• If the final transcript does not show that a completed degree has been conferred, an official copy of your diploma is also required.
• Please note, non-English transcripts must be translated and notarized. Original paper copies of translations must be provided along with original paper copies of the official transcripts.
• Documents sent to support an application cannot be returned.

Hints for scanning your transcripts

• If your transcripts are double-sided, and/or have shaded areas, please place a white sheet of paper on the side not being scanned. This should create a much clearer scan.
• Check your scanned file for clarity before uploading to your application!

Two confidential academic letters of recommendation from instructors or research supervisors most familiar with your academic work are required. Only two references will be accepted. If you upload more than two, the additional references will be discounted and will not be reviewed. An appropriate academic referee is someone who has a university faculty appointment, including any rank of professor or instructor, but not a teaching assistant (TA). The referee must clearly indicate their academic appointment status in the reference (e.g. Associate Professor, Professor, etc.). Referees should be able to speak to the candidate’s:

• academic suitability for the GDCPH program
• plans to make use of the diploma after graduation
• fit with the GDCPH program in terms of interest, self-direction and team work
• relevant academic skills (e.g. communication – written and verbal, quantitative skills)

If you have been out of school for at least three years:

• One reference must be academic in nature from a professor/instructor as outlined above (this can include continuing education). The referee must clearly indicate their academic appointment status in their reference (e.g. Associate Professor, Professor, etc.)
• The second referee may be a work supervisor (someone who monitors your performance) who can also speak to your academic
• Recommendations must be provided directly from the referee through the application portal, using their institutional/work email accounts whenever possible

An original written Statement of Interest must be included (maximum 750 words). This should provide the reviewers with an understanding of the following:

• How previous academic and professional work, as well as life experiences, have shaped your decision to pursue training in community and public health.
• How you anticipate on applying the skills and knowledge gained through this program to help your career.
• If possible, describe a community health or population health issue that you would like to develop a program and evaluation plan for. Information provided will help the instructor of PUBHLTH 720 – Planning and Evaluation for Population and Community Health – with course planning.

If you have not completed your previous studies in English, a copy of your TOEFL score or IELTS test report form is required. A minimum TOEFL (iBT) score of 92 (580 on the paper-based TOEFL test or 237 on the computer-based TOEFL test) or a minimum overall IELTS score of 6.5 is needed for the Faculty of Health Sciences (with at least 5.5 in each section). Students who have completed a post-secondary degree from a university/program where the language of instruction is English are not required to provide a TOEFL or IELTS score. Your transcript must state that the medium of instruction was English, otherwise you must supply a letter from the issuing institution on official letterhead stating that the medium of instruction for your degree program was English.

Update

If you cannot take one of the pre-approved English proficiency tests (TOEFL or IELTS) because testing centres have been closed due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, the GDCPH program has temporarily approved the use of the Duolingo English Test. Duolingo will be accepted until further notice. The overall minimum Duolingo English Test score that will be accepted is 115.

The Graduate Diploma in Community and Public Health (GDCPH) program strives to admit students from a broad range of academic and personal backgrounds while valuing diversity and inclusiveness. To best represent our population we welcome applications from Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) learners via our Facilitated Indigenous Admissions Program (FIAP). All applications received through the FIAP are reviewed exclusive of the general applicant pool. Applicants who wish to be considered under the Indigenous application process must submit the Self-Identification Application in addition to their application to the GDCPH program. Applications to the Self-Identification Application can be submitted to the Indigenous Health Learning Lodge.  One self-identification application is used for all Faculty of Health Sciences programs that have a facilitated Indigenous admissions stream. The Self-identification Application must be completed by whatever the earliest deadline date is for the programs for which you have applied to.