How to apply

The information below will help you prepare for the MSc(OT) application process.

**It is unlawful to provide false claims in your application to the MSc(OT) program. By applying, you certify that the details provided in your application are truthful and accurate to the best of your knowledge.

MUST HAVES FOR ADMISSIONS
Applicants must hold a four-year bachelor’s degree (120 credits hours) or equivalent in any field of study from a recognized academic institution.
The School of Occupational Therapy invites applicants from various academic backgrounds to apply for the MSc(OT) program.  Completion of prerequisite courses in Human Anatomy and Social Science is required.

The GPA required for admission is calculated based on the last 60 credit hours of the undergraduate degree.  The minimum GPA is 3.0 (on a 4.3 scale), or letter grade of B.

PREREQUISITE COURSES
Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in each of the two pre-requisite courses.

1. Human Anatomy:  3 credit hours in human/vertebrate anatomy. The three-credit hour human anatomy prerequisite course should enable the student to explain and describe, at a basic level, the gross anatomy and histology of the human body. Content topics of the course should include study of the following: development, cells, tissues, skeletal, muscular, integument, nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, renal and reproductive systems. Equivalent to Dalhousie University’s ANAT 1010.03.
2. The Social Science pre-requisite: 3 credit hours in social science (including anthropology, sociology, human geography, Indigenous studies, gender studies, psychology, occupational science, linguistics, archaeology, economics, management science, communication science, political science, history, international development, environmental studies, Canadian studies).

Note: For applicants completing prerequisite courses at the time of application, one copy of their official in-progress transcript must be received by January 31 and one copy of their final official transcript must be received by June 15. This final transcript must include final grades and the awarded degree. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The School of Occupational Therapy (SOT) must receive the following:

• MSc(OT) Supplementary form completed by January 31.
• One official transcript from all post-secondary institutions previously attended (including in-progress courses) emailed to otadmissions@dal.ca. Deadline: January 31.
  
• Proof of registration in outstanding prerequisite courses. This can be done by submitting the official in-progress transcript to otadmissions@dal.ca. Deadline: January 31.
• For all applicants with courses in progress at the time of application, one copy of their official in-progress transcript must be received by January 31 and one copy of their final official transcript must be received by June 15. The final transcript must include final grades for all degrees and prerequisite requirements and the awarded degree.  If final transcripts are not received by June 15, the application will be considered incomplete, and the applicant will be ineligible for admission.
  
• 2 Academic Confidential Reference Letters*. Deadline: January 31.
  If applicable: English Language Competency test results. Please refer to ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY for more information. Deadline: January 31.
  

*2 letters of reference are required for admission into a graduate degree. These letters are normally required to be from academics familiar with your work but may be replace with relevant professional references. Professional references can be submitted according to the following schedule:

1. For applicants who completed their undergraduate (or related graduate) degree within the past 3 years: 2 academic references.
   
2. For applicants who completed their undergraduate (or related graduate) degree 3 to 5 years ago: a) 1 academic reference and 1 relevant professional reference, or b) 2 academic references.
   
3. For applicants who completed their undergraduate (or related graduate) degree more than 5 years ago: a) 2 relevant professional references, or b) 1 academic reference and 1 relevant professional reference, or c) 2 academic references. 

Reference letters are submitted through the electronic reference system (e-reference) in the online application. Dalhousie University will only accept university, teaching hospital, and government email addresses (i.e. not personal email addresses, such as Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail or business addresses).

If your academic or professional referees are unable to use the online e-reference system, please email otadmissions@dal.ca for instructions on submitting their references.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
English is the language of study at Dalhousie University; therefore, all applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate their capacity to pursue a graduate-level program in English before admission. Dalhousie University accepts several different English proficiency test scores:

STEP 1 - Complete the Dalhousie University Admissions Application and pay the application fee. Deadline: December 1.

• Have the email addresses of your referees ready to include when completing the application form. Dalhousie University will only accept university, teaching hospital, and government email addresses (i.e., not personal email addresses, such as Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, or business addresses). Please allow 5 business days for your referee(s) to be contacted by our system. If you made an error in the submission of an email address, please contact eref@dal.ca.
• If your academic or professional referees are unable to use the online e-reference system, please email otadmissions@dal.ca for instructions on submitting their references.

STEP 2 – Complete the MSc(OT) Supplementary Application form. Deadline: January 31.

STEP 3 – Email transcripts from all post-secondary institutions previously attended directly from the Registrar of your home institution to otadmissions@dal.ca .  Deadline: January 31.

• A transcript is considered official when it is received directly from the issuing institution.
  
• Official transcripts must include all courses, including in-progress courses.
  
• One copy of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions previously attended must be received by January 31.
  
• For all applicants with courses in progress at the time of application, one copy of their official in-progress transcript must be received by January 31 and one copy of their final official transcript must be received by June 15. The final transcript must include final grades for all degrees and pre-requisite requirements and the awarded degree.  If final transcripts are not received by June 15, the application will be considered incomplete, and the applicant will be ineligible for admission.
  
• Electronic file-transfers from the issuing institution and from services such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, eScript-Safe, TranscriptsNetwork or MyCreds are accepted. Electronic transcripts are to be sent to otadmissions@dal.ca.
  
• While official e-copies of your transcripts are preferred, official paper copies can be mailed to:  

STEP 4 - Include only if applicable – Email English Competency Test result to otadmissions@dal.ca. Deadline: January 31.  

In most years we receive many more qualified applications than available seats in the program, making admission into the MSc(OT) program very competitive, and meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. If you were not offered a seat in the program and would like to re-apply for the next admission cycle, virtual consultation sessions will be available throughout the Fall to support you with your reapplication.

Please note, meeting times are limited and are booked on a first-come basis. Please contact otadmissions@dal.ca for more information.