FAQs

Full-time students typically take one or two courses per term and must be registered in a course each term during their first year. It is anticipated that the program will take 2 years to complete full-time. See FGS regulations regarding maximum time allowed to complete.

It is anticipated that full-time students will pay the 1 year program fee in the first year while taking courses and then pay continuing fees in the second year while completing their thesis or remaining courses. See FGS for tuition and fee structures and Money Matters for additional information.

Part-time students typically take one course per term and must be registered in a course each term. It is anticipated that the program will take 3-4 years to complete part-time. See FGS regulations regarding maximum time allowed to complete.

Part-time students are required to pay the equivalent full-time program fee over 9 terms after which they will transition to continuing fees.  Part-time students who compete their requirements early will be required to cover any remaining balance. See FGS for tuition and fee structures and Money Matters for additional information.

Admissions requirements for doctoral programs vary. Please direct your questions to the doctoral program of interest.

We are looking for applicants who demonstrate a combination of academic excellence, leadership experiences, and the ability to work independently, as well as referee recommendations and scholarly interests that articulate a fit with the interdisciplinary field of occupational science. These will be assessed by reviewing the student’s letter of intent, CV and referee comments. Student success in our program is enhanced by:

• Ability to work independently, especially being self-directed, self-motivated, and able to set and achieve timelines
• Intellectual curiosity
• Academic skills, such as accessing trustworthy information, independent writing, and the ability to support a perspective
• Ability to articulate fit with an online interdisciplinary occupational science graduate program

Up to one relevant transfer credit elective may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students are not permitted to complete any credit hours outside Dalhousie.

Yes, if you meet the Graduate Studies criteria and have permission from the School of OT’s MScOS Program Coordinator.  If you later decide to enter the OS program, only up to 3 credits can be transferred into the program and this will not alter the program start date or program fee.

There is no required residency for these programs, although some supervisors may request residency, when appropriate. 

All full-time and part-time MScOS students are required to participate in an online orientation in August, which involves approximately 10-15 hours to be completed asynchronously and includes some due dates and synchronous check-ins.

Thesis supervision or co-supervision is provided by faculty members associated with the School of Occupational Therapy. Feel free to email faculty members who you feel align with your research interests. See MScOS Faculty.

Refer to www.dalgrad.dal.ca/funding for information regarding awards, scholarships and bursaries for the MScOS program. Students who are seeking scholarship support for the thesis-based stream are encouraged to explore funding opportunities through the Faculty of Graduate Studies.  Most scholarship applications are due in early December.

Explore the Journal of Occupational Science: https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rocc20

Connect with an Occupational Science Association, such as:
CSOS https://www.csoscanada.org/
International Society for Occupational Science https://www.international-society-for-occupational-science.org/
OSE https://os-europe.org/
SSO:USA https://ssou.memberclicks.net/

Applicants can check the status of their application (application date, paid application fee, documents received by the School, etc.) in the Dalhousie application portal.