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Application Deadlines

Supporting Documents

Please read all the following information before applying. All application documents are considered property of Dalhousie University and will not be returned or scanned/emailed to applicants.

Please do not mail or courier documents. We cannot confirm receipt of any documents submitted in that manner. All documents must be submitted electronically to dalmpa@dal.ca. 

Application documents are listed below:  Items 1–6.    

All documents must be submitted as individual files in PDF format to dalmpa@dal.ca

Please ensure that your RESUME and STATEMENT OF INTENT are submitted together in one email.

1.  Complete the Graduate Studies Application

Complete the online application here. The application fee of $115 is non-refundable.

2. Statement of Intent (Please follow the Guidelines for Statement of Intent)  
 

3. Résumé (Please follow the Guidelines for Resume) 

It is mandatory that applicants have no fewer than 5 years of full-time or equivalent professional experience in order to apply. (Professional, for this purpose, indicates that an undergraduate degree or specific technical training/certification is typically required for the type of position held.)

4. Transcripts

Electronic official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended are required, even if a credential was not awarded (including institutions where transfer credits were earned). Transcripts from Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College are not required, but the dates attended must be included on your résumé and online application.

Transcripts must contain:

• the name of the student/applicant
• the name of the institution
• the credential granted (BA, BSc, etc.) (if applicable)
• the date upon on which the credential was granted (if applicable)
• the credit hours and grade for each course
• number of transfer credits granted and from which institution (if applicable)

If you have completed a non-degree program or certificate at a post-secondary institution:
You will be required to have the granting institution email us and provide either a transcript or a letter outlining courses taken with the grades earned (even if pass/fail).

Dalhousie’s Faculty of Graduate Studies oversees all admissions and has approved the following processes for transcript submission:

Option 1:

Electronic file-transfers from the issuing institution and from services such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, eScript-Safe, or TranscriptsNetwork. It is the responsibility of the applicant to request that their institution(s) email electronic transcripts to us at the program address listed above.  

Option 2:

PDFs sent by email directly from the issuing institution. It is the responsibility of the applicant to request that their institution(s) email PDF transcripts to us at the program address listed above.

Option 3:

Attachments directly from the applicant. This is an exception only available when an issuing institution is unable to provide the documents. If you choose Option 3, you are required to provide proof that the institution is unable to issue electronic transcripts. Proof of this inability can be provided in the following ways:

1. An email from the issuing institution that confirms transcripts (either official or unofficial) are not being sent from the school electronically.
2. A direct link to the institution's website that notifies students that transcripts (either official or unofficial) are not being sent from the school electronically. Dalhousie University staff will not conduct this research on behalf of applicants, nor can we accept phone messages regarding this requirement.

*Note that FGS reserves the right to verify the validity of all documents provided, as well as the ability of an issuing institution to issue documents.

International Transcripts and Translations

WES is the only organization from which Dalhousie will accept transcript copies and translations. Please note that Dalhousie completes its own evaluation of the credit hours and GPA calculation of the degree.  https://www.wes.org/ca

5. References

Two references are required:

• At least one must be professional, preferably current supervisor/manager  
• Personal/character references are not accepted
• One academic reference is required if the applicant’s undergraduate degree was completed within the past 5 years.

All reference letters/forms are considered confidential and may be submitted in two ways:

Option 1:

The Dalhousie E-Reference system is available when creating an online application. If applicants wish to use the e-reference system, they must enter the referees' email addresses on the online application. Dalhousie University will only accept university, teaching hospital, and government email addresses [i.e. not Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail or business addresses]. Please allow 5 business days for your referee(s) to be contacted by our system. Please note that you cannot edit, add or omit references if using the e-reference system. If you made an error in the submission of an email address, a reference form/letter must be submitted (see below).

Option 2: 

Referees may email either the completed Reference Form or a letter as PDF attachment from their work email address. Incomplete reference forms will be rejected. Referees must send their form/letter from their work email address. Documents submitted by personal assistants/secretaries will not be accepted. Instructions for completion are on the form.

MPA Reference Forms

Professional:  Download Employment Reference Form (PDF)
Academic:  Download Academic Reference Form (PDF)                

6.  Proof of name change: Required only if name discrepancies exist between transcripts/assessments/test scores and other application documents. Examples of proof: marriage/divorce certificates, 2 copies of government-issued ID that include previous and current name and date of birth.

Applicants may check the status of submitted documents by logging into the admissions portal on the Dalhousie website. When documents have been added to your file, your profile will be updated. Updates are made every 7–9 business days (10–12 during peak times), so please allow time for this to show on your profile. The date that the documents were emailed to us is the date of receipt.  

International Applicants 

The MPA(M) program is a mix of online study blended with on-campus, in-person instruction. Each course comprises 3 months of online study, followed by a 2–5 day session (intensives) delivered in select cities in Canada. Attendance at the in-person sessions is a mandatory and important component of the programs. “Travel to Canada for intensives sessions will be required.”

Please note that this program is part-time and does not meet the requirements for obtaining an international student visa.

English Language Proficiency

Verification of language proficiency is required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Results from the following tests are accepted to apply to the MPA(M) program:

1. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
2. Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website for more information.

Please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website for more information.

Applicants will send verifiable ESL test results as PDF documents to dalmpa@dal.ca.

The applicant must request their testing centre to make their results available to Dalhousie University. FGS will contact testing centres to verify the results. Students will not be able to register for classes until their ESL scores are verified.

Confirmation of Acceptance  

All admitted applicants must confirm in writing their acceptance of the offer by sending an email to dalmpa@dal.ca

You must also provide a non-refundable deposit to the Student Accounts Office. This deposit will be applied toward tuition, but will be forfeited if the student does not register within the academic year or defer their start date. Please note that this deposit is separate from any application or pre-registration fees.

Additional Information

Up-to-date and additional information, including Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, can be found on the Faculty of Graduate Studies site.