Apply via the McMaster University Application site. Please find additional information on how to apply and Admission Requirements under the Future Students tab.

The application portal for Fall 2025 is now open! Deadline for applications is January 14th, 2025.

Candidates for admission to the MSc HSED Program will have an Honours-equivalent, four-year Bachelor’s degree in a health science or related health professional degree (e.g., Bachelor of Health Sciences from the Nursing, Physician Assistant, or Midwifery Programs), a Doctor of Medicine (MD), a Master of Science in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy, etc. or others with special permission and healthcare qualifications. Check the Admission Requirements section under the Future Students tab for information on additional requirements. Admission is competitive; meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee admission to the program.

The English proficiency requirements of the HSED Program align with those established by undergraduate programs at McMaster University.

Specifically, if English is not the applicant’s native tongue or they have not earned a university degree from a school where the instructional language is English, the HSED Program requires evidence of competency in English. For accepted tests and minimum scores required to demonstrate competency in English, please see: future.mcmaster.ca/english-proficiency/

If you are interested in enrolling in the thesis stream of the program, you will need a thesis supervisor. This person will provide scholarly guidance and also will contribute financial resources towards the cost of your research. It is a good idea to reach out to potential supervisors before applying, as your acceptance will be contingent on matching with an eligible supervisor. You can find a list of HSED Supervising Faculty on our website, along with contact information and their research interests and scholarly work.

Officially, admission to HSED requires a four-year undergraduate degree with at least a B+ from an AUCC Member School (equivalent to a McMaster 8.5 GPA out of 12.0) in the final year in all courses in the [health science related] discipline. However, admissions decisions are not based solely on grades. The admissions committee performs a holistic assessment of all components in the application, including, but not limited to, professional experience(s) and scholarly work.  Applicants who have a significant amount of relevant professional experience are still encouraged to apply.

Professional references can be used for your application. This includes individuals who can attest to your professional experiences, including your scholarship, clinical contributions, and work in health science education.

The HSED Program does not grant transfer credits for past work experience in education. However, students who have completed relevant graduate-level courses in health sciences education may apply for a waiver. For more information, please contact the HSED Program Office via email at hsed@mcmaster.ca

The beginning of the program is marked by Residency Week 1, which takes place during the first full week of June every summer. See the Residency Week tab of the FAQs for more information on Residency Week 1.

According to Section 2.1 in the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies, majority of graduate programs require the holding of an Honours bachelor’s degree from a recognized university. However, three-year, first-cycle degrees that meet the criteria of the “Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area” may be considered equivalent to a four-year Honours degree.

Please contact International Student Services. They should be able to assist you.

Please contact International Student Services. They should be able to assist you.

Residency Week 1 is an in-person, week-long, course requirement that is held annually during the first full week of June in Hamilton, Ontario. Several arrangements may need to be made, including (but not limited to): travel arrangements, a student visa (if applicable), hotel accommodations, and transportation. The HSED program office can provide information about the schedule and location of Residency Week. If you have any questions regarding international work permits and travel, please contact International Student Services. They should be able to assist you.

Although HSED is a primarily asynchronous, online program, all HSED students are required to complete two annual on-campus, in-person Residency Weeks held in the first week of June in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Incoming students will attend Residency Week 1 the June immediately preceding the September they begin the HSED Program. Students approaching completion of the program will attend Residency Week 2 in the summer before they plan to graduate.

For more information on Residency Week, please see section 1.6 of the HSED Student Handbook.

Residency Week 1 is intended to orient incoming students to the HSED Program as well as program learning outcomes, instruction methods, assessment, and administrative information. Additionally, students will be exposed to foundational topics and concepts in health science education, such as curriculum and assessment, and attend the annual Norman Education Research Day (NERD).

Residency Week 2 is an opportunity for HSED students approaching their final curricular requirements in the program. Specifically, the sessions during this week will cover advanced concepts in health science education, prepare students for writing associated with their Capstone Portfolio or Thesis, and provide opportunities for faculty and peer feedback. Students will also attend the annual Norman Education Research Day (NERD).

Yes. Both Residency Week 1 and 2 are mandatory.

Residency Week 1 is required for all incoming students before they begin the program, and failure to attend Residency Week 1 may jeopardize students’ acceptance into the program.

Residency Week 2 must be completed by every HSED student once during their time in the program after they have completed the necessary course work and are approaching (or in the process of completing) their final independent curricular requirement (i.e., Capstone Portfolio or Thesis). Attendance at Residency Week 2 is required in order for a student to successfully complete the HSED Program.

Please note clinical duties do NOT exempt students from attending either Residency Week. Please ensure that you will be available to attend all events during the week.

There is no additional registration cost to attend Residency Week, however, students are responsible for all other costs associated with travel and accommodation necessary to attend this in-person requirement.

When is Residency Week?

Residency Week takes place the first full week of June each year in Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Residency Week 2024 will take place from June 3 to 7, 2024. NERD will take place on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Please keep an eye on our website and Twitter page for more information.

Note that Residency Week 1 and 2 take place concurrently.

A Mac ID is a unique, alphanumeric identifier provided to all McMaster community members to access various university systems. The Mac ID is not the same as the student number. In activating the Mac ID, students can gain access to their McMaster e-mail and Avenue to Learn. These are key platforms that are necessary for the completion of Residency Week (access to WiFi, Avenue to Learn), and successful completion of the HSED program.

Instructions to activate the Mac ID can be found here. For any technical issues, please contact McMaster UTS for assistance via this link.

Please note: You only need to activate your Mac ID once.

All McMaster University graduate students are required to complete two mandatory courses as part of their degree requirements: SGS 101 and SGS 201. Graduate students are required to complete both these courses only once during their degree, within the first month of their first term after admission.

For detailed instructions on how to enrol, access, and complete SGS 101 & 201, please visit: https://gs.mcmaster.ca/how-to-enrol-in-and-complete-sgs-101-and-201/

Once enrolled, SGS 101 & 201 will appear in Avenue to Learn (A2L) after 24 to 48 hours. Completion of SGS 101 & 201 requires a minimum score on the final quiz of 70% and 100%, respectively.

For important sessional dates, please visit the Graduate Calendar.

All students are required to maintain continuous enrolment in the HSED Program, even if they are not taking courses in a given term. In order to remain enrolled in a term when a student is not taking a course, they must enroll in a placeholder course.

There are two types of placeholder courses, each with a distinct use:

• SGS 700 is for any course-based and thesis-based students who are not enrolled in any courses, but are engaged with independent curricular activities, such as the Capstone Portfolio or Thesis work.
• SGS 711 is exclusively for part-time, course-based students who are not enrolled in any courses and are not engaging with any independent curricular activities (i.e., Capstone Portfolio) and/or course materials. Any part-time course-based students not enrolled in a course but who are engaging in independent curricular activities and/or course materials should enroll in SGS 700. All full-time and thesis-based students should only be enrolling in SGS 700.

For more information on placeholder courses, please see section 1.7 of the HSED Student Handbook and the SGS Graduate Calendar.

As the name suggests, the Capstone Portfolio consists of an assemblage of curricular activities and outputs that will be presented by the student at the end of the program for final assessment. Note that the terms Capstone Portfolio and Education Philosophy are sometimes used interchangeably with “dossier” and “teaching philosophy”, respectively.

The Portfolio will contain several practical and applied elements:

1. A statement of Education Philosophy
2. A record of engagement in 10 MERIT Rounds seminars. Full-time course-based students completing the program in one year are required to attend 60% of the MERIT rounds over the period of their enrollment.
3. The final assignments associated with each of the students’ five (5) completed courses, i.e., the “artefacts”.
4. The Education Research /Innovation Proposal.

Each of these elements must be submitted on Avenue to Learn. Further details can be found in the HSED Student Handbook. Specific guidelines are presented in the HSED Capstone Shell on Avenue to Learn, and throughout the Dossier Template.

We ask that you submit all your final capstone portfolio requirements by the first day of the last month of the term in which you intend to complete the program. Specifically, students completing the program during the Summer, Fall, or Winter terms should submit all final Capstone requirements at the beginning of August, December, or April, respectively.

After submitting your final requirements upon program completion, notify the Graduate Program Officer via e-mail at hsed@mcmaster.ca.

An official transcript is a copy of a student’s permanent academic record at McMaster University; this document is certified by the Office of the Registrar, bearing the embossed seal of the University. McMaster offers two (2) types of official transcripts: an official e-transcript and an official paper transcript. Upon the request of a McMaster student, an official transcript may be produced and sent.

Information on this process can be accessed here. Please contact the Office of the Registrar for any additional questions.

Please contact the McMaster Financial Aid Office. They should be able to assist you.