PhD application process
An overview of the PhD in Education application process in five steps.
How to submit your application
The following five-step process is intended to provide additional clarification for submitting an application:
- Application form which you submit online through the online admissions process
- Research statement which you submit online through the online admissions process
- Three references submitted by the referees themselves, not by the student. References from professors who were your instructors or supervised thesis research are most highly valued. Unless you work in a research position, your work supervisor cannot assess these skills. Note that we do not consider letters of references that students upload themselves.
- Official transcripts from every post-secondary school you attended submitted directly by the school. We do not accept transcripts submitted by students nor do we make exceptions. Furthermore, the application is not considered complete until transcripts are received from the school.
Make sure that your complete application is received by the application deadline.
How we review applications
After you apply to the PhD in Education program, our faculty members carefully review your application and conduct an interview process. Learn more below about how we choose candidates for our competitive program.
During this phase, the Program Administrator reviews all applications to make sure that they are complete, that grades meet minimum entry requirements and that English proficiency tests (required for students educated outside of Canada, or who have not completed a bachelor’s or higher degree in English) meet minimum requirements.
For degrees from academic systems outside of Canada, an assessment is made by an expert familiar with the equivalencies of different systems.
Note: We do not waive either minimum grade or language requirements. Applications that do not meet minimum requirements are not sent for further review.
During this phase, the Education Doctoral Committee (a committee that oversees the program) reviews applications to determine which ones to consider further.
Issues considered include:
- Ability of the applicant to conduct research independently in one or more of the disciplines of education in which we specialize: Applied Linguistics, Child Study, Educational Studies, or Educational Technology. Evidence for this is provided in your research statement and your CV, as well as through the interview.
- The match between your research interests and those of our faculty, to make sure that someone on faculty can guide you in your studies. Evidence for this is provided in your research statement and through the interview.
- The likelihood of your success in our program. This is assessed through:
- The record of your past accomplishments
- Your awareness of our program, its faculty and its strengths. Evidence for this provided in the research statement and the interview.
- The quality of the research statement, which that demonstrates a strong familiarity with the research topic and with the field of education and presents as well as propose a compelling research proposal statement.
- Reference letters offering strong evidence of academic achievement and PhD potential, especially from former supervisors and mentors.
During this phase, the faculty in the specializations within the Department of Education review applications to determine which candidates to interview. Faculty members consider the same issues as the Education Doctoral Committee, as well as the likely match between applicants’ and faculty members' research interests.
Members of the program you are applying to will conduct brief 20-minute interviews with shortlisted candidates to learn more about their research interests and to provide candidates with an opportunity to ask questions.
The criteria for assessing the interview are the same as those used for the earlier assessment of the application.
Based on the interview, the faculty collectively determines whether to admit the applicant. This ensures that the applicant has the support of the entire group, rather than just one or two faculty members.
Afterwards, the group assigns an interim supervisor and interim committee members. While we do consider student preferences, the faculty member the student suggested might be unavailable or the faculty might be aware of an even better match that the student might not have considered.
We only assign an interim supervisor and committee. Later in the program, when students qualify for the dissertation, they may choose their own supervisor and committee, basing their decisions on first-hand experience of having had worked with the faculty members.