FAQs

The following is a list of frequently asked questions relating to prospective students. Please check the list to see whether the answer to your question is there. If not, please send us your question to add it to our list.

• Can applicants with a bachelor's degree be admitted to a doctoral program?
• Where can I find the rules? Can they be changed?
• What is the difference between conditional and qualifying admission?
• What about applications for admission with low grade point averages?

Can applicants with a bachelor's degree be admitted to a doctoral program?

Graduate General Regulations provide university standards for admission of students to Ph.D. programmes. From time to time departments wish to admit students with a Bachelor's degree directly to a Ph.D. programme. The minimum requirements for such an admission are as follows:

A CGPA of at least 3.5 in the undergraduate programme

Submitted evidence that the applicant is capable of undertaking substantial original research.

Please note that acceptable evidence for (b) consists of letters of reference and the completion of a scholarly piece of work. The wording of the penultimate paragraph of Graduate Regulation 1.3.4 clearly implies that the scholarly research should be the equivalent of a Master's thesis. Departments that wish to admit a student without a Master's degree to a Ph.D. programme should attach a brief memo to the application package. This memo should provide a rationale for the admission, and should address the following points:

To what extent is direct admission to a Ph.D. programme without a Master's degree practised nationally in the relevant discipline?

What scholarly research has the student undertaken, and why should this be considered the equivalent of a Master's degree?

What statements from the referees suggest that the student is capable of undertaking substantial original research?

Where can I find the rules? Can they be changed?

There is a comprehensive set of rules governing graduate programs, known as Graduate General Regulations. Graduate students, graduate secretaries and chairs/directors of graduate programs can find answers to many questions concerning every stage of a student's career, from admission to graduation. Graduate tuition fees are also governed by a set of rules. Changes to Graduate General Regulations are made by Senate, on the recommendation of Senate Graduate Studies Committee. Changes to tuition and the rules governing tuition are made by the Board of Governors.

What is the difference between conditional and qualifying admission?

Admission as a qualifying student

Qualifying students are recommended for admission mainly for the purpose of taking undergraduate courses in order to increase their chances of being accepted into a graduate program. Normally, these students will have been advised that they do not meet the minimum standards of the University or the graduate program, but they can improve their chances of admission at a later date by taking some extra courses. Qualifying students take undergraduate courses either to demonstrate that they are capable of improving their grade point average, or because they lack some background material necessary for graduate school.

When a program admits a qualifying student, there are two options. The program may wish to state that completion of a qualifying program does not guarantee future admission to the graduate program. Alternatively, the student may be advised that admission to a graduate program is guaranteed upon successful completion of a qualifying period. In the latter case, there should be a written statement about what courses must be taken and what GPA must be achieved.

Conditional Admission

An applicant may be offered admission to a graduate program, conditional on the completion of certain requirements no later than the end of the first semester in the program. Sometimes this may be used for technical purposes (for example, for an international student who needs extra time to have transcripts sent from an overseas institution). Sometimes the student may be asked to achieve certain results in the first semester. For example, the student may be asked to take some specified graduate courses and to achieve a minimum GPA. Offers of conditional admission should always state clearly what requirements are to be met and should define the deadlines for completion of requirements. Once an offer of admission is made, the files should be submitted in the usual way to the Director, Graduate Admissions. It is helpful if conditional or qualifying offers are separated from regular offers of admission.

What about applications for admission with low grade point averages?

Senate (via the Graduate General Regulations) requires a minimum 3.00 CGPA for admission to graduate programs. The Dean of Graduate Studies will not waive this rule, because of the considerable expenditure of time that would be required in dealing with individual cases, as well as the potential unfairness of publishing one rule but practising another. There are two options for students who wish to enter graduate school but who lack the minimum CGPA.

First, an applicant may apply as a qualifying student.

Qualifying students are recommended for admission mainly for the purpose of taking undergraduate courses in order to increase their chances of being accepted into a graduate program. Normally, these students will have been advised that they do not meet the minimum standards of the University or the graduate program, but they can improve their chances of admission at a later date by taking some extra courses. Qualifying students take undergraduate courses either to demonstrate that they are capable of improving their grade point average, or because they lack some background material necessary for graduate school.

When a program admits a qualifying student, there are two options. The program may wish to state that completion of a qualifying program does not guarantee future admission to the graduate program. Alternatively, the student may be advised that admission to a graduate program is guaranteed upon successful completion of a qualifying period. In the latter case, there should be a written statement about what courses must be taken and what GPA must be achieved.

Normally, qualifying admission is granted only to a student who wishes to enter a masters program.

Second, a student may demonstrate significant professional experience.

A student who has professional experience relevant to the research s/he wishes to undertake may be admitted, provided that the graduate program/admissions committee can make the case that the professional experience is relevant to the graduate program. Normally, there must be some evidence submitted of the relevance of the professional experience (e.g. publications, or letters of reference from employees detailing the nature of the experience).

Normally, the dean will require such students to perform at a minimum B+ level in the first two semesters at SFU.

The dean will not enter protracted correspondence with graduate program chairs or individual faculty members about the merits of students who do not meet the 3.00 minimum.