Speech-Language Pathology Program Admissions

How to Apply

Please carefully read the ORPAS application Guide before completing your application - ORPAS Application Guide
All applicants (domestic and international) must apply through the Ontario Rehabilitation Science Programs (ORPAS) online application service - ORPAS Application.

Application Fee Information

• The ORPAS application service fee is $190
• If you apply to only one (1) program at the School of Rehabilitation Science (either Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy), a $100 university fee is payable at the time of ORPAS online application payment submission.
• If you apply to any combination of more than one (1) program at the School of Rehabilitation Science (i.e., SLP and OT or PT, or SLP, OT and PT), you will be charged an additional $100 university fee payable at the time of the ORPAS online application submission.
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that ORPAS receives the application and all required supporting documentation by the required deadlines. If the application is not complete or if supporting documentation is not received within the required deadlines, the application will not be considered.
• Application fees are non-refundable.

Program Fees & Tuition

Tuition and other program fees are updated annually.  The schedule of fees can be found here SLP Program Fees & Tuition

Make McMaster a Safe Sender

Email is the primary communication tool for Admissions at McMaster University.  Important messages outlining the next steps required to complete your application and other important information will be sent to the email address associated with your application.  So after submitting an online application, please add the mcmaster.ca domain to your email ‘safe senders’ list and check your junk email box regularly.

Hotmail / Outlook users:
In order to ensure McMaster University can successfully send emails, please add us to your ‘Safe Senders List’ by using these directions:

1. 1.  Log into Hotmail
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3. 3.  Under “Junk Email” click “Safe and Blocked Senders”
4. 4.  Under “Safe and Blocked Senders” click “Safe Senders”
5. 5.  Type in sgswbsv@mcmaster.ca in the “Sender or domain to mark as safe” entry field and click “Add to List”

Gmail users:
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2. 2.  Click on the Settings icon (top right of screen – it looks like a gear).
3. 3.  Choose “Settings” from the list.
4. 4.  Click “Filters” at the top of the page.
5. 5.  Click “Create a new filter”.
6. 6.  In the “From” box in the next window, type mcmaster.ca.
7. 7.  Click “Create filter with this search” at the bottom of the page.
8. 8.  Click “Never send it to Spam” and “Always mark it as important”.
9. 9.  Click “Create filter” button.

Selection Process

The top-ranked (approximately 125) applicants will be invited to participate in an on-line mini multiple interview (MMI). Personal qualities and life experiences are assessed at these “mini” interviews, two of which are written stations. These interviews will take place online.  Final offers of admission will be based on a combination of pre-admission sub-GPA and MMI score. Interview dates and Offer dates can be found on the program’s website, here Important Dates and Deadlines.

Note: Interviews are ONLINE for 2021

Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI)
Health professionals are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that maintains public confidence in the integrity and dignity of our professions. In selecting students, we are looking for individuals who will conduct themselves in a manner befitting our professions. As such, any and all communications and interactions with the Faculty before and during admission are considered part of the admission process and may be taken into account during admission deliberations. Admission may be denied to applicants who communicate or act in a manner that may be considered inappropriate or unprofessional regardless of academic standing.

What are Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMIs)?*
McMaster has always been an innovator in the field of medical education. The Multiple Mini-Interview, or MMI, is one example of how McMaster has approached an accepted process, like the traditional interview, and revolutionized it. Researchers at McMaster hypothesized that increasing the number of encounters for each interviewed applicant would lead to a more reliable assessment of the individual. This proved to be exactly the case. The MMI increases the overall reliability of the interview in judging an applicant's merits. It also dilutes the effect of a single misrepresentative showing by an applicant in any one interaction. Pioneered at McMaster in 2002, the MMI has been adopted at other schools across both Canada and the United States and internationally.

What can I Expect from an MMI?
The MMI consists of a series of short, carefully timed interview stations in an attempt to draw multiple samples of applicants’ ability to think on their feet, critically appraise information, communicate their ideas, and demonstrate that they have thought about some of the issues that are relevant to healthcare practice.

During the MMI, applicants will move between interview "stations" in a multi-station circuit. Each station lasts eight minutes and there is a two-minute break between each one. At each station, applicants will interact with a single rater. Topics to be discussed in interviews may include but are not limited to, communication, collaboration, ethics, health policy, critical thinking, awareness of health issues in Canada, and personal qualities.

Applicants have reached this stage of the admissions process because their academic performance has been sufficiently high. For this reason we will not test applicants’ specific knowledge in any given subject. We are, however, trying to assess the applicant’s ability to apply general knowledge to issues relevant to the culture and society in which they will be practicing should they gain admission to (and graduate from) the Speech-Language Pathology program. Equally important is the applicant’s ability to communicate and defend his or her personal opinions.

* Adapted from McMaster University School of Medicine

Policy and Procedures

• As per the McMaster University School of Graduate Studies Calendar, admission is competitive; meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission.  The admission decision is not subject to appeal.
• The School of Rehabilitation Science does not provide feedback to applicants concerning their performance on the multiple mini interview.
• Applications from one year are not held over to another year.
• The MSc Speech-Language Pathology Program does not allow successful applicants to defer their start date.
• There is no provision for advance standing or transfer into the MSc Speech-Language Pathology Program.
• Applicants should understand that where it is discovered that any application information is false or misleading, or has been concealed or withheld, the application will be deemed invalid, and the matter will be forwarded to the Office of Academic Integrity.  If the student has already been admitted and registered, withdrawal from the university may be required, pending a university investigation.

Professionalism is an important requirement of the McMaster Speech-Language Pathology Program.  In keeping with the standard of excellence required in our program, we expect applicants to the MSc(SLP) program to conduct themselves in a professional manner throughout all phases of the application process. Any and all interactions throughout the admissions process, where applicants are engaged with Speech-Language Pathology program staff, faculty, students, and/or community volunteers may be taken into consideration in making admissions decisions. Admission may be denied to applicants who, among other critical determinants, behave in a manner that is considered below the level of professionalism expected of similarly situated candidates, regardless of their academic standing or interview performance.

For further information, please contact:
Email: askSLP@mcmaster.ca

Assessment of International Transcripts and Exchange Work

If you have international transcripts, excluding US transcripts, you must submit the following to ORPAS:

1. original transcripts sent by originating institution(s);
2. notarized English copies of all degree course work completed to date; and
3. a notarized English copy of the appropriate diploma or degree awarded.

If possible, a legend from the university explaining the grading scale should also be submitted with the international transcripts.

NOTE: All non‑English documentation must be accompanied by an official English translation completed by a certified translator. All other criteria for international applicants are the same as those identified in the admission requirements.

English-Language Proficiency

You must be proficient in spoken and written English. If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of English-language proficiency. The only exception to this requirement is for those who have completed an entire university degree in Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is the only acceptable evidence.

• A minimum score of 100 (iBT) on the TOEFL test (reading‑24, speaking‑26, listening‑24, writing‑26) is required.
• The TOEFL score must not be more than 2 years old at the time of the ORPAS application deadline.
• The TOEFL code for McMaster is 0936. The department code for MSc (SLP) is 55.

Indigenous Applicants - New Application Procedures for 2019

Indigenous Specific Criteria for Admissions to the SLP Program

• a four-year baccalaureate degree (120 units/credits) with a minimum average of B+ or 3.3/4.0 or 9.0/12.0, calculated over the last 60 units of university course work. Applicants may apply in the 4th year of their degree.
• one linguistics course at any level with a grade of B or higher;
• one relevant course in psychology at a second-year levelor higher (e.g., child development, developmental psychology, aging and perception, cognition) with a grade of B or higher;
• one biological-science course at any level with a grade of B or higher; and
• one research methods or statistics course at any level with a grade of B or higher.

Applicants wishing to apply to the SLP program with the Indigenous specific requirements, must complete the following:

1. Go to the ORPAS Website to complete your application and submit the required fees
2. Go to McMaster University’s Facilitated Indigenous Admissions Program (FIAP) webpage,  read & complete the supplemental Self-Identification Application https://ishs.mcmaster.ca/admissions/self-identification, and submit to the Indigenous Students Health Sciences Office by Friday, January 4^th, 2019.

Indigenous applicants who meet the above criteria and have a FIAP endorsed application will be automatically invited to come for an interview (MMI).

Please note, only endorsed FIAP applications will be reviewed under the Indigenous specific criteria for admissions to the SLP program.

Email: askSLP@mcmaster.ca

Please click here to visit Indigenous Students Health Sciences.

2021 ADMISSION DATES

• October 15, 2020 - ORPAS opens for applications
• November 24, 2020 - Q&A with Current SLP Students. Details Here
• January 8, 2021 - ORPAS application deadline
• January 30, 2021 - initial transcripts due to ORPAS
• March 2, 2021 - MMI offers will be sent out by this date  ---- Please add sgswbsv@mcmaster.ca to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive our emails.
• March 6-12 , 2021 - MMIs take place ONLINE for 2021
• April 1, 2021 - Offers of admission sent out  ---- Please add sgswbsv@mcmaster.ca to your safe senders list to ensure that you receive our emails.
• April 15, 2021 - Expiry date for first-round offers
• April 30, 2020 - Provisional acceptances become firm

For further information, please contact:

Phone: 905-525-9140 x27344

Email: askSLP@mcmaster.ca

Note: If you are inquiring about a prerequisite course, please be sure to include the course syllabus in your email.

Tuition and other program fees are updated annually.  The current schedule of fees can be found here:

Tuition
Supplementary Fees

The SLP Program is six terms over two years (3 per year – fall, winter, spring/summer)

What are the fees/tuition for the SLP program?
Tuition and supplementary fees are updated annually and posted on the Student Accounts website.

Will you be holding a virtual information session?
Current students will be available for a Q&A session
Date: November 24, 2020
Time: 5:00 pm
Details Here
We welcome admission questions via email at askslp@mcmaster.ca

Are letters of reference required to apply?
Reference letters are not required to apply and will not be reviewed if submitted with the application.

Can my prerequisite course(s) be in progress at the time of application?
Yes, if a prerequisite course is in progress at the time of your application, it will need to meet the following criteria:

• Be indicated on your transcripts as in progress at the time of application
• Be completed by with a minimum grade of B, and shown on your final transcripts, submitted by June 30th.

When will the SLP program become Accredited?

In accordance with guidelines from the Council for Accreditation of Canadian University Programs in Speech-Language Pathology (CACUP), the program will complete a two-stage process for accreditation. The first phase, completed in the first two years of operation, is the application for Candidate Status.  The second phase, completed after 3 years with Candidate Status, is full Accreditation.

On April 16, 2019, the program's application for Candidate Status was granted. Students graduating from a Candidate program are entitled to register to practice in Ontario.

As required by CACUP, within three years, the program will apply for Accreditation.

How is my sub-GPA calculated?
The process ORPAS uses to calculate sub-GPAs, including courses that are and are not included, can be found here https://www.ouac.on.ca/faq/how-is-my-sub-gpa-calculated/

I do not live in Hamilton, can the MMIs be offered by phone/on-line?
At this time, MMIs are only available in person, as scheduled.

What are the admission dates & deadlines?
Please see our SLP Admissions page for full details, including the 2020 Admission Dates