Many high schools in Canada offer graduate degree programs in addition to undergraduate education. A graduate degree is an advanced degree such as a Master’s or Ph.D., with the general requirement of earning a previous undergraduate degree. Canada has graduate programs in almost all areas of study including law, medicine, teacher training, business training, pharmacy, arts, agriculture, engineering, architecture, nursing and many others. Schools in Canada offer both full-time and part-time study options as well as online programs. It offers interdisciplinary, collaborative and joint degree study options, allowing the students to tailor according to their requirements and interests.
The Canadian graduate class focuses on small seminar classes with less than 20 students, which means students get individual attention and can closely work with peers and professors. For the master’s degree in Canada students can either opt for a course-based or research-based study. Course-based study is non-thesis-based and typically takes one year while research-based study includes a graduate course with a thesis and generally takes two years. The doctoral degree generally known as PhD varies in length and format depending on the field of study. The doctoral degrees take around 4 to 7 years, with full-time study. Students are also required to undertake a research project leading to dissertation comprising 200-400 pages.
Choosing high schools in Canada
Narrowing down a grad high schools in Canada can be a difficult task, since there are so many great programs to choose from. When choosing a school, students must ensure that they select a school approved by the Canadian government. These high schools in Canada are known as a designated learning institutions and also have a designated learning institution number. You will need to provide this designated learning institution number when you apply for a study permit. Students can make a checklist for each school with individual categories, so that they can compare different high schools in Canada to see which one suits them best. Here are some of the aspects to consider when selecting a grad high schools in Canada
- Credentials: Grad high schools in Canada offer thesis- and non-thesis-based master’s degree, doctoral degree graduate diplomas or graduate certificate courses with different specialization options.
- Facilities: Graduate high schools in Canada are research-intensive. Hence, students need to do a lot of research for their studies. You can choose the school that has the facilities required for your area of study such as library, specialized equipment and labs.
- Subject experts:You can choose the schools that have the experts in the field that you want to study in.
- Academic and language requirements:You can select the high schools in Canada that accept your previous university study, GPA and language test scores.
- Location:Students can select schools based on various aspects such as climate, benefits, small town, medium-sized cities and large metropolises.
- Campus size and culture: Students can choose a high school in Canada depending on the learning environment that suits them better such as a small university offering personalized attention or a large campus.
- Cost:Students can choose the school which is in their budget considering basic living expenses, tuition fees, cost of books and other supplies.
- Scholarships, awards and financial aid:Students can choose the school which offers scholarships, awards or loans they are qualified for.
- Accommodation/housing options:Students can choose schools depending on the housing options available such as on-campus residence, dormitories or off-campus rental apartments or homestays.
- Accreditation:Students can look for both the institutional and program levels before selecting the right school.
- Extracurricular activities:Students can select the high schools in Canada based on various extracurricular activities offered at the school such as sports, competitions, clubs, community activities and student associations.
- Rankings:Students can consider national/international rankings and student reviews before selecting the right school.
Applying to high schools in Canada
- Step 1:Find out about the requirements: Each grad school in Canada has its own admission requirements. Hence, it would be good to start by contacting the school’s office. Furthermore, prospective students are asked to contact the program department for program-specific information and admission requirements. The admission requirements and academic credentials also depend on the country where you are applying from. Few grad schools also have all the admission information listed on their websites.
Given below are the requirements for admission into a grad school in Canada:
- Application form
- Official university transcript
- Language test score
- Letter of details, including academic and professional background and goals
- List of references with their contact details
Students who meet all the requirements, but do not meet the language requirement may also be eligible for conditional admission. Some grad school programs may also require students to write specific entrance tests such as the LSAT for law schools and GMAT for business schools
- Step 2:When to apply: The grad high schools in Canada have their deadlines for submitting the application in late winter or early spring, i.e., between January and March. Students are encouraged to start enquiry regarding the admission process and scholarships at the beginning of fall of their final year of undergraduate studies. Many programs in Canada have early deadlines for international students. So, in case the program which you are applying for requires a particular test score for admission, ensure that you have the scores ready before the application deadline.
- Step 3: Submitting the application:Many schools allow you to download the application directly from the website of the university. Some schools also allow the students to submit the entire application online, with the additional documentation. In case you cannot apply online, you can request for paper application for the program you are interested in. No application is considered until applicants submit all related documents within the program’s deadline
For online application, fees can be paid with a credit card. If the students don’t have a credit card, then student can contact the school office for a paper application package. For paper application, the students need to pay the fees in Canadian dollars either by cheque or money order or bank draft. The application fee is waived for few international applicants whose citizenship or address is in one of the developed countries declared by the UN.
Grad School Scholarships in Canada
Grad schools offer scholarships for international students based on different criteria including academic background, references and financial needs. The scholarship amount depends on the awards and the source and can range between CAD4000 to CAD50,000 per year. Some grad schools in Canada offer specific international student awards for master’s and doctoral degree programs with values ranging from CAD4000 to CAD8500 per year. Some graduate scholarships are offered to all students while others are specifically for international students.
Here are some of the examples of scholarships for international students by Canada Federal Government:
- The Government of Canada awards
- Canadian commonwealth scholarship program
- Canadian fellowship program for French speaking countries awarded by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
- Visiting fellowships in Canadian government laboratories program awarded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- Vanier Canada graduate scholarship programs awarded by Canadian Institute Health Research (CIHR), the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Funding
Many international students with excellent academic background receive funding from the Canadian government. Some grad schools in Canada offer minimum annual funding for all doctoral program students including international students. At other schools, all master’s and doctoral program students are guaranteed a funding; they also offer stipends, teaching assistantships or research assistantships to students with outstanding academic background. Canadian grad schools also host graduate students with financial support from their home governments. Some of them are given below:
- China: China Scholarship Council
- Chile: Equal Opportunities Fund
- Kazakhstan: Bolashak Scholars Program
- Mexico: CONACYT Scholarships
