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Graduate Medical Education Office
Location: Health Sciences Centre, Room G329
Fax: 403.210.8109
Web page URL:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), thesis-based
Master of Science (MSc), thesis-based
Master of Biomedical Technology (MBT), course-based
Master of Community Medicine (MCM), course-based
Master of Disability and Community Studies (MDCS), course-based

Joint programs, offered with other Faculties:

The Cumming School of Medicine and the Haskayne School of Business offer a combined Master of Biomedical Technology/Master of Business Administration (MBT/MBA) program. Contact either program for further information.

Students in the Cumming School of Medicine and the Departments of Anthropology and Archaeology may choose an interdisciplinary specialization in Biological Anthropology. For further information on the Biological Anthropology (Interdisciplinary) specialization, see the separate listing in this calendar.

The ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ and Alberta offer a joint Biomedical Engineering Program. Further information can be obtained from the separate listing in this Calendar.

In addition, the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ offers the joint Leaders in Medicine Program leading to MD/Master's or MD/Doctoral degrees. Students applying to the MD/MSc or MD/PhD program must apply individually to each program and complete a supplementary application for the Leaders in Medicine Program.

Further information regarding the Leaders in Medicine Program is provided under the Degree Information section in this Calendar.

In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, the Cumming School of Medicine graduate programs require:

Master of Science

• BSc degree or equivalent
• A minimum admission grade point average of 3.30 (on the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ four-point system; equivalent to a "B+") based on the last two years of the undergraduate degree consisting of a minimum of 60 units (10 full-course equivalents).

Doctor of Philosophy

• MSc degree, or relevant master’s degree, recognized by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, or transfer from MSc program, or, in exceptional cases, BSc degree or equivalent.
• A minimum admission grade point average of 3.30 (on the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ four-point system; equivalent to a "B+") based on the last two years of the undergraduate degree consisting of a minimum of 60 units (10 full-course equivalents) and any master’s course work if applicable.

Refer to the individual program entries for additional program admission requirements.

Refer to individual program information.

Applicants must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission Refer to individual programs for additional advanced credit information.

Refer to individual program information.

Refer to individual program information.

Refer to individual program information.

Maximum completion times follow the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations:

• Maximum completion time for a course-based master’s program is six years
• Maximum completion time for a thesis-based master’s program is four years
• Maximum completion time for a doctoral program is six years
• Maximum completion time for the MD/master’s program is six years
• Maximum completion time for the MD/PhD program is eight years

For specific program expected time to completion, please refer to individual program information.

Supervisors and supervisory committees are assigned according to the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations (see Academic Regulations) and are approved by the Graduate Program Director of each program. Master of Science students in the Leaders in Medicine Program must have supervisory committees constituted according to the regulations of the graduate home program. Both master’s and doctoral students will also be evaluated and advised by a Joint Liaison Committee composed of the Associate Dean (Graduate Sciences Education) and the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Medical Education).

For specific program supervisory assignment information, please refer to the individual program entry.

All thesis-based programs, MSc and PhD require successfully passing the Final Thesis Oral Examination. For more specific program examination information, please refer to the program section.

Doctoral Candidacy Examinations

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, the Cumming School of Medicine candidacy examinations consist of both a written and an oral component. For the MDCH doctoral candidacy examination procedure see the MDCH Graduate Calendar section. For all other programs:

The student’s approved research proposal will serve as the examination’s written component. The written component shall consist of a 13-17 page (single spaced) document, excluding references and figures, that includes a literature review of the students topic area and a description of the proposed research. The oral examination will take place one month after the submission of the written document to the examination committee. The supervisor is a non-voting observer at the doctoral candidacy exam. The oral examination must be completed within 24 months after initial registration for direct-entry doctoral students and within 30 months after initial registration for doctoral students who transferred from an MSc program.

The final thesis defence for MSc and PhD degrees will consist of a public seminar followed by an open oral examination.

Refer to individual program sections for specific candidacy examination information.

All MSc and PhD students must defend a written research proposal to their supervisory committee. For MSc students, this document must be submitted within 12 months after initial registration in the program. For PhD students, the research proposal forms the written component of the candidacy exam, and an approved version of the proposal must be submitted at least two weeks before the candidacy exam, with all exam requirements being fulfilled by 24 months after initial registration in the program.

For additional information, refer to the individual program sections.

• PhD students must meet this requirement prior to their candidacy exam.
• MSc students must meet this requirement prior to defending their thesis.
• MBT, MCM and MDCS students must contact the program administrator or review the program web page for further information on when they must meet this requirement.