Communication and New Media

McMaster University seeks candidates for graduate study who show high scholarly promise. Admission to a graduate program is based on a judgement by the University that the applicant can successfully complete the graduate degree program. The University’s minimum requirements are identified in this section. Degrees and grades from foreign universities are evaluated for their equivalency to McMaster’s. Departments or programs may establish additional requirements, such as scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants should read the admission statement for the program or department, as well as the section here. Admission is competitive: meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Final decisions on matters of admission rest with the Graduate Admissions and Studies Committee for each Faculty. The admission decision is not subject to appeal.

The University requires, as the major indicator of ability to complete a Master’s program successfully, the holding of an Honours bachelor’s degree with at least a B+ average (equivalent to a McMaster 8.5 GPA out of 12) in the final year in all courses in the discipline, or relating to the discipline, in which the applicant proposes to do graduate work. In a Master’s program in the Faculty of Engineering the requirement is at least a B- average (equivalent to a McMaster 7.0 GPA). Strong letters of recommendation are also required.

In recognition of the changes taking place in the structure of university education as a consequence of the Bologna Accord, three-year, first-cycle degrees that meet the criteria of the “Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area” will be accepted in place of a four-year Honours degree.