Ensure that your application includes a one page Statement of Intended Study and a current CV. Applications will be forwarded to SEOS after the Faculty of Graduate Studies completes an initial screening. Once an application is received by the SEOS graduate secretary, potential supervisors are notified and asked to evaluate suitability and indicate interest in supervision and/or support.


Most students with a BSc degree (but not an MSc) will normally be admitted into the MSc program, it is possible to transfer from the MSc to the PhD program upon the recommendation of the student's supervisory committee. Admission of students without a MSc directly into the PhD is possible in exceptional cases, according to guidelines from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Students with recognized MSc degrees will be admitted directly to the PhD program.

Applicants normally require a minimum standing of B+ (University of Victoria GPA 6.0) on their last 30 units of course work for admission to a degree program. Students who do not meet the minimum requirements of the School, but who have achieved the Faculty of Graduate Studies minimum of B (GPA 5.0 - The University of Victoria grading system is based on a scale of A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D and F, corresponding to grade point average (GPA) values from 9 to 0), may be admitted in special circumstances (e.g., relevant work experience, demonstrated research ability, etc.) and at the discretion of the School. An applicant with an academic standing less than the Faculty minimum may be conditionally admitted to a MSc program if he/she has five years of relevant professional experience since completion of the BSc and is recommended by the School.

We require a minimum score of 90 from the internet-based TOEFL (IBT). You must also score at least 20 points each in the listening, speaking, reading and writing sections. We require a minimum score of 575 on the paper-based TOEFL. We require minimum overall band score of 6.5 on the IELTS. No individual component can have a score lower than 6.0. We will only accept results from the Academic IELTS.