Admission requires a Masters degree in Gerontology or other discipline in which a significant amount of coursework and/or thesis/project research deals with aging or the aged. Students will be evaluated on an individual basis. Those not meeting these requirements may need to take preparatory coursework equivalent to a Masters in Gerontology or Aging Studies.

Candidates must have a minimum 3.5 GPA. There must be supervisory capacity in the department to support the candidate's research.

Submitted evidence, usually references from qualified referees, of the applicant's ability to undertake advanced studies in the area of interest. Proof of English Language proficiency, A Master's degree from SFU or its equivalent from a recognized institution

A Bachelor's degree, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5/4.0, or a grade point average of at least 3.67/4.33 (A-) based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate courses. Students admitted directly from a bachelor's degree must complete at least 50% of the course work units required for the relevant program's master's program if no course work is required as part of the doctoral degree.

Completion of at least 75% of the course work units required for the relevant program's master's program, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5.

IELTS - The University minimum requirements for English proficiency is an overall band score of 7.0 of the academic (NOT general) test with a minimum of 6.5 in each section.
TOEFL - The University minimum requirement for the internet-based exam is a total score of 93, with a minimum score of 20 in each category. For the paper-based TOEFL test, the University normally requires a score of 580, with TWE 5. Pearson Academic (PTE) - Overall 65 minimum 60 in all of their sections.