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FAQs for Prospective Students

The following is a list of frequently asked questions relating to prospective students. Please check the list to see whether the answer to your question is there. If not, please send us your question to add it to our list.

How can I pay my application fees?

The graduate student online application system requires payment by credit card. 

Alternative payment methods for tuition fees can be found here: How to Pay Your Fees. 
What qualifications do I need for admission to a particular program?

The university's Calendar lists the minimum level of qualifications for admission to graduate studies at Simon Fraser University.

However, admission is highly competitive and individual departments and graduate programs' websites contain more specific admission guidelines. Please contact the department's graduate secretary or program assistant to ensure that your qualifications meet the department's admission requirements. 
Can applicants with a bachelor's degree be admitted to a doctoral program?

Graduate General Regulations provide university standards for admission of students to Ph.D. programmes. From time to time departments wish to admit students with a Bachelor's degree directly to a PhD program. The minimum requirements for such an admission are as follows:

(a) A CGPA of at least 3.5 in the undergraduate program

(b) Submitted evidence that the applicant is capable of undertaking substantial original research.

Please note that acceptable evidence for (b) consists of letters of reference and the completion of a scholarly piece of work. The wording of the penultimate paragraph of Graduate Regulation 1.3.4 clearly implies that the scholarly research should be the equivalent of a Master's thesis. Departments that wish to admit a student without a Master's degree to a Ph.D. programme should attach a brief memo to the application package. This memo should provide a rationale for the admission, and should address the following points:

  • To what extent is direct admission to a Ph.D. program without a Master's degree practised nationally in the relevant discipline?
  • What scholarly research has the student undertaken, and why should this be considered the equivalent of a Master's degree?
  • What statements from the referees suggest that the student is capable of undertaking substantial original research?
Where can I find the rules? Can they be changed?

There is a comprehensive set of rules governing graduate programs, known as Graduate General Regulations. Graduate students, graduate secretaries and chairs/directors of graduate programs can find answers to many questions concerning every stage of a student's career, from admission to graduation. Changes to Graduate General Regulations are made by Senate, on the recommendation of the Senate Graduate Studies Committee.

Graduate tuition fees are also governed by a set of rules. Changes to tuition and the rules governing tuition are made by the Board of Governors.
How can I find a supervisor?

A key part of your graduate experience is your relationship with your supervisor. To find potential supervisors for your graduate degree, visit your target department's website and look at their faculty member listings, or use the experimental search database at www.sfu.ca/research-interests/
Who is allowed to supervise graduate students at SFU?

Senior supervisor
According to the Graduate General Regulations, the senior supervisor of any graduate student must hold the rank of assistant professor or above. Students in diploma programs do not require a supervisor. Emeritus faculty may be senior supervisors.

A co-supervisor may be an adjunct or associate member, as defined by Policies A12.07 and A12.08. Co-supervision recognizes significant input in the intellectual direction of a thesis and/or significant contribution of resources to the research. However, a co-supervisor does not have the same responsibilities as a senior supervisor. This would be the most appropriate way of recognizing the supervisory work of external researchers.

SGSC has approved two arrangements with the Faculties of Business and Education. Both faculties teach substantial numbers of students in professional masters programs, and both use limited term faculty to teach those programs. The Dean of Graduate Studies will review requests that such limited term faculty members be allowed to supervise professional masters students. The minimum requirements for such permission are:

 

  1. there must be tenure-track faculty overseeing the program
  2. limited term faculty member must have a doctoral degree, and either a publication record or a record of significant relevant professional experience

 

University Research Associates (Policy R50.01) may not serve as senior supervisors, but may serve on supervisory committees and examining committees. Postdoctoral fellows (Policy R50.03) may serve on supervisory committees.

Supervisory committees

For masters degrees that culminate in a final exam, no committee is required.

All other degrees require a committee. In most programs the committee must include at least one other SFU faculty member, or research associate, or adjunct professor. Other "suitably qualified" members may be added with the permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

In professional masters programs, the second and subsequent committee members may be "suitably qualified" people, with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

All recommendations for committee membership that are for people who do not hold SFU faculty positions must be accompanied by a c.v. of the recommended person. Once such a person has been approved, subsequent committee work is approved without the need for a c.v. and the Dean's permission.
What is the difference between conditional and qualifying admission?

Admission as a qualifying student

Qualifying students are recommended for admission mainly for the purpose of taking undergraduate courses in order to increase their chances of being accepted into a graduate program. Normally, these students will have been advised that they do not meet the minimum standards of the University or the graduate program, but they can improve their chances of admission at a later date by taking some extra courses. Qualifying students take undergraduate courses either to demonstrate that they are capable of improving their grade point average, or because they lack some background material necessary for graduate school.

When a program admits a qualifying student, there are two options. The program may wish to state that completion of a qualifying program does not guarantee future admission to the graduate program. Alternatively, the student may be advised that admission to a graduate program is guaranteed upon successful completion of a qualifying period. In the latter case, there should be a written statement about what courses must be taken and what GPA must be achieved.

Conditional Admission

An applicant may be offered admission to a graduate program, conditional on the completion of certain requirements no later than the end of the first semester in the program. Sometimes this may be used for technical purposes (for example, for an international student who needs extra time to have transcripts sent from an overseas institution). Sometimes the student may be asked to achieve certain results in the first semester. For example, the student may be asked to take some specified graduate courses and to achieve a minimum GPA. Offers of conditional admission should always state clearly what requirements are to be met and should define the deadlines for completion of requirements. Once an offer of admission is made, the files should be submitted in the usual way to the Director, Graduate Admissions. It is helpful if conditional or qualifying offers are separated from regular offers of admission.
What about applications for admission with low grade point averages?

Senate (via the Graduate General Regulations) requires a minimum 3.00 CGPA for admission to graduate programs. The Dean of Graduate Studies will not waive this rule, because of the considerable expenditure of time that would be required in dealing with individual cases, as well as the potential unfairness of publishing one rule but practising another. There are two options for students who wish to enter graduate school but who lack the minimum CGPA.

First, an applicant may apply as a qualifying student.

Qualifying students are recommended for admission mainly for the purpose of taking undergraduate courses in order to increase their chances of being accepted into a graduate program. Normally, these students will have been advised that they do not meet the minimum standards of the University or the graduate program, but they can improve their chances of admission at a later date by taking some extra courses. Qualifying students take undergraduate courses either to demonstrate that they are capable of improving their grade point average, or because they lack some background material necessary for graduate school.

When a program admits a qualifying student, there are two options. The program may wish to state that completion of a qualifying program does not guarantee future admission to the graduate program. Alternatively, the student may be advised that admission to a graduate program is guaranteed upon successful completion of a qualifying period. In the latter case, there should be a written statement about what courses must be taken and what GPA must be achieved.

Normally, qualifying admission is granted only to a student who wishes to enter a masters program.

Second, a student may demonstrate significant professional experience.

A student who has professional experience relevant to the research s/he wishes to undertake may be admitted, provided that the graduate program/admissions committee can make the case that the professional experience is relevant to the graduate program. Normally, there must be some evidence submitted of the relevance of the professional experience (e.g. publications, or letters of reference from employees detailing the nature of the experience).

Normally, the dean will require such students to perform at a minimum B+ level in the first two semesters at SFU.

The dean will not enter protracted correspondence with graduate program chairs or individual faculty members about the merits of students who do not meet the 3.00 minimum.