FAQ

Direct entry into the PhD program without a thesis-based Master’s degree is rare and is assessed on a case-by-case basis.  “Equivalent research experience” would be considered only at the level where the applicant can demonstrate that they have been the lead/primary investigator on several research projects and/or have produced several first/last author publications from their research and/or have recently been or are employed in an independent, research focused position.

If you do not have a thesis-based Master’s, or a Master’s degree from an unrelated field (engineering or biology for example), it is recommended that you apply to the MSc-PhD transfer and have a more detailed conversation with the Admissions Team once your application has been reviewed.

You do not have to identify the exact thesis/dissertation topic prior to admission.  We ask for your broad research interests/research populations of interest (for example, access to mental health services or diabetes care in indigenous populations) in order to help connect you with relevant potential Supervisors during the admissions review process.  The decision on the exact topic of your thesis will be made with your supervisor and committee once you are in the program.

Students wishing to pursue the PhD transfer will continue in the same study option (full or part-time/flex-time) after successful transfer into the PhD degree.

It is important to note that you must apply to be in the transfer program on admission.  The HSR program does not allow mid-program transfers.

Students are expected to pay tuition and the amount will depend on registration status (full-time vs part-time student).

Flex-time students are not eligible for the funding package. They are expected to be self-funded and pay full-time fees for the first four years and reduced fees (equivalent to part-time) thereafter.

An important distinction to note is that “Flex-time” refers to the way the program is delivered, not your registration with the University of Toronto.  Flex-time IHPME students are registered as full-time students at the University of Toronto, however they are known to IHPME as flex-time in terms of how long they have to complete the program and the expectations for number of courses they take each semester, etc.

No, deadline extensions are not allowed.  We receive over 100 applications to our program each year and it requires significant time to review each one thoroughly.  We pride ourselves on being able to communicate decisions early in the calendar year and in order to do this we must maintain the November deadline.

Following the closure of the application submission site in November each year, our administrative staff review all of the application documents for eligibility and collates them for review by the HSR Admissions team. Between December and the end of February, each Emphasis thoroughly reviews each applicant file, conducts interviews where appropriate and makes admissions recommendations to the HSR Leadership.  We send out decision letters (for acceptances, rejections and wait list placements) on a rolling basis starting in early March each year. 

The curriculum within the HSR program expects a base level of statistical knowledge.  The required statistics course for all HSR students is at the intermediate level. If you have not previously taken a stats course (in undergrad or your masters), we STRONGLY suggest you take an introductory graduate level stats course (online is a good option) before your first semester at IHPME.