Application and Admission Procedures

Applicants submit an Application for Admission to a graduate program through the online application system. Application reviews are conducted using the University's Admit System.

Applications must be submitted with the non-refundable application fee by the application deadline (see www.ulethbridge.ca/graduate-studies/apply, and Fees, Non-refundable Application and Registration Fees). Applicants must apply with their full legal name and list any previous legal names on the application. By completing the application, applicants agree that the information they supply is complete and correct.

Applicants applying to the Doctor of Philosophy program through the Master’s Transfer Admission Route please see Doctor of Philosophy Transfer from a University of Lethbridge Master's Program.

a.Application Documents

Applicants can submit the following documents online with the application. Additional admission requirements exist for some individual programs (see Admission Routes and Academic Qualifications).

1.Academic Transcripts

An academic transcript is a document that shows a student's academic record.

The University will consider unofficial academic transcripts and documents reporting in-progress grades or courses to make an admission decision.

By submitting an Application for Admission, applicants authorize the University of Lethbridge to request academic transcripts on their behalf from Alberta Education and/or educational institutions participating in ApplyAlberta. Applicants currently studying at non-ApplyAlberta educational institutions are strongly advised to arrange, at the time of application, for the submission of final, official academic transcripts when they become available.

The applicant's eligibility for admission, including current competitive admission standards, is confirmed through the evaluation of final, official academic transcripts. The University must receive official academic transcripts directly from the issuing educational institution. If official academic transcripts are not received by the first day of the student’s first term of study, as indicated on the Academic Schedule, a registration hold is placed on the student's account. The student is not eligible to register in courses until official academic transcripts are received.

Official academic transcripts must be sent to:

Student Enrolment and Registrar Services
University of Lethbridge
4401 University Drive West
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
T1K 3M4

The School of Graduate Studies will contact the applicant if additional documentation is required.

Applicants previously suspended or expelled from another educational institution will be considered for admission review only with the written recommendation of the Registrar and approval of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

2.References

Applicants will provide contact information for referees who are willing to submit a confidential assessment via the online application system. Reference requirements vary by program, and are outlined in Table 1: Reference Requirements for Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Programs and Table 2: Reference Requirements for Master’s and Doctoral Degree Programs. Academic referees must articulate the student's background preparation and suitability for graduate work. The University prefers that professional referees have supervised the applicant in a work setting.

Table 1: Reference Requirements for Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Programs

Program(s)	Major(s)	Reference Requirements (Varies by program)
Graduate Certificate	Advanced Clinical Study of Addiction (G.C.A.C.S.A.)	N/A
	Bioinformatics (G.C.B.)	N/A
	Couple and Family Counselling Studies (G.C.C.F.C.S.)	N/A
	Foundations of Data Science (G.C.F.D.S.)	N/A
	Health Services Management (G.C.H.S.M.)	One academic (applicant must have studied with at the University level) Two professional (preferably referees who have served in a supervisory capacity)
	Epidemiology and Biostatistics (G.C.E.B.)	N/A
	Public Health Program and Policy Planning and Evaluation (G.C.P.H.P.E.)	N/A
Graduate Diploma	Addiction and Mental Health Psychotherapy (G.D.A.M.H.P.)	One academic Two professional

Table 2: Reference Requirements for Master’s and Doctoral Degree Programs

Program(s)	Reference Requirements (Three required for all programs)
Master of Arts (M.A.) Master of Science (M.Sc.)	Two of the three must be academic (applicant should have studied with at least one)
Master of Counselling (M.C.) Master of Education (M.Ed.)	Three academic or professional (a minimum of two references must be professional)
Master of Health Services Management (M.H.S.M.)	One academic Two professional
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Master of Music (M.Mus.)	Three academic (applicant should have studied with at least two)
Master of Science (Management) (M.Sc. (Mgt.)) Master of Nursing (M.N.)	Three academic or professional
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) - Education	Two academic One professional
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) - All other majors	Three academic (applicant should have studied with at least two)

3.Curriculum Vitae (C.V.)

The applicant's C.V. includes academic background, work experience, awards, scholarships, and publications.

4.Letter of Intent

The Letter of Intent provides the Program Committee with information on the applicant's proposed research. Specific details of the Letter of Intent vary by program and are outlined in the table below.

Table 3: Letter of Intent Requirements for Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Programs

Program(s)	Major(s)	Information Required in the Letter of Intent
Graduate Certificate	Advanced Clinical Study of Addiction (G.C.A.C.S.A.)	N/A
	Bioinformatics (G.C.B.)	N/A
	Couple and Family Counselling Studies (G.C.C.F.C.S.)	N/A
	Foundations of Data Science (G.C.F.D.S.)	N/A
	Health Services Management (G.C.H.S.M.)	Nature of interest in the program and the intended career outcome upon completion.
	Epidemiology and Biostatistics (G.C.E.B.)	N/A
	Public Health Program and Policy Planning and Evaluation (G.C.P.H.P.E.)	N/A
Graduate Diploma	Addiction and Mental Health Psychotherapy (G.D.A.M.H.P.)	Nature of interest in the program and the intended career outcome upon completion.

Table 4: Letter of Intent Requirements for Master’s and Doctoral Degree Programs

Program(s)	Information Required in the Letter of Intent
Master of Arts (M.A.)	Goals or objectives for seeking a graduate degree in the chosen discipline. Nature of proposed research and alignment with supervisor’s expertise.
Master of Arts (M.A.) - Cultural, Social, and Political Thought	Description of the proposed research topic, including research question and methodology; rationale for choosing the interdisciplinary Cultural, Social, and Political Thought major and the proposed supervisor(s). The purpose of the letter is to provide the admission committee with information on your proposed research. Maximum length is one page.
Master of Nursing (M.N.) Master of Science (M.Sc.)	Goals or objectives for seeking a graduate degree in the chosen discipline.
Master of Counselling (M.C.) Master of Education (M.Ed.)	Nature of interest in the program and the intended career outcome upon completion.
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Master of Music (M.Mus.)	Direction of the applicant's current area of research and practice, and the specific nature of interest in the program and the discipline to which they are applying. Maximum length is 1500 words.
Master of Health Services Management (M.H.S.M.)	Nature of interest in the program and the intended career outcome upon completion. Maximum length is 500 words.
Master of Science (Management) (M.Sc. (Mgt.))	Thesis Option: Goals or objectives for seeking a graduate degree including potential research interests in the chosen discipline (major). Project Option: Goals or objectives for seeking a graduate degree in business analytics and the intended career outcome upon completion. Maximum length is 500 words.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) - Cultural, Social, and Political Thought	Description of the proposed research topic including: research question, methodology, relationship of proposed project to existing research and potential contribution to knowledge; discussion of sources and evidence to be analyzed; rationale for choosing the interdisciplinary Cultural, Social, and Political Thought major and the proposed supervisor(s). The purpose of the letter is to provide the admission committee with information on your proposed research. Maximum length is three pages.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) - Education	Goals or objectives for seeking a graduate degree in the chosen discipline.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) - All other majors	Goals or objectives for seeking a graduate degree in the chosen discipline. Maximum length is one page.

5.English Language Proficiency (ELP)

All applicants must meet English Language Proficiency (ELP) through recognized study or a valid standardized assessment (see English Language Proficiency Requirement (ELP)). Student copies of test scores, if available, should be submitted with the application.

b.Confidentiality of Application Documents

Applications and all supporting documents are collected, managed, and retained according to the Confidentiality of Student Records policy (see www.ulethbridge.ca/policy).

All documents supporting an application become the property of the University and are only released or copied to other employees of the University as required regarding admission, registration, awards, and financial support administration.

c.Misrepresentation/Falsified Documents

For the purposes of this section, the term 'documents' refers to all transcripts, reference letters, test results, portfolios, letters of intent, and other documents or statements that support an Application for Admission, application for readmission, or transfer credit assessment. These documents are submitted by, or on behalf of, an applicant.

Admission and transfer credit decisions are made on the basis of complete and accurate information from the applicant or by educational institutions at the request of the applicant.

Applicants may be required to disclose all secondary and are required to disclose all post-secondary educational institutions where they were registered, and arrange for all official academic transcripts to be sent directly to Admissions. Applicants who fail to meet these requirements may have their admission and registration canceled and/or lose transfer credit.

Submission of required documents or information containing false information, statements, or intentional omissions is considered misrepresentation of a student's admission qualifications.

Where there is evidence that an applicant has 1) submitted, or arranged for the submission of, an Application for Admission with false statements or intentional omissions; and/or 2) failed to provide any related document(s); and/or 3) submitted falsified documents, the University reserves the right to rescind admission and registration according to the following procedures:

1.The Manager of Admissions reviews the alleged offence(s) with the individual (applicant or student) and advises the individual to refer to the Misrepresentation/Falsified Admission Documents policy in this section.

If the Manager of Admissions determines that the alleged offence(s) has occurred, they will provide the individual with a letter of reprimand and place a copy in the individual's official file, and may take any of the following actions:

a.Disqualify the individual from consideration for future admission for a definite or indefinite period of time.

b.Notify other educational institutions regarding details of the incident.

c.Rescind the individual's admission status and/or registration privileges, and potentially permanently dismiss the individual from the University.

d.Note the following on the individual’s official academic transcript: “Suspended due to submission of false documents.”

The individual has seven working days after the date of the letter to appeal, in writing, to the Registrar. If the Registrar does not receive an appeal within the seven-day period, the Manager of Admissions will action the penalties outlined in the letter of reprimand.

d.Documents not Issued in English/French

Certified English translations are required for all admission documents that are not issued in either English or French.

e.Supervision

Applicants to M.A. (excluding the majors in Dramatic Arts and Economics), M.Mus., M.Sc. (excluding the M.Sc. (Mgt.)), and Ph.D. programs are required to obtain the support of a faculty member who has been approved to supervise graduate students. The applicant’s proposed research interest must complement the supervisor's current, active research program.

To secure a supervisor, the applicant will contact a University of Lethbridge faculty member with expertise in the applicant's research area. To identify a supervisor, visit www.ulethbridge.ca/future-student/graduate-studies/supervisor. Applicants submit supervisory information with their application. Applicants are not admitted without documented support from a supervisor.

f.Admission Decisions

The University of Lethbridge considers the criteria in the Admission Decision Criteria tables below, in forming admission decisions.

Applicants who are suitable candidates for a master's or Ph.D. program, but lack some necessary preparation, may be considered for admission and offered one of two options: 1) the required preparation is completed prior to admission, with the permission of the Program Committee; or, 2) the required preparation is completed after admission and completed within the time frame specified by the Program Committee. The Program Committee may also decide that offering either option is not necessary.

In either case, the Program Committee establishes a definite date by which all conditions must be satisfied. This work is normally in addition to the master's or doctor of philosophy degree admission requirements.

The program-specific graduate office, on behalf of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, unofficially informs the applicant of the admission decision. All applicants will be notified of their official admission status by Admissions no later than ten weeks after the appropriate application deadline. Successful applicants will be advised of registration procedures at that time.

Table 5: Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma Admission Decision Criteria

Admission Decision Criteria	G.C.A.C.S.A.	G.C.B.	G.C.F.D.S.	G.C.C.F.C.S.	G.C.H.S.M.	G.C.E.B.	G.C.P.H.P.E.	G.D.A.M.H.P.
Applicant
Academic record, including GPA and relevancy of undergraduate degree*	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
English Language Proficiency	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Breadth of undergraduate courses					•
Graduate admission test scores
References					•			•
Letter of Intent					•			•
Body of creative work, exhibition/performance/reviews, and publishing record
Audition
Interview					•
Relevant work and/or volunteer experience					•			•

*Applicants who have significant work and/or life experience who do not meet current competitive GPA admission requirements may be eligible for admission.

Table 6: Master’s Degree and Doctor of Philosophy Admission Decision Criteria

Admission Decision Criteria	M.A.	M.C.	M.Ed.	M.F.A.	M.H.S.M.	M.Mus.	M.N.	M.Sc.	M.Sc. (Mgt.)	Ph.D.
Applicant
Academic record, including GPA and relevancy of undergraduate degree*	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
English Language Proficiency	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Breadth of undergraduate courses		•	Some majors		•					Some majors
Graduate admission test scores									•
References	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Letter of Intent	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•
Body of creative work, exhibition/performance/reviews, and publishing record				•		•
Audition				•		•
Interview		•	•	•		•				Some majors
Relevant work and/or volunteer experience		•	•		•		•
University
Proposed supervisor's record of scholarship, completed and current, especially in relation to the applicant's proposed work	•					•		•		•
Feasibility of the project in light of available resources	•			•		•		•		•
Matching of a student with Faculty or School resources, research interests, and availability for supervising theses in the available majors									•

*Applicants who have significant work and/or life experience who do not meet current competitive GPA admission requirements may be eligible for admission.

g.Confirmation of Admission

Applicants who have received an Offer of Admission are required to submit their Confirmation of Admission and pay a non-refundable tuition deposit to confirm their acceptance by the expiry date on the Offer of Admission (see Fees, Non-refundable Application and Registration Fees). Unless alternative arrangements are made, failure to confirm acceptance prior to the date specified in the Offer of Admission will result in the applicant forfeiting admission status.

Registration will be available after the Confirmation of Admission and tuition deposit payment have been received and processed, during the appropriate registration period.

h.Admission Appeals

Admission and readmission decisions are final. Admission decisions may not be appealed to any Faculty/School or department of the University of Lethbridge.