Entrance Requirements

The department's requirements for admission of graduate students are based on those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR).

Recommendations regarding acceptance of applicants for graduate admission are made to FGSR by the Director of Graduate Education in the Department of Surgery.

The minimum requirements for admission are:

  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 on the 4 point letter grading system or equivalent in the last 60 units of course weight of undergraduate or graduate study
  • MSc candidates must have a Bachelor of Science degree or equivalent
  • Surgical residents and fellows considered for an MSc must hold an MD degree
  • Applicants for the PhD program must hold an MD or MSc.
  • International students must provide proof of English Language Proficiency by successfully completing one of the following:
- A minimum TOEFL score of 96 (internet-based) or equivalent;
- A minimum overall IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 on each band;
- An equivalent score on an English Language Proficiency test approved by the  Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Please note that we no longer accept Duolingo, CAEL or PTE
- EAP 550 (EXELP 7550): Successful completion of the EAP 550 course will fulfill the English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirement for the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry’s Graduate Programs. 
Conditional Acceptance: If conditional acceptance to the graduate program is granted based on the future completion of EAP 550, the course must be successfully completed before the commencement of the graduate program

Refer to the FGSR website for complete graduate program guidelines.

In addition to FGSR requirements, students applying to the Department of Surgery Graduate Program are required to have secured a supervisor who is able to support them for graduate work.