Admissions

• Master's Admission Requirements
• Doctoral Admission Requirements

It is required that all prospective master's (thesis and course-based) and doctoral graduate students identify an academic supervisor from the faculty prior to submitting their application. Applicants of the Master of Coaching (MCoach) program must, in addition to an academic supervisor, identify a mentor coach. These requirements are in place to ensure the successful study of admitted graduate students.

1. Applicants are to choose a potential supervisor (for MCoach students — potential supervisor and coach) whose research and areas of interest align with their own research and areas of interest. Find out about our faculty members and their areas of research on the faculty website. MCoach applicants can visit the Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics website for varsity coach information.
2. Applicants are to contact each prospective faculty supervisor (for MCoach students — potential supervisor and coach) via email to introduce themselves and inquire as to whether the supervisor is taking on new students. Applicants are encouraged to share a bit about themselves with their potential supervisor — interests and passions, potential areas of research, goals for the program, etc. Please note that this communication is not intended to create any formal commitments between the applicant and supervisor; rather, it is intended to open up an exploratory conversation between the two parties.
3. Once a potential supervisor (for MCoach students — potential supervisor and coach) has been contacted, applicants can continue with the application process. Applicants must indicate their potential supervisor within their letter of intent as well as in the funding/supervisor segment of the online application.
   
   MCoach students only — applications will still be reviewed if a potential academic supervisor was not named. Upon acceptance, a supervisor will be provided to you.

References will have two (2) weeks to submit their letters of reference.

1. Contact at least three references. At least two references must be academic (professors) who are knowledgeable about your academic and research potential and capabilities.
2. References MUST be submitted online. The online application system will send an email directly to the references once the application is submitted. This will allow the references to upload their letter directly to the application. Referees must NOT email or submit hard copy letters to the Graduate Programs Office.
3. Once the applicant has submitted and paid the application fee, a link will be sent to the reference. This link will only be active for two (2) weeks.

4.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to monitor their online application for reference submission through the Applicant Portal.

The following documents are required as part of the central graduate studies online application, which is through the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. 

1. Write a Letter of Intent:

• Address letter to Graduate Programs Admissions Committee.
• Provide one to two typewritten pages explaining your area of interest, why this is an important area and your goals.
• Identify the faculty member you contacted as a potential program supervisor.
• Upload as a PDF to online application (hard copies sent by email or mail will not be accepted).

2. Prepare a current curriculum vitae/resume:

• Upload as a PDF to online application (hard copies sent by email or mail will not be accepted).

3. Contact three references (minimum):

• At least two must be academic references (professors) who are knowledgeable about your academic and research potential and capabilities.
• References MUST be submitted online. References must NOT submit hard copy letters to the Graduate Programs Office.
• Once the applicant has submitted and paid the application fee, a link will be sent to the reference. This link will only be active for two (2) weeks.
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to monitor their online application for reference submission through the Applicant Portal.
• We will not use the application portal messaging system to correspond with applicants regarding any aspect of their application.
• To change a referee, you must request this through the Application Portal. All requests need to be approved by the department which will only be done during normal business hours. Please notify the department at info@ualberta.ca that you have requested a change.
• To have another reference request email sent, you must request this through the department which will only be done during normal business hours. Please email info@ualberta.ca.
• Change to referee requests will not be approved after the application deadline.

4. Official Transcripts for your complete post-secondary academic record to date

• Transcripts must be provided from each post-secondary institution attended including courses and degree programs in progress. For example, the program you are currently registered in and courses in progress or completed as:
  1. for transfer credit, even if it is one course you received credit for before, during or after degree conferral
  2. part of a bachelor's degree transfer program
  3. part of an exchange program
  4. after degree programs (e.g., two-year after degree, certificates, diplomas)
  5. Open Studies
• Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by an English translation provided by the institution issuing the transcript or by a certified translator. When the transcript is issued in French by a Canadian post-secondary institution where the official language of instruction is French, no English language translation is required.
• A degree certificate and the date conferred if the uploaded transcript does not clearly indicate that a degree has been conferred.
• Uploaded transcript documents must fulfil specific guidelines. Review the Acceptance Guidelines for Uploaded Transcripts. Failure to follow the guidelines and properly upload your transcripts will result in your application being returned to you. Many transcripts produced from institutions' self-serve web systems do not meet the acceptance guidelines. Most transcripts are easily obtainable, it's advised you upload a RECENT official transcript, even if courses are still in progress. University of Alberta students may upload an unofficial transcript from BearTracks, and an official transcript is not required.
• Upload as a PDF to online application (hard copies sent by email or mail will not be accepted).

The original document of proof of English Language Proficiency (e.g., TOEFL, MELAB, IELTS) if your degree/qualifications are in a language other than English.

1. Exam results must be completed at the time you apply to graduate studies.
2. Applicants with English Language Proficiency test scores more than two years old cannot be verified.
3. For more English Language Proficiency information visit the International Admissions Protocol section on the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research's website.
4. Upload as a PDF to online application (hard copies sent by email or mail will not be accepted).

Once you have identified a faculty supervisor and compiled all your required documents, begin your online application.

• Payment of the application fee is required before your application is officially submitted.
• The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time) February 1 in the year for which you are applying.
• The application must be submitted by the closing deadline or within 21 days of initiating the application. When the application closing deadline or the 21-day limit is reached (whichever comes first) unsubmitted application(s) will be deleted.
• All in progress applications will be deleted after 21 days, 28 days (if extension requested) or the deadline date, whichever comes first.
• Applicant referees (references) will be contacted via email once the application fee has been paid and the application has been submitted.
• Applicants should record:
  • their email address used to create an account, as it will be the user login
  • their user login password.
• Once an account has been created, a system-generated email will be sent to the email address used in creating the account.
• When the application fee has been paid and the application has been submitted, a confirmation of submission email will be generated and sent to the applicant. This email is very important to keep. It contains a link to the applicant portal where an applicant can login and track the progress/status of the application.
• If applicants are experiencing problems with the online application or application fee payment, please contact the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at grad.webadm@ualberta.ca or phone 780-492-3499 or 1-800-758-7136 (Canada and US only).
• To track the status of your application after submission, check the Applicant Portal.
• Once an admission decision has been made, a notification will be sent via the applicant portal.
• If the application is successful for admission, the Official Admission letter from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research will be displayed via the applicant portal.

• We will not use the application portal messaging system to correspond with applicants regarding any aspect of their application.

• To track the status of your application after submission, check the Applicant Portal.
• Check the Applicant Portal system regularly to keep track of material that has been reviewed and marked as “complete” or “Incomplete” to ensure a revised document is submitted if required.
• It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure referees receive their link from the UofA admission portal.
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all references have been submitted and received by the application deadline.
• To change a referee, you must request this through the Application Portal. All requests need to be approved by the department which will only be done during normal business hours. Please notify the department at ksrgrad.info@ualberta.ca that you have requested a change.
• To have another reference request email sent, you must request this through the department which will only be done during normal business hours. Please email ksrgrad.info@ualberta.ca.
• Change to referee requests will not be approved after the application deadline.
• After the deadline, the portal will close and any incomplete applications (missing or incomplete documents and/or any missing references) will not be considered for admission.

1. Once your application is complete (all required documents uploaded and all references submitted), we assess for graduate admission. Professors in the relevant area of research will review your application and indicate if they wish to take you on as a student.
2. Final admission decisions will be made after the application deadline.
3. Although the Department's Admissions Committee makes the recommendation for acceptance, FGSR makes the final determination of acceptance, after determining that the credentials are valid and the transcripts are admissible.

4. Once a decision has been reached an offer letter will be sent to you by the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. Following that, an official letter of acceptance will be sent by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.