Admission Requirements

Special Announcement for International Applications

The Chemistry Department is not accepting applications for the Masters Program from international students; there are no funded positions available. 

A limited number of Ph.D. positions will be available for the 2024 academic year.  We encourage highly qualified persons who meet the admission requirements for direct entry to the Ph.D. program to apply.

The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at The University of Western Ontario coordinates the admission process with each of the graduate programs selecting and admitting prospective students to graduate study. Please review this information to ensure you are prepared with the knowledge necessary to succeed in your educational pursuits. 

Note: you must have a research experience to be considered for admission, this may be a component of your degree studies or a summer research experience, internship or similar experience.

Selecting a Supervisor

It is not necessary to secure a supervisor before applying, however, once you have applied, you may wish to make contact with faculty you are interested in working with. Once the department receives your completed application and it is deemed eligible, the file will be distributed to the faculty members for review. If there is a supervisor that wishes to accept you as part of their group, an offer letter will be generated through the student center. At times, there may be more than one faculty member willing to accept you into their group and a list of names will be provided in your offer letter.
If your background is not strictly chemistry but in a related discipline, confirm with your proposed graduate supervisor that your background is suitable for graduate studies in chemistry.

Master of Science

Admission to the M.Sc. program requires:
  • a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, or a related discipline, from a recognized university, college, or institute with an overall academic standing of at least B+ (75%).
  • applicants must have a research experience and demonstrate significant potential to undertake research.
  • especially for applicants from related disciplines, provide a clear statement on your academic qualifications and how past training and experiences have positioned you for success in graduate teaching and research for the proposed area of study within chemistry.
  • for applicants who have not yet been conferred the B.Sc. degree, all program requirements must be completed prior to the start of the M.Sc. studies.
Other requirements exist for international students: please see below for full details.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires:

  • a thesis-based M.Sc. degree in chemistry, or a related discipline, from a recognized university, college, or institute with an overall academic standing of at least B+(75%).
  • excellent letters of recommendation.
  • especially for applicants from related disciplines, provide a clear statement on your academic qualifications and how past training and experiences have positioned you for success in graduate teaching and research for the proposed area of study within chemistry.

  • for applicants who have not yet been conferred the M.Sc. degree, all program requirements must be completed prior to the start of the Ph.D. studies.

    Outstanding applicants possessing a four-year Bachelor of Science in chemistry, or a related discipline, from a recognized university, college, or institute with high academic standing and demonstrated research potential can apply for direct entry to the Ph.D. program.

Other requirements exist for international students: please see below for full details.

International applicants are invited to check the WES Credential Evaluation to see how their grades convert to the Canadian grading system.


English Language Proficiency

GRE is not required.

 

Applicants whose first language is not English must furnish evidence of their proficiency in the use of the English language by a satisfactory achievement within the last two years in one of the following:

International students that have attended a university in Canada for 2 years or more do not require English proficiency. Some countries where English is the first language such as Nigeria, do not require English proficiency.

Students who are required to present evidence of proficiency in English must make their own arrangements to write the TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB, or CAEL and to have the official results sent directly to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies by the testing agency.

Other formal evidence of graduate-level proficiency in English (as determined by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies) may be considered in lieu of these test scores. For the French and Spanish programs only, evidence of proficiency in English is a degree requirement but not a requirement for admission.

2+2 Joint Ph.D. Program

Domestic or international students meeting the admission requirements of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Chemistry described above are encouraged to apply. In addition, the student must identify a research supervisor who is a member of the Soochow University – Western University Centre for Synchrotron Radiation Research from Western Chemistry to conduct thesis work.

Collaborative Programs

A collaborative program is intended to provide additional multidisciplinary experience for students enrolled and completing the requirements in one of a number of participating programs.

Students register in the participating degree program and must meet the admissions requirements of that home program, and meet its degree requirements plus those of the collaborative program.

The degree conferred is that of the home program, and the completion of the collaborative program is indicated by a transcript notation and/or adjunct qualifications to the degree.

Molecular Imaging.