Frequently asked questions

Our MA offers:

• A high alumni satisfaction rate
• Small-group learning to foster discussions with your peers and professors
• A program unlike any other in Canada
• First-rate guidance and mentorship from professors and researchers

The program is for anyone who’s interested in:

• Language teaching
• Language policy
• Bilingualism in the social, political and technological spheres

Yes, you need strong enough language skills to take courses in both English and French. A language proficiency test is required for admission.

You should have an Honours Bachelor of Arts in:

• Second language teaching (or an equivalent program)
• Applied linguistics
• A related discipline, such as translation, sociology, anthropology, political science or communications

Otherwise, you need a three-year bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics or a related discipline, and a university-administered advanced TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate worth at least 30 credits.

• For Canadian applicants: Sunday, February 1, 2026
• For international applicants: Monday, December 1, 2025

Check the full admission requirements for the MA in Bilingualism Studies.

Some courses are held in person only, but others are available online or in hybrid format.

You’ll have one to two years, depending on the option you choose, to complete this program.

• All students enrolled in the MA in Bilingualism Studies can apply for teaching or research assistantships.
• OLBI research chairs and professors offer research assistantships to master’s students with relevant academic profiles and research interests.
• Qualified students can also work as teaching assistants, particularly in the English Intensive Program with OLBI’s Centre for Language Learning.

Graduates of this program have excellent job prospects, both in Canada and abroad. Potential areas of employment include:

• Second language teaching for adults in language schools, colleges, universities and other language institutes.

  Examples of employers: OLBI; McGill University; Collège La Cité; the Canadian Armed Forces; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; etc.

• Language policy evaluation in government organizations and agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), health-care or social service institutions, etc.

  Examples of employers: Official languages offices, the Language Portal of Canada, Francophone community hubs, the Department of Canadian Heritage, Global Affairs Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), etc.

• Language management and language services for private-sector organizations such as language schools or community-based programs
• Language assessment tool and test development
• Language software and mobile app development

Please email Parvin Movassat, OLBI Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, at [email protected].