Admission process for MRP, M.A. and PhD

This admission process is used for the following programs:

• Master of Education (M.Ed.) - Major Research Project (MRP) option

• Master of Arts in Education (M.A.)- Thesis option

• Doctorate (Ph.D.)

The admission process differs for Counseling Psychology, International Students, Microprogram and Special Students. 

1. Decide on a program

Explore our graduate programs to find the one that is right for you.

2. Confirm you meet the admission requirements

Find the admission and other requirements for your program of choice, and consult the program catalog for more details. 

3. Find out about any language proficiency requirements 

If your first language is neither English nor French, you must meet one of the following criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, we strongly recommend that you first obtain the scores requested before submitting your application. 

4. Find a supervisor  

This applies to student before being admitted to a research program (MEd-MRP option only, MA and Ph.D.).  You must have a professor who agrees to act as your major research paper or thesis supervisor. The supervisor will guide you throughout your research and the writing of your project. We strongly recommend that you find a supervisor before submitting your application. Before you contact a potential supervisor here is some advice to follow before you make your first contact. 

5. Apply to the Ontario Universities Application Center (OUAC)  

The application process is done entirely online. Create your OUAC Account/Profile and complete the online application. 

You will be required to pay a non-refundable application fee when submitting your application. 

Once you have submitted your application, paid the application fee and it has been transferred to uOttawa’s servers, you will receive an acknowledgement email from the University with instructions on how to access uoZone student portal, where you will be able to upload the required documents to complete your application. This process can take up to 10 business days. 

6. Gather the required documents 

Supporting documents required can vary depending on the program. Use the program-specific requirements online tool to check the documents required for your program and gather them. 

You do not need to submit official copies of the documents required at the time you submit your application. You can simply upload non-official documents in the student portal uOzone.  

• If you have ever studied at the University of Ottawa, you do not need to submit your University of Ottawa transcripts. 

• If have studied at post-secondary institutions other than the University of Ottawa, you must upload these academic records to the student portal.  

• If your transcripts are in a language other than English or French, you must submit an English or French translation provided by the institution issuing the transcripts or by a certified translator. You must also submit a copy of your transcripts in the original language as an English or French translation alone is not sufficient. 

• If the transcript does not clearly indicate that your degree has been conferred, you must upload a copy of the degree, certificate, or diploma. 

• All transcripts and degrees will be verified for authenticity. 

• If you receive an offer of admission, you will need to request an official copy of all your transcripts. These transcripts will have to be sent to the University of Ottawa directly from your previous institutions. 

• Note that documents submitted at the time of admission are the property of the University of Ottawa and cannot be returned to applicants. Unnecessary documents will not be consulted, retained, or returned to applicants. These documents will be destroyed according to our administrative procedures.  

7. Letters of recommendation  

Most programs require letters of recommendation. These are an important part of your application file, so be sure to think carefully about the individuals who would be best placed to provide you with a letter of recommendation. 

Use the program-specific requirements online tool to find out how many letters of recommendation are required for your program. 

We recommend you contact your referees two to three weeks before you are ready to apply to confirm they would be willing to provide you with a letter of recommendation and to get their email address and current job title. The information about the individuals providing letters of recommendation is entered in uoZone, the student portal. 

Additional information regarding letters of recommendation: 

• Unless the application requirements for your program states that professional references are acceptable or required, letters of recommendation must come from qualified academic scholars who can attest to and demonstrate your potential for graduate-level study or research. 

• Let the individuals know that the University of Ottawa’s letter of recommendation process is done online and is entirely confidential. They will receive a link by email to the secure online system. 

• It is helpful to provide the individuals with a deadline to ensure they submit their letters of recommendation before the application deadline. Your application will not be considered complete (and thus not evaluated) until all your letters of recommendation are received. 

• Letters of recommendation must be in English or French. 

• We do not accept letters of recommendation from family members, friends, students, former or current classmates, employees, or teaching assistants. 

• It’s best to provide academic or work email addresses for those providing letters of recommendation. Email address from Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc. are discouraged. 

Submitting your letters of reference 

Once you have submitted your application and it has been transferred to uOttawa’s servers, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access uoZone, where you will be able to enter the name of your referees. 

8. Upload your documents 

Once you have submitted your application and it has been transferred to uOttawa’s servers, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access uoZone. Once you have logged in, you must go in the "Applications" section to have access to the uoDoc: Upload Admissions Documents application where you will be able to upload your documents. 

You must upload a full set of documents for each program you are applying to, through uoZone, the student portal. Regarding filenames and file format, please respect the following instructions: 

• We highly recommend that you convert your documents to PDF formats. 

• File names cannot include parentheses ( ), quotations “ or any other special characters. 

• Keep the file name short and relevant to its content. 

• Separate words with an underscore ( _ ). 

• Make sure to preview your document since you cannot edit or delete once it is submitted. 

• In addition to the PDF files, you can upload .doc, .docx, .jpeg, .jpg, .txt files. 

Additional requirements for MRP, MA and Doctorate applications.  

• Elaborate a letter of intent for your application to the MEd Major Research Paper (MRP) option
   
  Elaborate a letter of intent for your application to the Master of Arts in Education M.A.  

•  
  Elaborate a letter of intent for your application to the Doctorate 

Important notice 

Please do not upload all your supporting documents as one file. Each checklist item must have one matching document. If not, your application will be considered incomplete. Any documents received other than those required will be disregarded and deleted. 

Note: Contact the uOttawa IT support for technical assistance at 613-562-5800 ext. 6555 or self-Service Center, live chat is also available from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

9. Evaluation of the application 

An admission officer verifies that your application is complete (all required documents are received), calculates your average using your last 60 credits or equivalent (20 courses), for which you have received a numerical or alpha grade, and sends your application to the Admission Committee for a final decision. 

Applications are all reviewed by the Committee, which ultimately decides on your admissibility into the program. 

You can consult your uoZone account at any time to see the progress of the evaluation. 

10. Decisions 

Final decisions are communicated via your uoZone account 6 to 8 weeks before the start of the registration period. 

11. Admission offer 

If you are admitted to the program of your choice, you will receive an offer of admission via your uoZone account. 

No deposit is required to confirm your decision. However, we strongly recommend that you accept your offer of admission to reserve a place in the program. 

To accept your offer, you must log into your uoZone account. Any conditions of admission specified on your offer must be met before enrolment in your classes. 

Newly admitted students what is next!