Upon admission, students will be accepted into the one-year course work and research paper option. Students must apply for the two-year course work and thesis option during their first term of studies.

Students will have two options for completing their MA:

I. MA One Year Program

This option takes 12 months to complete. It features two terms of course work (six courses) and a Major Research Paper completed under the supervision of a faculty member. Students accepted into the Master’s program are placed in the one year MA option by default.

Students will be required to complete six (6) half courses, including:

1. HLTH AGE 701/Social Science Perspectives on Health and Aging
2. ONE of: HLTH AGE 716/Quantitative Research Methods in Studies of Health & Aging OR HLTH AGE 714/Qualitative and Historical Methods in Studies of Health & Aging
3. ONE of: HLTH AGE 713/Critical Perspectives on Aging OR HLTH AGE 715/Critical Perspectives in Health & Society
4. Two elective courses offered by the Department of Health, Aging & Society (HLTH AGE 713, 714, 715, 716, or any other 700-level HLTH AGE course)
5. One elective course offered by the Department of Health, Aging & Society or by another department or academic unit (provided that permission has been obtained from those departments or academic units)
6. A research paper (7500-8500 words, excluding references) supervised by a core or associate faculty member. The research paper will be read by the supervisor and another faculty member. If the supervisor is an associate member, then the second reader must be a core faculty member selected by the supervisor in consultation with the student.

II. MA Two Year Program

Once accepted into the Master’s program, students MAY APPLY for the two-year degree option that requires course work in the first year (four courses) and a thesis (in the second year) that is based on original research under the supervision of a faculty member.

Students will be required to complete four (4) half courses, including:

1. HLTH AGE 701/Social Science Perspectives on Health and Aging
2. ONE of: HLTH AGE 716/Quantitative Research Methods in Studies of Health & Aging OR HLTH AGE 714/Qualitative and Historical Methods in Studies of Health & Aging
3. ONE of: HLTH AGE 713/Critical Perspectives on Aging OR HLTH AGE 715/Critical Perspectives in Health & Society
4. One elective course offered by the Department of Health, Aging & Society or by another department or academic unit (provided that permission has been obtained from those departments or academic units).
5. A thesis that involves original and independent research (20,000 – 25,000 words excluding references) supervised by a core faculty member or an associate member if approved by the graduate committee. The thesis will be orally examined by a committee including the supervisor and two other faculty selected by the thesis supervisor in consultation with the student.

Admission Requirements

• Honours Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a related field
• An average of B+ or better in the final two years of full-time undergraduate studies (or equivalent)
• Strong interest in health and/or aging studies

Only COMPLETE applications will be reviewed by the Department.

NOTE: Applicants to the MA program in Health & Aging are strongly encouraged to apply for the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s Competition (Scholarship Competition Deadline: December 1), provided they meet the eligibility requirements. For more information, visit the School of Graduate Studies: Awards & Funding

Required Application Documents

Graduate Studies Online Application

• Each applicant is required to complete the Graduate Studies Online Application which opens in October each year.
• In addition to the online application, applicants must also submit the required documents listed below.
• NOTE: Some required application documents must be submitted through your online application (see below for details).

Official Academic Transcripts

• Academic transcripts for ALL post-secondary studies completed or in progress at the time of application
• Transcripts from institutions where you completed courses on Letter of Permission and/or as part of Student Exchange Programs must also be included
• Transcripts should be electronic (or scanned) copies and uploaded through your online application
• Screenshots of student record of grades will not be accepted. Applicants must submit a transcript. Check with your post-secondary institution for confirmation on how to obtain a copy of your transcript.
• Official transcripts (hard copy or electronic) sent directly by the issuing institution will be required only if an applicant is offered successful admission.

Academic References

• Two (2) confidential reference reports from instructors most familiar with your academic work
• McMaster University uses an Electronic Referencing System (e-Reference). By entering the email address of your reference through your online application, the system will automatically send an e-Reference request on your behalf
• If, for some reason, you are unable to use the Electronic Referencing System, you can download the Reference Form and send to your references for completion. Downloaded reference forms must be sent by the reference DIRECTLY to Aysha Akhtar by e-mail: akhtaa1@mcmaster.ca.

Statement of Interest

• Must be uploaded as a PDF document through your online application
• Maximum 2 pages, double-spaced
• References page(s) should be single-spaced and do not count towards the maximum 2-page limit
• Your Statement of Interest should clearly communicate:
• Your specific research interests and focus
• The relevance of your specific research to health and/or aging studies
• The approach/methods used to tackle your research problem
• Your academic preparedness to undertake and complete your research, and predicted training outcomes

Sample of Writing

• Written only by the applicant. Co-authored work will not be accepted.
• Examples of writing samples may be (but are not limited to): major papers/essays written for past courses; a chapter of your thesis/dissertation; published manuscripts
• Must be uploaded as a PDF document through your online application

Resumé/CV

• Must be uploaded as a PDF document through your online application

English Language Proficiency (if applicable)

• If English is not your first language, an official copy of your English Language Proficiency score or other evidence of competency in English is required. Applicants whose university studies were completed at an institution where English is deemed the official language of instruction may be exempted from this requirement (transcript notation or official letter from the institution is required)
• The English Language Proficiency exam must have been completed within 2 years of the application due date
• The most common English Language Proficiency exams:
• TOEFL: minimum score of 92 (internet based), 237 (computer based) or 580 (paper based), minimum of 20 per band. Please use TOEFL department code 080 (Other Social Sciences).
• IELTS (Academic): minimum overall score of 6.5, with at least 5.5 in each section
• Other English Language Proficiency exams may be accepted. Please contact Aysha Akhtar (akhtaa1@mcmaster.ca) if you have questions.
• Submit English Language Proficiency exam results as a scanned document uploaded through your online application

How to Apply

Each applicant is required to complete the Graduate Studies Online Application which opens in October each year and submit the required application documents listed above to complete the application.

Mailing address for all hard copy supporting documents:

Department of Health, Aging & Society
c/o Aysha Akhtar
Kenneth Taylor Hall 226
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON L8S 4M4
Canada

Application Deadline

January 14

The majority of Health, Aging & Society graduate students at McMaster receive competitive funding packages that may include financial support such as teaching assistantships, university graduate scholarships, as well as external scholarships and bursaries.

For information about major scholarships and awards competitions, please visit School of Graduate Studies: Awards & Funding.

The awards listed below are open to CURRENT McMaster University graduate students who meet the eligibility requirements. Eligible students should apply through Mosaic and submit the required documents specified in the application. Note the application deadline indicated on Mosaic each academic year.

The Ronald Bayne Gerontology Award

The Ronald Bayne Gerontology Award was established in 1999 by Barbara Bayne to honor Dr. Ronald Bayne’s valuable contribution to the study of Gerontology at McMaster University. This scholarship is to be awarded to any GRADUATE STUDENT in the FACULTIES OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES conducting RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF AGING.

The E.B. Ryan Scholarship

The E.B. Ryan Scholarship was established in 1997 using funds raised by a performance of the play “Letter from Wingfield Farm”. This scholarship is to be awarded to in-course GRADUATE STUDENTS from the FACULTIES OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HEALTH SCIENCES conducting RESEARCH ON AGING.