The faculty reserves the right to close at any time the admission to this program if the quota is reached. It is therefore important to submit your application and supporting documents as soon as possible. The MA requirements set the minimum standards, but because of the high demand of these programs, we consider additional selection criteria, including publications, work/volunteer experience and the availability of a thesis supervisor.
Admission process for the Master of Arts in Education (M.A.)
The Master of Arts in Education (MA) is a highly competitive program: we typically receive twice the number of applications than available spots.
Admission Process – Step-by-step
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
Use the program-specific requirements online tool and the prepare your application webpage from the Graduate and postdoctoral studies site to review the specific requirements of your program.
3. 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.
The submission of all official transcripts of universities attended including the grading scale is mandatory. This applies to all courses and programs at any university you have attended, including regular programs (completed or not), exchange programs, letters of permission, online or correspondence courses, courses taken as a special student or visiting student, etc. If the transcript and degree certificate are not in English or French, a certified translation (signed and stamped/sealed) must be submitted.
If you have previously applied and were not successful and in obtaining admission, you may complete a new application and be reconsidered. In most cases, documents do not need to be resubmitted if not older than 24 months.
Please note that we are not accepting transcripts from a third-party (ex. WES - World Education Services). Also, college transcripts are not required.
For more information regarding transcripts, check out the Step 4 of the How to apply? page on the Graduate and postdoctoral studies website.
Important
Note that documents submitted at the time of admission are the property of the University of Ottawa and can not 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.
4. Elaborate a letter of Intent
Your written work should state your research interests, your professional goals and how your previous academic and work experiences have prepared you for this program.
Format and content for the Letter of Intent for Master programs.
5. Gather any necessary letters of recommendation
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.
6. 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.
7. Select a thesis supervisor
It is strongly recommended to choose a research supervisor. We encourage you to start contacting some professors right away to talk about the program and your interests.
For information about thesis supervision, visit the Graduate and postdoctoral studies website.
8. Apply now
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 ($110 for most of the programs) when submitting your application.
Once you have submitted your application, payed 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, where you will be able to upload the required documents. This process can take up to 10 business days.
You do not need to submit official copies of the documents required at the time you submit your application. 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 Faculty directly from your previous institutions. International students may submit notarised documents, which must be received in official envelopes, sealed and endorsed by a legal counselor.
Deadline: October 15
9. 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 Menu" section to have access to the uoDoc: Upload Admissions Documents application where you will be able to upload your documents.
Regarding filenames and file format, please see Step 7 of the How to apply page on the Graduate and postdoctoral studies website.
Note: Contact the Service Desk if you experience any difficulties accessing your uoZone account.
Deadline: November 15
Important
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.
10. Evaluation of the application
After your file is complete, an admission officer will calculate your average.
The admission average is calculated using your last 60 credits or equivalent (20 courses), for which you have received a numerical or alpha grade.
The officer will then send your application to the Admission Committee for final decision. Applications are all reviewed by the Committee, which ultimately decides on your admissibility into the program.
Admission to the program is conditional to finding an MRP supervisor. If we could not match you with one, your file will be circulated to our list of professors for a possible match and we strongly recommend that you also contact professors before submitting your application.
You can consult your uoZone account at any time to see the progress of the evaluation.
Deadline: December to April
11. Decisions
Final decisions are communicated via your uoZone account.
Deadline: April
12. 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 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.