Guest Jazzey Posted June 10, 2003 Report Share Posted June 10, 2003 I'd like to take on a Master's... at the moment, I've got several different areas that I'm interested in, ranging from MA to MSc to MHSc (more like a professional degree) - a wide range I know, but I majored in science and minored in arts, and have lots of different interests. Anyway, I'm curious to know if U of T med seems to show preference for any certain area of grad work? I have heard that U of T appreciates grad students who have research experience because they are a research intensive med school, so does this mean that they would favour grad work in medical sciences, like anatomy? What about in arts? Or an MHSc in public health, like Health Promotion? I'm not sure if you would be able to do research in these two areas in medical school, so are they not as favourable? Also, if you take on a 2 year master's degree, can you apply while in your first year, and if so, how much weight will the marks that you get in grad school have on your overall GPA? If your undergraduate GPA falls below the cut-off, will you have to wait until after your first year of grad work is done to see if your marks can raise your GPA above this mark? Thanks for any help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest therealcrackers Posted June 10, 2003 Report Share Posted June 10, 2003 Having been through the wars at U of T SGS, and gotten in (eventually) to Western Meds, here are the points I would like to offer. 1)U of T would prefer people to finish their graduate degrees before applying, as often you will not get consideration for your graduate work until all of your requirements are completed (with the possible exception of your thesis defense, but check with Admissions about this). Many other schools may not consider your graduate work, but they also will usually prefer students to have completed it; Mac, for example, will count graduate work, but only if it is ALL done before the October deadline at the beginning of the application cycle. It also means you have an entire year to focus on your Master's before you even think about applying, and maybe 2 if your supervisor thinks your project will extend into the fall or winter of your third graduate year. 2) Having a good supervisor and program advisory committee makes a huge difference. Go with a program where you have a good fit. The two most important things that will come out of your graduate program vis-a-vis med school are any publications you get (including a thesis, if it isn't course-based) and the letter of recommendation from your supervisor. At U of T, this is mandatory, and accompanies your graduate application, separate from the three reference letters that go to OMSAS, although it is suggested that at least one of those letters be from your supervisor or a program committee member. 3) I don't think the program matters as much as the above. Arts may be less beneficial than the others (except biomedical communications; but I'm generalizing and I didn't take an arts program), but between an MSc and MHSc program I don't think there's much difference. Good luck with your program! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UTMed07 Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 >can you apply while in your first year, and if so, how much weight will the >marks that you get in grad school have on your overall GPA? I As far as I know U of T doesn't have any rules against applying in the first year of a master's (check w/ admissions to be sure though). Note: It is possible to finish a MSc in 1 year, if you're lucky (you jump on a project at the right time) and you work hard. I know someone that managed to pull it off. >if your undergraduate GPA falls below the cut-off, will you have to wait >until after your first year of grad work is done to see if your marks can >raise your GPA above this mark? I'm not sure there is cut-off for graduates (aside from the 3.0 you need to apply). Actually, I've always found this part of the application procedure a bit of a mystery; I've never found a description of how the GPA is calculated and used for grad applicants. My impression is that the graduate GPA really isn't important and that it's just used as a flag (a friend/med student/grad student once told me just avoid getting any "B"s). I agree with crackers on points #2 and #3. A good supervisor makes a grad student happy and publications--they get you noticed and are something to talk about during the interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bj Posted June 12, 2003 Report Share Posted June 12, 2003 Just to add my two-cents worth: I agree with postings on previous threads that in order to do grad work you have to WANT to do grad work. I know so many people that have moved on to a Master's because, well, because it was easier than entering the "real world". I think a Master's is one way to learn more about yourself and your interests, but so is working for a little while (not that I am biased at all ). Whatever you decide to do, it makes sense to make sure it is something that you will enjoy doing irrespective of how it looks to a med school admissions committee. I applied to the MHSc in Health Promotion this year (and got it, to my total amazement) not because I thought it would look good or be useful to medicine but because I thought I would really enjoy it. In the end, that's all that matters. BJ aka "the idealist":) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ollie Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Hi, The MHSc Health Promotion program sound really interesting (had a look at the website). It's something that I would consider as my "back-up" plan. What is the tuition for this program? Does anyone know of similar programs at other schools? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jazzey Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Hi Ollie, As far as I know, the Health Promotion program is unique in Canada. I think it is similar to the MPH programs you will find in the US. To be sure, you could try contacting the various health sciences departments in universities across Canada. As far as tuition goes, my guess is that it would be similar to a normal master's degree, which seems to be around 4-5 grand a year. To be sure, you could contact Blake Poland, the program coordinator, and he could probably answer these questions and any others you might have. His e-mail address if on the program website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jazzey Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 actually, U of T might be as much as 10 000 a year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bj Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Hey, Actually I think the MHSc program is fabulous. I was really tempted. . . Tuition is around $7000 right now, but you get summers off to do a practicum which is supposed to be paid. Plus, I qualified for an OGS, so some financial aid is always possible. U of T doesn't fund non-research Master's programs so university funding may be hard to come by. For sure there are other similar programs across Canada. Dal has a Health Education program and a Health Management one; Waterloo has a Health Studies one. Most universities with medical schools offer epi and community health degrees--the amount of "community health" in the degree differs a lot from school to school. Overalll, the U of T program may be unique in many aspects, but there is a LOT out there so go and explore! A really great website to check out is the Association of Schools of Public Health website (i think it is www. asph.org, but I'm not sure). They have a list of all the MPH programs in the US and some in Canada and abroad. Good luck! BJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted June 26, 2003 Report Share Posted June 26, 2003 Hi there, Just to hopefully add a wee bit of clarification, the MPH degree offered in the US is most often and generally equated with the M.Sc. Epidemiology degrees offered up here, i.e., many MPH programs are not "professional" programs and a thesis is required. That being said, for most of the larger MPH programs in the US there are multiple streams which you can choose in which to study and Health Promo could possibly be one of them (I haven't checked that latter bit out formally though). As to UofT tuition, the M.Sc. Epi program currently sits at around $5800 and the M.HSc. students pay a bit more. Many of the UofT programs under the Dept. of Public Health Sciences (which include Epi and Health Promo) are currently being revamped though, so if you are considering applying to any of the programs in the future, I'd advise checking the website regularly, or calling the office for more information. For one, as of now, applications for the two-year, M.Sc. Epi program will not be disseminated this year for entry next year as the program may be discontinued. As to what will "replace" this program, check the Dept. PHS office for details closer to September. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bj Posted June 27, 2003 Report Share Posted June 27, 2003 Hey Kirsteen and others, Just to add a little more for those seriously considering this program/department, the Public Health Sciences recently underwent a department-wide review and has disseminated the results. You can access them on the PHS website: http://www.phs.utoronto.ca. I don't know the exact link. In any case, they may be reworking some of the programs, though will likely be keeping the two "streams" separate: one professional, course-based with internships and one research, thesis-based. If you want more info, Kirsteen is an awesome resource. I also did a lot of research when selecting programs, so feel free to drop me a line, too. Bj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted June 27, 2003 Report Share Posted June 27, 2003 Hi there, Thanks for mentioning the review, bj. It was actually due to that very review that some major, new initiatives have been put forth to make some pretty significant , but still unofficial, changes to the programs. There is a possibility that, in fact, one set of degrees may be amalgamated, thus erasing the possibility of attaining a thesis-based M.Sc. in at least one of the departments. Again, the official word and announcements regarding the new program(s) won't be available until around September this year. Cheers, and since I haven't had too much time to say it anywhere else, congrats on getting into UofT! Well done! Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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