Degree Requirement

Midwives outside Canada who practice in jurisdictions that require undergraduate or post-graduate training (such as a Masters Degree, or post-Baccalaureate training) for entry to practice are eligible for admission to this program. Applicant should include academic transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended in their application.

To determine your degree equivalency in Canada, you can use the free WES tool.

Academic Transcripts

Please input the grades as they appear on the transcript from the issuing institution. The program admissions team will convert international transcripts to Ontario equivalency on your behalf for the application.

Financial Information

A full list of funding and awards can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Enrolment fees are subject to change from year to year. Current program fees for Graduate Programs can be found here.

Study Permits & Travel to Canada

International students should apply for a Study Permit as soon as they decide to accept their offer. Learn more about applying for a Study Permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, here.

Students are only required to be in Canada for the two required in-person components of the program: Residency Week 1 and Residency Week 2. Both residency weeks occur during the first full week of June (i.e., the week following the first Monday in June), and are delivered on campus at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Students are required to attend Residency Week 1 during their first term in the program. Students are required to attend Residency Week 2 during the summer term in their final year of the program (for full-time students, that occurs in their second year; for part-time students, that occurs in the third year).

All other required components of the program are delivered online in a format specifically designed for remote/distance-learning. As such, students can complete the rest of the program from their home country/community. Some optional, elective courses, have required in-person components (such as MIDWIF 711 Point of Care Ultrasound, MIDWIF 712 Surgical Assistant: C-section, leadership placements, and clinical practicums), but these course are not required for graduation.

Students with questions or needing support applying for a Study Permit can find more information from McMaster University’s International Student Services – Immigration Advising. It is the student’s responsibility to abide by all necessary government processes.

Additionally, international students should note that since the majority of our program is delivered in an online in a remote/distance-learning format, graduates of the program will not be eligible to apply for the Canadian post-graduation work permit (PGWP).

English Language Requirements

Applicants whose primary language is not English will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the use of the English language, as outlined in the Graduate Calendar. Applicants may be exempted from this requirement if they have completed a university degree at which English is the language of instruction.

A minimum acceptable TOEFL (iBT) score will be 92 overall with a minimum of 22 for reading 24 for speaking, 24 for listening and 22 for writing.

Alternately, an overall minimum IELTS score of 7.0 will be required.

Students who have completed an Academic ESL program through Canadian academic institutions may petition to have this considered in lieu of TOEFL.

More information on McMaster University’s School of Graduate Studies language requirements can be found in the Graduate Studies Calendar, located here.