Admission

You must hold a master’s in a relevant discipline, with a minimum admission average of 8.0/10 (A-), calculated according to University of Ottawa regulations (last 10 courses for foreign transcripts or last 30 units for Canadian and U.S. transcripts).

Requirements by field:

Advanced standing for MSc students

If you’re enrolled in the Master of Science in Management or Health Systems programs at Telfer, you can fast-track to the PhD program without writing a master’s thesis, provided you meet the following conditions:

• Completion of nine units of master’s courses with a minimum average of 8.5
• Satisfactory progress in the research program
• Submission and successful defence of a research proposal
• Written recommendation from the proposed PhD thesis supervisor (and co-supervisor if applicable) and another professor in the program
• Requesting permission to fast-track during your third term of enrolment or earlier and, if approved, enrolling in the PhD in your fourth term

Note: Requests to fast-track are only granted exceptionally, based on a committee evaluation.

Transfer units from other universities

If you have completed compulsory units or their equivalent at other universities before admission, you can receive equivalencies for up to 50% of the program requirements.

You must have a minimum grade of 85% for the units and have taken them no more than five years prior to your admission to the PhD program.

See Academic Regulation C-2: Admission to Graduate Programs, section C-2.3 (Equivalencies and transfer of course units).

You must achieve a competitive score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).

If you wish to study in English but it isn’t your first language, you must submit acceptable results on an English-language proficiency test (TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academics).

If you’re admitted, you must read, understand, comment, and build on the latest management-related scholarly literature. This literature is overwhelmingly in English, especially in the program’s particular concentration areas. So, although all students can write their course deliverables and thesis in either English or French, you must be able to understand, speak, and write in English.

If your first language isn’t English, you must submit one of the following to confirm your English proficiency (test scores must be less than two years old as at the time of your application):

• Proof of completion within the last five years of a degree program in an English language university
• Proof of recent prolonged residence and exercise of a profession in an English-speaking country (normally for at least four of the last six years)
• A score of at least 100 (Internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• A score of at least 7 in at least three of the four Academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) tests (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking) and at least 6 in the fourth. We don’t accept the General Training IELTS test.
• A score of at least 68 on the Pearson Test of English (Academic) — PTE Academic

The admission committee might contact you for an interview.

You must choose one field of study from the following before admission:

• Accounting and Control
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Health Systems
• Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources
• Strategy and Organization

Note: PhD courses aren’t currently offered in French. The PhD program is offered only full time and isn’t a distance education program.

In your application, prepare a written statement of research interest (i.e., a statement of intent or purpose) that outlines your motivation for pursuing this program, your commitment to conducting research, and the research areas that interest you. The statement should be between 800 and 1,000 words.

Include the following elements in your statement: 

• Program Concentration: Indicate your preferred field of study, choosing from Accounting and Control, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Health Systems, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, or Strategy and Organization. 
• Research Topic: Identify one or more topics you wish to explore in your thesis based on your chosen concentration. 
• Potential Supervisor: Throughout your program, you’ll work closely with your supervisor or co-supervisors on your research. Include the name of at least one professor whose research interests match yours and whom you’d like to work with. Make sure that the professor(s) you name are taking on students this academic year. 
  • Selecting a potential supervisor: To learn more about our professors’ research interests, areas of expertise, and peer-reviewed publications, see the list of potential supervisors. Additionally, read about their work on the Telfer Knowledge Hub. 
  • Contacting a potential supervisor: Reach out to potential supervisors via email to introduce yourself and express your interest in working with them. Emphasize your research experience and potential, academic background, and how your research interests may align. 
    You may schedule a meeting with a professor to discuss common research interests and the possibility of working together. Follow up on your meeting with a thank-you email. 

Complete the OUAC online application form. Your application is transmitted once you pay the application fee. You’ll receive your uoAccess ID and password by email in three to five days. They’ll allow you to log into the uoZone student portal.

Prepare the following documents for upload to your uoZone account: 

• Curriculum vitae (resumé): Detail research and academic experience relevant to your area of research interest.
• Statement of research interest: Find out how to prepare your statement of research interest.
• Writing sample: Upload a copy of a writing sample, such as a scholarly paper you wrote, 10 to 15 pages in length.   
• Admission test scores (if applicable): Speed up the evaluation process by uploading a copy of your GMAT or GRE report. Request the electronic transmission of your official GMAT or GRE test results to the Telfer Graduate Programs Office.
  • GRE institutional code: 0993
  • GMAT department code: 4BZ-76-85 (PhD)
  • Note: We don’t accept the TAGE MAGE test for this program.
• Transcripts: Upload copies of all unofficial transcripts for each postsecondary institution that you’ve attended.
  • Transcripts from institutions not in Canada or the U.S. should include the grading scale (often found at the bottom or on the back of the transcript). If not, you must get it from your school.
  • The Telfer Graduate Programs Office will request transcripts from the University of Ottawa.
  • If your transcript is in a language other than English or French, you must submit a certified translation.
  • If you receive an admission offer, you must provide official transcripts.
  • If you completed your studies in China and receive an admission offer, you must submit official translations (transcripts and diplomas) certified by the Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education, P.R. China (CSSD), formerly China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC). They must be sent directly to the University of Ottawa.
  • Official transcripts must be sent directly to us either by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by mail to the following address:
    Telfer School of Management
    55 Laurier Avenue East, Room 4160
    Ottawa ON
    K1N 6N5
    Canada
• Official language proficiency test scores: Submit test scores on one of the following tests, if applicable:
  • TOEFL (Institutional code: 0993)
  • IELTS
  • PTE (Pearson Test of English)
  To be considered valid, your test score must be less than two years old at the time of your application. Speed up the evaluation process by uploading a copy of your language test report. Request to share your test results with the Telfer Graduate Programs Office

When you’ve completed all sections of the online application, you can submit your complete application. If you forget to fill in mandatory sections, you will be re-directed to the error/warning section. Review these notifications. You can then submit your complete application.

To submit your application to the Telfer School of Management, you must pay the non-refundable fee. Application fees can’t be waived.

You’ll receive an email from the University of Ottawa within 3 to 5 days following your online submission. This email will contain your student number, uoAccess ID, and password to access the uoZone student portal. If you don’t receive this email, check your OUAC account to ensure that your application has been successfully submitted.

Once you’ve received your uOttawa login credentials, sign into the student portal, where you’ll be able to submit the required documents to complete your application.

Once you’re logged in, go to the Applications section to access the uoDoc: Upload Admissions Documents application and upload your documents.

Note:

• The selection committee will not consider applications without all the required documents.
• We don’t accept paper documents. If you submit paper versions of any documents during the admission process, they’ll be shredded. Documents received other than those required are disregarded and deleted.
• Any document not written in English or French must be accompanied by an official translation in English or French.
• If you’re having problems uploading your electronic documents, email the Telfer Graduate Office.

Add your two referees’ contact information in the Admission Portal checklist (uoZone) . Your referees will receive an email from the University of Ottawa with a link to a recommendation form to be submitted online. The referees should be academic contacts with knowledge of your research abilities.