I previously completed my bachelors degree at McMaster University in Honours Life Sciences with a minor in Biochemistry (2018). The admissions process consisted of marks from the final year of undergraduate studies, an academic CV, a personal statement, and 2 letters of reference from academic/research supervisors, and application fee was $100. I only applied to one Master's program. My final year GPA was 3.96 on 4.00 scale.
Course Curriculum
The faculty in this program are some of the most supportive and kind people I have ever met. They are very willing to answer questions and engage you in various research projects. The ratio can range from 1:40+ to 1:10 depending on the popularity of the class. The faculty are global experts in their field and are renowned researchers who care deeply about advancing the study of health and research methods. It is an honour and a privilege to learn from them.
Exams
During my undergraduate career, I became quite interested in research, specifically clinical research, and wanted to understand how to design various clinical studies to answer important scientific questions. My research supervisor at the time referred me to the Health Research Methodology MSc. program at McMaster, as it is amongst the most prestigious and competitive clinical epidemiology programs in the world. There are around 40 people in the program, most of which are clinicians. If pursuing the course-based stream, you must take 7 courses. If pursuing the thesis-based stream, you must take 5 courses. The minimum GPA for admission was 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the last year of undergraduate study.
Internship
Yes, there are various opportunities available. Some students are Teaching Assistants- as graduate students, you can make up to $43 CAD for 1 hour of instruction. Other students work jobs across campus- for example, they may be administrative assistants or work in the cafeteria and they make minimum wage as determined by the province of Ontario. Typically, thesis based students are provided funding from the school approximating $19,400 annually, and Teaching Assistantships account for some of that amount. Course-based students are usually not funded.
Fees
The total tuition for this program is $7008 annually. A course-based stream can usually be completed in 1 year. A thesis-based stream can be completed in 2 years. International applicants may apply to a number of scholarships available on the School of Graduate Studies website. I highly recommend checking early and keeping track of deadlines as applications are done via Mosaic (the administrative system used at McMaster) and are easy to miss.
Hostel
I lived off campus in student housing. The cheapest rent I have seen is $350. I pay $525 for a single room in a house with 7 other people (sounds like a lot, but it really isn't that bad). I prefer not to live on campus as campus-work-school life all in one geographical location can get monotonous- which is to say, I like "walking" home.
