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How to Apply

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Thank you for your interest in pursuing graduate studies at York University. Your first step is to review all admission and application requirements before beginning the process.

  1. Complete the initial Online Application and make the required payment by 15 January for priority consideration, or 15 March. This will be reviewed and uploaded by Admissions before you can complete the rest of your application.
  1. Once you receive your York University student/reference number (4-5 business days after online application), upload all additional documents required to MyFile:  
  • A statement of interest (MA applicants) or proposed plan of study (doctoral applicants) (both approximately 500 words)  
  • A resume or CV  
  • A scholarly writing sample that is single-authored and 12-20 pages
  • Transcripts from all universities attended (York University mailing address)
  • Three (3) academic letters of reference 
  • English Language Proficiency may be required (please see further details below)

Please refer to the  Admissions website and the Future Students website for more details.  

Application Instructions

The MA statement of interest should provide a clear description of the applicant’s intellectual interests for future study and research within the wider field of communication and culture. It is not expected to be a detailed plan for a specific project. The statement should address the applicant’s preparation for graduate work in the program and highlight any relevant accomplishments. Applicants can also briefly discuss any anomalous aspects of their application (e.g. factors that have interfered with the applicant’s academic career).  

The applicant should provide a clear and detailed description of the planned research area by including the objects of study, potential methods, and the compatibility of their scholarly interests with the program. Applicants should also discuss their preparation for doctoral study in the program especially if previous academic background (in terms of degrees, courses, previous research, etc.) appears distant from the central scholarly areas of communication and culture. Additionally, applicants may highlight any accomplishments relevant to admission into the program.     

Referee Information Form will be available on your MyFile under the section ‘Supplementary Information Form’. Once you have submitted your referees information, they will receive an email from Graduate Admissions asking them to fill out an online letter of recommendation form. If they decline to do so, they are asked to contact the applicant directly.

Frequently the automated York message is filtered into the recipient’s junk or spam folder. If they do not receive an email from York within 24 hours, please ask them to check their junk or spam folder. If they have not received it, please contact Trisha Diaram, Graduate Program Administrator at cmctgpa@yorku.ca to request for the link to be resent.

We allow up to a maximum of (1) one professional letter of reference.

Applicants applying on the basis that their academic and professional credentials are equivalent to an honours degree (for the MA program) or to a Master's/Magisteriate degree (for the PhD program) must make the case for equivalency in their statements of interest or in a covering letter as part of their application. 

If your first language is not English, you must show you have an acceptable level of English by completing a language proficiency test.

If you have completed at least one full year at an accredited university in a country where English is the official language of the institution, you may be exempt from this requirement.

York University reserves the right to require a successfully completed language proficiency test. Minimum acceptable English language scores is available on the Admission websiteAny test scores submitted to York University for the purpose of satisfying your language requirements must have been achieved within the last two (2) years.

Uploading English proficiency results is not permitted. You must request your test centre to send us your IELTS or TOEFL results electronically (York U institution number is 0894) and allow up to three weeks processing time.

You are not required to have a confirmed supervisor in order to be considered for admission. However, you should have an idea of the faculty members whose expertise aligns with your research interests and with whom you would like to study.

If you would like to re-upload already uploaded document (e.g. CV/Resume, Statement of Interest, Writing sample), please use MyDocServe tool. Processing turnaround time for these requests is 48 hours.

Applications will be accepted until the University deadline of 15 March. 

The University closes for a 10-day period around 25 December - 1 January. Any application made during that time will not be vetted by the Admissions Office and uploaded until after the University reopens in January. Due to the backlog of applications during this period, you may experience a delay in processing your initial application in January.

For questions about the application process, funding and scholarships, and general questions about the Communication & Culture Graduate Program, please contact Trisha Diaram, Graduate Program Administrator cmctgpa@yorku.ca

For questions about the PhD program and graduate studies at York, please contact Prof. Markus Reisenleitner, Graduate Program Director  cmctgpd@yorku.ca

For questions about the MA program and graduate studies at York, please contact Prof. Steve Bailey, MA Coordinator  cmctmac@yorku.ca

Transcripts should be sent or delivered to:

Mailing Address

York University
Office of Admissions (Graduate)
PO Box GA2300
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
CANADA


Tel: 416-736-5000
Fax: 416-736-5536

Courier or Hand Delivery Address

York University
Office of Graduate Admissions
W322 Bennett Centre for Student Services
99 Ian MacDonald Blvd
Toronto, ON
CANADA M3J 1P3

Telephone: 416-736-5000
Fax: 416-736-5536

Learn More

The York & Toronto Metropolitan University Joint Graduate Program in Communication & Culture at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education.