FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility and Application

Program

Financial Questions

My undergraduate degree isn't in Computing. Can I still apply?

Yes you are eligible to apply and in fact we encourage good students from other disciplines to apply. However, once you are accepted into our program you will need to take some extra courses to strengthen your background in Computing Science that is necessary to master grad school. The rules of how this is done are explained on our webpage.

Can my employer write a reference?

Yes. The main thing is that your references are good and are coming from a credible source. although we would prefer at least one academic reference, references from well known companies or any source that shed light on your personality are encouraged.

Do you require GRE, TOEFL, and/or IELTS?

Applicants with a degree from an accredited university in the US or Canada do not have to submit GRE, TOEFL or IELTS scores. However we highly recommend it to strengthen your application.

Applicants from outside these 2 countries are required to submit recent IELTS or TOEFL scores. GRE scores are also recommended.

For more information please see:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): www.toefl.org
Graduate Record Examination (GRE): www.gre.org International English Language Testing System (IELTS): www.ielts.org

What are the minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores?

What are the minimum TOEFL and IELTS scores? The minimum TOEFL requirement is: paper based 600, computer based 250, and internet based 88 (minimum of 20 in each category). The minimum IELTS requirement is: an overall score of 7.

What if I have a low TOEFL, GRE and/or IELTS score?

We look at the complete application to get an understanding of the applicants suitability to our program. No single criteria exists that uniquely determines this fact. Hence, even if your test scores don't perfectly fulfill our requirements, we still consider your application to look for outstanding personalities.

When should I apply and how long does it take to get an answer?

You can apply at any time. However, the deadlines for receipt of completed applications (including all supporting documentation) are February 1 for admission to the Fall semester, and August 1 for the Spring semester. It is advisable to apply much earlier than the deadlines. The policy of the School is to admit the majority of students for the Fall semester. New students are not admitted to the Summer semester. The departmental decision deadlines are May 1 for Fall applicants and October 31 for Spring applicants.

Can I pay the application fee after I am admitted or after my arrival at SFU?

No.

I have not taken the TOEFL/GRE/IELTS yet. How should I fill out the appropriate fields in the application form?

Please enter 000 (zeroes) where we ask for a score and your Application Form should then be successfully submitted.

Do you have a part-time program?

No, we don't. However, many of our graduate students (mostly Ph.D.) typically attend a research semester in the industry or another institution. Some of our M.Sc. have a full- or part-time job during their tenure at SFU. We do not encourage the latter, as we find it important to focus on your studies, which is often necessary to cope with the challenges of our program.

How long does it take to get a M.Sc. and/or Ph.D.?

The expected time to finish the M.Sc. program is 5 to 6 semesters. Details can be found in the Grad Curriculum. The typical tenure of a Ph.D. student in our department is 12 to 15 semesters. Details can be found in the Grad Curriculum.

How many courses does a M.Sc. degree require?

M.Sc. students choosing the thesis option complete at least 15 semester hours of graduate work (typically 5 courses). M.Sc. students choosing the project option must take at least 24 semester hours of graduate work (typically 8 courses). M.Sc. student choosing the course option must take at least 30 semester hours of graduate work (typically 10 courses). Details about the course requirements can be found in our Grad Curriculum.

What are the areas of specialty of faculty?

The strengths of our research programs lie mainly in 5 main areas:

Algorithms and Complexity Theory (including combinatorics)
Artificial Intelligence (including logic, natural language processing)
Data Mining and Computational Biology
Graphics, Human Computer Interaction (including audio), Vision, and Visualization (including biomedical image processing)
Networks and Systems (including software systems)

Please have a look at our faculty pages for detailed information. Look here for Grad Curriculum regarding our faculty's research interests

How much is tuition?

Tuition charges change over the years, but are currently $4696.80 for the full academic year (assuming 3 semesters per year). For more details see the regulations in the SFU Calendar.

Are there Scholarships?

There are many scholarships available. The best summary can be found on our webpage. We encourage you to apply. For Canadian Students an important one to apply is the NSERC scholarship. Information about the NSERC scholarship with program details and deadlines can be found on NSERC's site.

How does the School provide support to students?

See the Financial Support section of the on our webpage page.

For more information

The best resource of information on our graduate program is online. However, if you couldn't get your questions answered or need specific material and are not able to find it online, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you have questions, please email us at gradpgm @ cs.sfu.ca