The finalized application, including all official required documentation and completed reference letters, must be submitted by the deadline listed on the application page. As the decision-making process begins immediately, any materials submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed.
At least two of the three appraisals should be from professors who know you well enough to evaluate your capacity to conduct independent scholarly work.
Completion of a Master’s degree, in any field, from an accredited university or college is required. The applicant must have at least a B+ (75-79%) average. In exceptional cases, we will consider applicants who only have an undergraduate degree, but solely if their grades are truly outstanding.
Either GRE, GMAT or GMAT Focus Edition test score reports are accepted. Preference to one exam is not given over the other. Tests may be taken online or at a testing centre. Test scores older than five years are not accepted.
This requirement may not be waived or substituted.
We strongly prefer GRE, GMAT or GMAT Focus Edition scores with both verbal and quantitative components ranking at least in the 75th percentile. If applying for admission to a math-intensive program (e.g. Management Science), the quantitative component should be much higher (90th percentile +).
Most of our successful applicants score very well on these tests. In the last two years, for example, the average GMAT (or GRE converted to GMAT) has exceeded 700.
See Admissions Requirements (3. English Language Proficiency Test).
If, during the previous two consecutive years, the applicant has studied and/or worked in a country where English is the primary language used, they may submit a written letter within the online application requesting the English language proficiency test requirement be waived.
See Admissions Requirements (3. English Language Proficiency Test) for specifics.
Supervisors are assigned when offers of admission are made, not at the time of application.
We recommend reaching out to faculty members within your chosen discipline who you feel share your research interests ahead of the application deadline. This will help you determine if our program is a good fit for you.
The PhD program at Ivey is a full-time program and students are expected to be on campus during their time in the program.
Yes. Previously submitted applications will not be reviewed. Applicants must submit a new application, pay the full application fee, and submit transcripts covering all academic work, including any undertaken since the time of last application.
We only admit outstanding applicants and have no set quota. In recent years, class size has ranged from nine to 16 students each year.
On average, it takes students five years to complete our the program.
Students admitted to our program are awarded a base funding package in each of their first five years of full-time doctoral study.
They are not required. However, papers that you have written and which have been published will be considered in support of your application.
You must submit an application. Individual faculty cannot make offers of admission. We encourage you to speak with faculty in your area of interest to make sure our program is a good fit for you.
If you have questions about a particular field, you should contact the respective PhD faculty discipline coordinator (name and contact information available at the bottom of each discipline page).
There are many services available to international students. To learn more about these services please visit the Western International & Exchange Student Centre website.
If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you will need a study permit and/or temporary resident visa to study in Canada. It takes at least six months to gather the information and documents required to apply for a study permit and to plan and prepare for a move to Canada as an international student.
Materials that are not in English must be transcribed by an official and notarized transcription agency.
Yes. You must submit an official interim transcript with your application. If you are offered admission, the offer will be conditional upon your successful completion of the Master's degree.
Differentiation of PhD programs is strongly related to differentiation of research. Ivey’s focus on high quality, managerially relevant research is one key point of differentiation. Ours is a culture that cares deeply about what managers think and do and this is reflected throughout the doctoral program. A second point, related to the first, is that we believe in cross-disciplinary research, where it makes sense for the problem of interest. The fact that students from different groups take many courses together provides a tangible means by which cross-disciplinarity comes to be understood and fostered. This culture, which permeates the school as a whole as well as the doctoral program, helps participants to take a broader perspective on their research (and on the work of a business school in general).
Requirements for the PhD fall into two categories: Program Requirements and Discipline Group Requirements. All students complete courses required by the program and thereby develop skills that will enhance their ability to generate leading-edge research. Typical degree requirements are listed under Program Overview.
No. However, students who are adept at calculus and matrix algebra tend to have an easier go of their first year, since a lot of their statistics training during the PhD program relies on both these tools. If you have never taken calculus or matrix algebra, we advise you to take formal courses before enrolling in the PhD program, especially if your future area of study tends to be math-intensive. If you took these courses a long time ago, you might want to seek out a refresher.
Offers of admissions are made for the fall only.