FAQ

The program welcomes applications from motivated applicants who meet the eligibility criteria for both its MDCM and its PhD components:

• For the MDCM component, applicants must meet all general and educational requirements detailed here.
• For the PhD component, it is important to show that you have the capacity and/or experience to conduct research.

We invite interested candidates to verify all of the eligibility criteria and apply at the main Applying Steps page for application guidelines.

Also see the MD-PhD application page for application guidelines.

For specific admission enquiries (for example application deadlines, eligibility criteria and pre-requisites) please contact Office of Admissions - admissions.med [at] mcgill.ca.

It is not compulsory to identify a Faculty supervisor for MD-PhD prior to application. However, it is the applicant’s responsibility to consult the list of graduate programs in the faculty of Medicine (see https://mcgill.ca/medicine/departments-schools and https://mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/programs) and to identify the researchers whose research interests best align with theirs. Applicants should also understand the detailed information that needed for admission and possibly reach out to the graduate program director and coordinator of the department.

Any medicine/health related research can be integrated into the MDCM-PhD program –this includes inter-disciplinary topics. The program is actively looking for people wanting to do a PhD not only in basic/clinical sciences, but also:

• Epidemiology
• Health Services Research
• Health Economics
• Management
• Computer Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• International Public Health

If you have a sense of your research interests please reach out to potential supervisors to gauge interest. Please consult the list of graduate programs in Medicine & Health Sciences.

Degree requirements for MDCM admission are detailed here. Most of our applicants have only undergraduate degrees and others have MSc’s. Having your Bachelor’s degree in Science is not a prerequisite for MDCM, it can be any undergrad degree (Engineering, Arts, Commerce, etc), although the majority of our applicants do come with a Life Sciences degree.

No. Candidates should have the equivalent of a bachelors degree to be admitted.

For the MD-PhD program, a good research experience is required. See here for the documents to be included. Publications strengthen but are not compulsory for admission. If your publication hasn’t been submitted or is still in preparation you can indicate so by stating (in prep., submitted, or in press) after the title.

First, you must meet the criteria for admission to the MDCM program, you are then considered for the combined program MDCM & Ph.D. The MCAT is required if your bachelor’s degree was conferred outside of Canada. Your application will be assessed simultaneously but separately by both the MDCM and PhD admissions committees. Selected applicants who meet the criteria of both committees will be invited to the MMI and the PhD interviews. Note that applicants whose candidacy is not retained by the PhD committee at any step are still assessed for entry to the MDCM program.

Students who have already started the MDCM program are not accepted to the MDCM-PhD program.

In rare cases, strong applicants who have completed no more than a year of a PhD may be considered. Applicants who are beyond their first year of a PhD program are not accepted.

Your one application to the MDCM-PhD program will be evaluated by both the MDCM and PhD review committees. If you are not accepted by the PhD program, you can still be offered a spot in the MDCM program.

No. Your supervisor for the programme must be appointed or co-appointed at McGill.

The program accepts applications from international students for the MD-PhD program.  Consult the specific criteria for international applicants. There is a maximum of 2 places per year for international students (either the MD or MD-PhD program). To qualify, it is necessary to have completed a degree that will be the basis of admission. 

Note that the Medical Council of Canada equivalency exam and the MCAT test are offered only at specific times of the year. Therefore it is important to start the process early. The deadline for submitting an application is November 1st each year.

There is an admission scholarship for international MDCM students (not guaranteed). International tuition differentials are covered for the years the student is in the PhD portion of the degree. Otherwise, students who have already been in Canada studying may be eligible for need-based financial aid. Newly arrived international students need to prove they are self-sufficient for their first year of study in order to receive a study permit.

The basis of admission degree is your first bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Please see the degree requirements page for details of the basis of admission degree. Also: See basic science requirement information.

Applicants in all residency categories have the same selection criteria and admissions process and are eligible for the MD-PhD program; no preference is given to any residency category. However, the Quebec government limits the number of seats in the MD program (inclusive of the MD-PhD). There are 2 seats for International students and 11 seats for Out of Province Canadian students.

The MCAT test is not required for candidates applying to the MD PhD program. Only candidates applying for a U.S. Government Direct Loan (Title IV) are required to submit an MCAT score with their application.

 Yes