Students in the M.Sc. program are required to take a minimum of four (4) graduate courses. The graduate class AGRI 5700 Communications Skills and Graduate Seminar is a required class. The remaining three (3) courses are selected by the student in consultation with his or her supervisor. In addition, all students must complete a research thesis embodying original contribution in the thesis field of study. The thesis is defended at an oral examination. Students must also demonstrate in the laboratory of a least one undergraduate class in order to gain knowledge and experience in classroom instruction, and must be admitted to candidacy within the first four to six months of their program.
International Requirements:
English is the standard language of study at the NSAC and Dalhousie University. Thus, candidates whose native language is not English must demonstrate their capacity to pursue a graduate-level program in English before admission. The standard test is TOEFL. The minimum acceptable scores are 580 for the written TOEFL, 92 for the internet-based test and 237 for the computer-based test. It is also recommended that potential students taking the non-computer TOEFL test should also take the Test of Written English (TWE) component. Official TOEFL reports are to be submitted to NSAC (institution code 0844). The following other tests will also be accepted with the following minimum scores: MELAB, 90; IELTS, 7; CanTest, average of 4.5 with no band score lower than 4.0; CAEL, 60 overall ,with no band score lower than 50. The TOEFL requirement is waived if the applicant has completed a degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English.
