Approved Programs
New undergraduate and graduate for-credit degree programs that have been approved by the Quality Council on or after September 1, 2011 are detailed in this database, which can be searched in multiple ways: by university, year, program level and/or keyword.
Program Approvals: McMaster University
The Master of Biomedical Innovation (MBI) program will be a multidisciplinary, project-oriented graduate program focused on bridging the gap between device and health system technology development and its transfer into local, national, and international biomedical markets. By linking the theory and practice of the biomedical innovation process, it will deliver a systematic but responsive approach to the critical, emerging discipline of entrepreneurship. Graduates with the MBI degree will have the knowledge and skills needed to seamlessly foster innovative biomedical approaches to current and future health challenges from the earliest stages (identification of real-life healthcare problems/needs, prototype development and testing) into practical, market-ready ventures. This integrated program will leverage existing partnerships and agreements between the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Hamilton hospital networks, local innovation hubs, and industry partners. MBI graduates will contribute to the growing biomedical and health technology sector, thereby attracting and retaining entrepreneurial talent that leads to the creation of not only improved health care but new jobs, economic growth, and community benefits.
The MBI will be a one-year program housed in the Department of Surgery and will be the cornerstone of the new Marnix E. Heersink School of Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The project and course-based curriculum will be anchored by opportunities for immersive experiences and a series of intensive bootcamps that will guide learners through the biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship process with one-on-one coaching and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs.
In keeping with McMaster University’s purpose of advancing human and societal health and well-being, the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI) has created the Graduate Diploma in Community and Public Health.
Designed with flexibility in mind, the Graduate Diploma in Community and Public Health is delivered exclusively online, providing professionals in – or aspiring to – public health, mental health, and social service roles, as well as recent graduate students, with the knowledge, skills and expansive network they need to forge a rewarding career in community and public health.
Comprised of four courses, the Graduate Diploma in Community and Public Health can be completed in as little as 16 months. Learners will make the most of an innovative online curriculum, combining synchronous discussions and asynchronous components, taught by world-class faculty whose research programs inform public health policy and practice locally, nationally and internationally.
As one of Canada’s best schools for public health education, McMaster University’s aim is not simply to arm its learners with a graduate diploma, but to empower them to tackle the most pressing community and public health issues of our time with confidence, conviction and compassion.
The Master of Science in Midwifery is the first of its kind in Canada. This midwifery-led graduate program has been designed from the ground up to provide midwives from Canada and abroad with the leadership, scholarship, and clinical knowledge and skills needed to advance their contributions as a midwife, drive positive change and strengthen the midwifery profession.
In response to a global call for midwives to play an increased role in the leadership within health systems, our core courses are founded on the major attributes of advanced midwife practitioners, including autonomy in practice, leadership, expertise, and research skills. Elective courses will allow students to develop discrete advanced clinical skills or expertise in a focussed area of interest, and optional clinical and leadership placements will provide real-world experience to support students’ growth and development. Graduates will be prepared for roles such as clinical and professional leaders, educators, researchers, and clinicians with specialized advanced clinical skills.
The degree is designed to provide students with the flexibility to complete the program part-time while continuing to work and without relocating. The program offers the option of either a course-based or a thesis-based stream. While the thesis-based stream must be completed full-time, the course-based program may be completed either full-time or part-time. The program uses a hybrid format, with a combination of asynchronous online, synchronous online, and in-person learning, which allows the degree to be completed from a distance. With only two mandatory week-long in-person residencies (one in the summer in the program’s first term and the second in the summer term before the student’s final year) requiring travel to Hamilton, Ontario, the degree is accessible for students from across the globe.
The M.Eng. in Systems and Technology is a course-based program that offers students two options towards degree completion: 1) completion of nine 3-unit courses or 2) completion of six 3-unit courses + an eight-month project. Students will acquire competencies required to analyze, operate, design, and implement smart systems and open the pathway to careers across different industries, within commerce, or in governments. Students can tailor their learning portfolio to include Automation and Robotics, or Artificial Intelligence (machine learning, deep neural networks), or Augmented / Virtual Reality and apply these capabilities to automotive, manufacturing, or other fields. Applicants are expected to be proficient in writing code in one or more programming languages (e.g. C++, or C#, or MATLAB, or Python).
Students selecting the courses + project option will spend eight months in an industrial internship while working on their project.
Students can chose to specialize in one of three areas:
Advanced Manufacturing
Automotive
Automation and Smart Systems
Applicants should have a background in engineering or computer science. Admissions are for September or January with the duration of the program being 12-16 months for full time students opting for the course-only program while students enrolled in the courses + project program are expected to complete the program within 16 months. Part time students can only enrol in the course-based option and are expected to complete the program within 36 months.
The Ph.D. program in Statistics is a research-focused program that will train students to develop theory, methods, and tools for the analysis of increasingly diverse emerging data types. The proposed program is unique in that it combines a traditional Ph.D. program in Statistics, covering many areas of research, with an unusually significant research strength in computational statistics, which is a very important area of training in this data-centric era. In fact, the training in computational statistics that the proposed program will deliver is an essential component of the highly-skilled workforce for which Ontario is striving.
In addition to the traditional entry route, i.e., after completion of a suitable master’s degree, students can transfer into the Ph.D. program in Statistics from the M.Sc. in Statistics or can avail of direct entry. Students in the Ph.D. program in Statistics take at least two graduate level courses and complete a two-part comprehensive examination in addition to their research work over the four years of the program. In addition to gaining subject-matter expertise in statistics, students will gain valuable communications skills – both written and oral. The fostering of independence is another crucial part of the training and is manifest in the evolution of the supervisor-student relationship; specifically, as the student progresses towards the end of the program, the regular meetings with the supervisor, while maintaining a mentor-mentee tone, becomes more like a discussion between two collaborators.
Graduates of the Ph.D. program in Statistics will have a deep understanding of relevant statistical theory as well as an ability to develop computational and statistical tools for the analysis of modern data. By producing such graduates, the Ph.D. program in Statistics will help address the acute shortage of highly qualified statisticians, especially those trained to the doctoral level, who understand theory and can develop computational and statistical tools for the analysis of diverse emerging data types.
The proposed PhD program in Global Health builds on the award winning master’s program (Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Panorama Award for Outstanding International Education Program). The MSc. in Global Health has built a strong partnership with Maastricht University and our associate partner Manipal University in India. It is a transdisciplinary, transcontinental program that extends across the faculties of health sciences, social sciences and business at McMaster University and concomitant faculties at Maastricht. As a result, students will be exposed not only to local research experts but also to a diverse international faculty in the area of global health.
The goal of the proposed program is to offer students a high-quality research doctoral program that will develop and enhance their understanding of the current and emerging principles and practices of global health. In doing so, it will prepare students to deal with the complex problems they will face in health systems, undertaking research in global health, and analyzing complex policy and regulatory issues that shape the field of global health.
Students will complete coursework in global health research methods, and elective courses selected based on their substantive area of interest and methodological approach to their research study. Global Health PhD students will pursue original research for their thesis projects.
PhD students will be prepared at the local, national and international level for academic employment as well as research jobs, senior management and leadership positions in a range of global public, private, and non-profit organizations. They will develop leadership and high-level skills in community-engaged research and critical theory, and be able to participate constructively in public policy debates. Graduates will be well equipped with an in-depth transdisciplinary knowledge and professional skill-set, which will allow them to succeed across various sectors and remain influential in a rapidly diversifying global health labour market.
The Master of Science in Psychotherapy is a professional, course-based, clinically-focused graduate degree. The Psychotherapy Program is offered through the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. The aim of Psychotherapy Program is to offer students a clinical learning experience that includes theory, applied clinical skill development, and direct supervision and that will prepare them for a career as an independent psychotherapy practitioner.
Students in the Psychotherapy Program will be enrolled full-time and will complete 7 required graduate-level courses, 2 graduate-level elective courses and 2 clinical practicum placements over 5 terms (20 months). The required courses will cover introductory concepts as well as advanced training in psychotherapy theory, fundamentals of clinical research and applied clinical skills. The clinical training will be rooted in empirically-support therapies with a principal focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT is a short-term, goal-oriented, skills-based psychotherapy. The practicum courses will provide students with the opportunity to apply the skills they are learning in a clinical setting and receive ongoing support from a supervisor who is a registered clinician. Overall, the Psychotherapy Program is designed to provide students with a variety of training opportunities to gain theoretical knowledge and competency in the delivery of psychotherapy.
The Blended Learning Part-Time MBA (BLPT) Program offers a unique combination of in-class and online learning, providing a convenient and flexible way for working professionals to complete their MBA degree. Whether they are seeking to advance their career or hoping to change industries entirely, the BLPT program will support their learning journey.
Online learning will be complemented with face-to-face instruction during three weekend residencies per term, resulting in a strong cohort experience. Graduates from this program will be able to respond to significant changes taking place in the global economy and will be prepared to adapt to ongoing workplace changes with innovation and strategic foresight.
The Blended Learning Part-Time MBA program will integrate knowledge from all functional areas of business, with an emphasis on personal development and leadership. Students will enhance their problem solving capabilities within a program that heavily promotes collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking and working with external partners. Students will also develop and enhance their professional skills, such as communication and persuasion, through the practical application of knowledge. The BLPT MBA program will conclude with a Strategic Integration Project, which allow students to synthesize and demonstrate learning outcomes.
All students admitted to the Blended Learning Part-Time MBA program will ideally possess a minimum of 4 years of relevant work experience, in order to contribute to an active and engaging program experience.
This intensive 12 month coursework program is the natural culmination of a sequence of program developments in this dynamic and important field that started with “PhiMac”, the Math department’s research group in financial mathematics. The new MFM program will build on the strength, experience and reputation of PhiMac featuring a focused set of core technical and professional outcomes. The program will provide incoming students with a broad range of quantitative problem solving skills which will lead to promising career paths in the finance industry. It begins with two four-month terms focused on coursework and ends with a four month “major industrial project” whose requirements to learn industry practice by direct interaction with industry professionals may be completed in one of several different ways. The resulting credential, the MFM degree, will be valued and respected as a confirmation of both the high quality training and the integrity of the graduate.
The PhD in Communication, New Media, and Cultural Studies (CNMCS) brings together three interdisciplinary fields that all originated in attempts to understand and debate big problems using tools from the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Cultural studies began by trying to articulate the significance of culture beyond the privileged space of the university, communication studies wanted to understand how mass media was changing modern society, and new media scholars and artists wanted to probe how computing and digital communications were changing human knowledge and creativity. Each of these fields understands that the problems society faces today, with all their varied technological, economic, ecological, and political implications, are, fundamentally, problems of communication and culture. Learning to read, critique, and create culture, media, and communication is critical to seeing things, and doing things, in new ways.
Students will have the option of completing a traditional academic thesis, a research-creation project, or a “sandwich” thesis comprised of student’s published or to-be-published articles. The students will gain training in a minimum of two fields and create interdisciplinary research.
Graduates of the program will be equipped with advanced research skills that are in wide demand in the labour market: the policy, not-for-profit, private and education sectors. The program’s emphasis on rigorous interdisciplinary training and professionalization will equip students with advanced cultural, social, and digital literacies; the ability to navigate and innovate in multiple modes of communication; and the capacity for analyzing and engaging complex systems and problems. In particular, this training will make students competitive in the growing academic job market in communication and new media.