Applicants will be required to meet the admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies:

Degree Requirement: An Honours bachelor’s degree or the international equivalent from an accredited university

• GPA: B+ average (77-79%, equivalent to a McMaster 8.5 grade point average) in the final year of undergraduate study
• English Language Requirements: Applicants whose native language is not English will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the use of the English language, as outlined in the Graduate Calendar. Similar to several other graduate programs, a minimum acceptable TOEFL (iBT) score will be 92 overall with a minimum of 22 for reading, 24 for speaking, 24 for listening and 22 for writing. Alternately, an overall minimum IELTS score of 7.0 will be required.

For admission to the MSc in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care program, an applicant must also meet the criteria listed below to ensure the appropriate background and success of our learners.

For those applying to Stream 1 of this program, which provides the academic and clinical preparation to enter the field of child life, applicants will also be required to demonstrate the following:

• Volunteer Work: A minimum of 100 hours of volunteer work in a child life program is required. Please refer to the Volunteer Hours Form
• Pre-requisite Courses: This course work must cover growth and development from birth to 18 years of age as a requirement for child life specialist certification eligibility. A conditional offer of admission can only be made to those still completing this course work. Admission will be contingent upon confirmation of these courses being successfully completed by June 30th in that year. Download a copy of the Child Development Course Review Form for more details and email your completed form to our review team at childlife@mcmaster.ca. You are welcome to include courses you have already taken as well as those you are considering for preapproval.
• Interviews: Successful completion of the program’s multiple-mini-interviews

Meeting the above minimum admissions requirements does not guarantee admission. Limited space will be available, and the admission process is expected to be competitive.

To confirm all items required for your online application please refer to the Stream 1 Application Check List

In addition to fulfilling the Masters in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care program’s Admissions Requirements, please review the Stream 1 Application Check List. Download a copy of the Volunteer Hours Form. Please note the full hours of volunteer experience must be complete and verified on this form by June 30 of the year you are applying.

An online application is required to be filled out through the School of Graduate Studies at McMaster University. Please visit the “How to Apply” section of the School of Graduate Studies for more information and when you are ready to begin the application process.

To begin the online application process, you will need to select the stream you are applying to so you can be directed to the appropriate page. Please refer to the application checklists for instructions.

Following successful submission of an online application, you will receive an email confirming that your application has been received by the department.

McMaster University pioneered the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format for use in the selection of medical school candidates beginning in 2002. The Child Life program at McMaster University, situated in the Division of Pediatrics within the Faculty of Health Sciences adopted the MMI format for our child life program candidate interviews beginning with the prospective students for the incoming class of 2014-2015.

Given the high stakes involved in candidate selection, we use the MMI format to help assure a fair selection and interview process, not only to those that apply, but also for children and families for whom the profession serves. For this purpose, we feel the MMI interview provides a more accurate portrayal of a candidate’s suitability for graduate education and for suitability to the child life profession and a career in health care.

Following application review, selected candidates will be invited to interview. Our MMI interview process allows us to interview a greater number of candidates (40 applicants) and provides them with opportunities to respond to questions in a one-to-one environment (one interviewee and one interviewer per station).  Within our MMI format, candidates move to separate rooms or stations for a series of short independent interviews with a different interviewer in each station. At each station (usually lasting 8-10 minutes), the candidate discusses a scenario or responds to questions. The interviewer uses a standardized scoring form to rate candidates.

At the end of the MMI interview process, there will also be an opportunity to attend a general information session about our program in a group format (all candidates interviewing on that day are invited to attend).

The Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care Program has a facilitated admission process for Indigenous applicants. In accordance with the Self-Identification policy of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) applicants who wish to apply through this process must complete the supplementary Self-identification Application. For information on the policy, application requirements and the online application please refer to the Indigenous Health Learning Lodge.

Consideration will be given to Stream 1 Indigenous applicants who do not have child life volunteer hours. Those Indigenous applicants who satisfy all other Stream 1admission requirements will be automatically invited to come for an interview. Interviews are not required for Stream 2 applicants. Indigenous applicants will be prioritized within this stream.