Frequently Asked Questions

Once Western receives your completed application and payment, an automated email will be sent to you confirming receipt of the completed application. The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will complete a preliminary assessment of your application to calculate an admission average, establish an academic degree basis for your potential admission and determine any additional documentation required by Western should you receive an offer of admission. After your application passes through the preliminary assessment phase an email will be sent to you confirming your application is now in the hands of the program to which you are applying.

Evaluation of applications released by the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies to the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine can take one to five working days.  An email will be sent to the applicant to confirm that the application is complete, or incomplete – usually due to outstanding references.  Referees should be advised that references are due on the application submission deadline of 15 March.

Applicants should realize that applications received on or after the deadline may not be approved in time for the desired start date. International applicants should also allow time for visa processing.

Completed applications are reviewed by the MClSc Selection Committee in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. For selected applicants, interviews will take place in May.

For a full description of the application process, please see:  https://grad.uwo.ca/admissions/apply.html

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine does not require a GRE be submitted with an application to the program.

Western makes it possible for you to submit your supporting documents in a digital format. You will want to be certain that each of your documents is saved as a .pdf file and that its size is less than 3000kb (3mb). Scanning in "gray scale" or black and white may produce the best results. Non-legible scans will not be accepted.

Please do not submit password protected documents.

If you are offered admission, you are required to provide one official academic transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended. An official transcript is a transcript in an unopened envelope with the institution's stamp on the seal.

The minimum academic requirement is a four-year undergraduate degree. A three-year degree, plus certificate or diploma, is not considered a four-year degree. For applicants considering the program, but who do not possess a four-year degree, the following options are available:

• Complete a four-year undergraduate degree. An academic counsellor can advise which eligible credits from your current program be transferred to another undergraduate program. The undergraduate program does not need to be taken at Western, and does not need to be a BSc (please refer to our website for full details - https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/pathol/gps/mclsc_pathologists_assistant/future_students/admission_requirements.html).
• Complete a masters program.

The School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies will use a conversion scale to calculate the admission average. The calculation will be completed based on the applicant’s most recent two years of study.  Summer, part-time, intersession, distance education and undergraduate university courses taken beyond the four-year undergraduate degree are also included.

Western does not include marks from the following types of courses in the calculation of an applicant's admission average:

• Internship/placement or activity-type courses
• Bachelor of Education
• Certificate or diploma program
• Non-convertible grades (e.g. pass/fall)
• Naturopathic or chiropractic medicine
• Continuing Education programs

Exchange program grades are included if they are convertible.

International applicants are invited to check WES Credential Evaluation to see how their grades convert to the Canadian grading system.

Students with a slightly lower admission average may be considered if they have very favourable supporting letters, and have demonstrated an exceptional aptitude for the profession.

For full details on acceptable achievement of English language proficiency, click here. Please do not submit password protected documents. 

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine does not offer conditional admission based on completion of an English language proficiency program.

For full details on acceptable achievement of English language proficiency, click here. Please do not submit password protected documents.

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine does not offer conditional admission based on completion of an English language proficiency program.

Referees are contacted by the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies once your application has been received. Letters are submitted electronically. Referees should be advised that references are due on the application submission deadline of 15 March.

You can change your referee by logging in to https://student.uwo.ca with your Western Identity. Click “Apply for Graduate Admission”, and then click “Edit Referees” next to your application. You will not be able to change the referee information if the reference has been provided. Referees should be advised that references are due on the application submission deadline of 15 March.

Referees should be individuals who know the applicant well, but are not family members or personal friends. If an applicant has been out of school for some time, both references may be from a supervisor or employer. Referees should be advised that references are due on the application submission deadline of 15 March.