Required Documents

Required Documents

All documents listed below are to be included in your online application form via the SGS portal.

Curriculum Vitae

You will be asked to upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) to the on-line application. Use the categories below when developing your CV. If a particular heading does not apply, you may leave it out.

• Academic education (post-secondary degrees, diplomas, certificates)
• Continuing education & certification (including workshops, professional development)
• Awards and honours (e.g. practice awards from employing organization, bursaries, scholarships)
• Professional employment
• Peer-reviewed presentations / publications / research (e.g. workshops, conferences, journal references)
• Current membership in professional organizations
• Committees (e.g. work-related, professional)
• Clinical / administrative / practice innovations (please provide brief descriptions or examples)
• Research involvement (please provide a brief description of projects and role and/or your involvement and role in research-oriented organizations)
• Relevant volunteer activities

Academic Research and Career Plans Essay Questions

Responses can be created in a Word or other document then copied and pasted into the application form. (Make note of word counts listed).

1. State the research questions or a specific area that interests you and why it needs to be researched (~1000 words)
2. Discuss your interest in and preparation for PhD studies in nursing (~250 words)
3. Describe how your personal background and life experiences contributed to your research interests and to your decision to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Toronto (~250 words)
4. Outline your career plans and discuss how doctoral education is relevant to your professional goals, and your area of research interest within the nursing profession (~250)
5. Discuss why you think the program at the University of Toronto is a good fit for you given your interests and plans (~250 words).
6. Describe your plan to balance the demands of the full time PhD program (course work, thesis/research, TAships) with personal and work commitments (~250 words).

A Sample of Your Scholarly Work

Upload a sample of your written work. Ideally this should be a research article or scholarly report on which you are the first author. If this is not available, then you should submit a sample of a graded paper from your last degree (Master’s level) written within the last 5 years.

Two Letters of Reference

Letters of Reference are submitted electronically through the SGS on-line application. You will need to provide the referees’ email addresses. Please communicate with your referees in advance to confirm their contact information. We will contact your referees by email and ask them to submit their recommendation electronically.

• Academic/Supervisor Reference. One reference should come from the professor who supervised your Master’s thesis or who is most familiar with your research.
• Academic Reference. One reference from a professor/lecturer who taught you and graded your written work during your previous degree and who can speak to your academic abilities. An alternate academic reference might come from someone who has taught you in a continuing education course or someone you know professionally who can speak to your academic abilities or research potential (e.g., ability to carry out research and analysis, ability to express ideas in writing and orally, potential to master complex theories and ideas). You might approach a senior figure in the nursing community whom you know through research work, committee work, conferences, etc.

You can login to your application to check the status of your references. Once your referee submits his/her recommendation, you will be able to see that it has been received. It is up to you to ensure that you submit the correct contact information for your referee. It is also up to you to ensure your referee submits his/her recommendation by the application deadline.

Electronic or Scanned Transcript(s)

Submit both an electronic copy of your transcript as well as an official transcript (either by mailing a hard-copy or having your university email an electronic copy to connect.nursing@utoronto.ca).

You are required to upload one electronic or scanned transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended to the on-line application so that we may assess your file immediately. Scanned copies of transcripts must be up to date and must include the transcript “legend” which is usually printed on the back of the paper transcript. You may upload those pages now as a single- or multi-page PDF, or each page as an image file. Ensure the files are legible before uploading.

Official Transcripts(s)

Order your transcript(s) from each university you have attended. Transcripts must be received by the Faculty of Nursing either directly from the issuing institution by email to connect.nursing@utoronto.ca or in an official envelope that is sealed and signed by the issuing institution across the seal. You may include a one-page cover letter to support your application if you believe the marks you received do not reflect your performance due to extenuating circumstances.

English Proficiency Test Results

International applicants must submit a copy of their English proficiency test scores. Applications with unsatisfactory test scores will not be assessed. This requirement must be met at the time you submit your application.

PhD Supervisory Agreement Form

Review and complete the form [PDF] with the assistance of your proposed supervisor.  Please note that completing the form and securing a supervisor does not guarantee acceptance into the PhD program.