Master of Science in Finance (MSc)
Admission requirements
The John Molson MSc Admissions Committee takes a holistic approach, assessing candidates on their strong academic credentials, research experience, intellectual and leadership potential, superior communication skills and career aspirations. For more information on the application process, please consult the step-by-step application guide.
As it is a competitive program with a limited number of available seats each year, we recommend exceeding the minimum requirements for better chances of admission.
Academic credentials
- Undergraduate degree in any discipline with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 out of 4.3
- Applicants must have maintained the equivalent of at least a 3.0/4.3 average (roughly equivalent to a B grade) for their final two years of studies.
- International applicants must have obtained their degree from an accredited university; see a listing of international equivalencies.
- Depending on background, non-commerce applicants may be required to take supplemental courses. *See below
- If you are currently enrolled in school:
- Submit the results of all previous terms and a list of your current courses
- Include mid-year grades for your current courses, if available
We accept English or French transcripts.If your transcript is in another language, you must provide the original sealed transcripts, as well as a certified translation.
You may upload unofficial scanned copies of your transcripts for the application. Official sealed transcripts (and certified translations, if applicable) will be requested if you are admitted.
Applicants who are completing or have completed their previous degree(s) at Concordia University do not need to upload a copy of the Concordia transcript(s), since we already have it(them) in our system.
English language proficiency
Applicants who did not complete their undergraduate degree in a country on our exempt countries list must write a pre-admissions English proficiency test. We accept the following language tests and minimum scores:
- TOEFL iBT: 95 overall with no band below 20
- Academic IELTS: 7.0 overall with no band below 6.5
- We prefer the TOEFL and IELTS tests, but since the pandemic we have accepted the Duolingo English Test with a 120 overall and no band below 120
Although John Molson prefers the above tests, you may take another language test as indicated on our Graduate Admissions page if not exempted as indicated below.
- Exemptions:
- A minimum of three full years of study at the undergraduate or graduate level at an accredited university in one of the following countries;
- Quebec applicants who have completed a Diploma of Collegial Studies (DEC) and a university degree in Quebec, regardless of whether it was in English or French.
We do not accept English proficiency test scores more than 2 years old.
Note: Please upload your unofficial scores to your application. If you are accepted into the program, you will then be asked to have the official scores sent to us.
Other requirements
Although work experience is not required, applicants must provide a copy of their CV / resume showing education, professional experience and achievements, including internships and volunteering, if applicable.
Your CV / resume should:
- be complete (e.g. providing year AND month timeframes);
- be legible and concise (ideally 1 page, 2 pages MAX);
- include a summary of your academic, professional and personal achievements;
- be tailored for a university application with academic experience first, followed by professional experience, etc.
Applicants must provide a Statement of purpose (also known as a Letter of intent) addressed to the Admissions Commitee indicating their reasons for choosing the program, their background and career goals and how the program will help them to achieving those goals. Applicants should also present their initial research interests and refer to any professor(s) specializing within their area of interest.*
Overall, applicants will want to convey not only that the program is right for them, but that they are right for the program. The Statement of purpose should be approximately 500 words.
*Please note that applicants to John Molson’s research-based graduate programs do not need to have a thesis supervisor in order to apply.
Below is a sample of questions that may help you to draft your personalized Statement of purpose::
- Briefly describe any research experience you have, if applicable, including applied research. If you do not have prior research experience, what do you think are the most important elements of undertaking advanced research projects?
- What initial research idea(s) or topic(s) might you want to pursue in the program? Are there any of our faculty members specializing in this area?
- Briefly highlight your strengths that you would bring to the program, your weakness(es) that you would want to improve upon in the program and your career objectives, as well as how would this specific program help you to achieve them?
Applicants must include the names, affiliated institutions and email addresses (college / university or company mail) of at least two academic references (i.e., from former professors). An additional reference may be from a professional reference. A suitable referee is an individual who knows you well, academically and/or in a professional context, but who does not report to you.
Your referees will receive an email from application.support@concordia.ca inviting them to complete an electronic assessment form and attach their letter of reference. You are strongly encouraged to submit your application before your program’s application deadline in order to give your referees sufficient time to provide their assessment and letter of reference.
Where applicable, applicants must include a certified copy of their birth certificate, Permanent Resident card, Canadian Citizen Card, or Refugee Status papers. International students must include a copy of their valid passport.
A non-refundable application fee paid online by credit card.
Non-commerce students
Depending on background, students without an academic background in commerce or business may be asked to take one or more supplemental courses. These "Qualifying Program" courses are not pre-requisites to be completed before starting the program, but are to be completed during the program as part of the degree requirements.
The following courses may be recommended for such students:
- FINA 385 - Theory of Finance I
- FINA 395 - Theory of Finance II
- FINA 410 - Investment Analysis
- FINA 411 - Portfolio Management
Additionally, all students are expected to have basic statistics background. If they don’t, they may be asked to take a supplemental statistics course. View more information regarding the required statistics background.
Questions?
For more information on the application process, please consult the research-based programs Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
