Geography: Master of Science (MSc) at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada is a master's degree in Geography programme. The programme runs for 6 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 2,193 per semester (CAD 2,193 per semester for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Master's Degree
Field:Geography
Duration: 6 semesters
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 2,193 / semester
International tuition: CAD 2,193 / semester
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
SFU Geography's MSc is the physical-geography, methods-driven counterpart to the department's MA, and shares the same overall shape: an 18-unit thesis, two non-credit orientation courses, and 12 units of further coursework. Where the MA's required course centres on human-geography theory, MSc students instead take a course in research design and analytical technique built for physical geography, which can be swapped with supervisor approval, plus two more courses from geography or an approved related department. It fits students whose research leans on quantitative and analytical fieldwork or lab methods, and like the MA, students with gaps in their undergraduate background may be asked to take extra preparatory coursework.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Program pages for the master's route describe coursework and thesis structure rather than admission criteria, and the department's how-to-apply page likewise states no numeric GPA or minimum test score, requiring only that applicants from countries where English is not the primary language take TOEFL, plus reference letters preferably from an academic source, a curriculum vitae, transcripts, and a research statement of up to 500 words explaining the applicant's reasons for pursuing graduate work. As with the PhD, a faculty member must commit to supervising the applicant's proposed physical-geography research before the application can succeed. Applicants should expect SFU's general graduate standard to apply in practice: an IELTS Academic overall band of 6.5, minimum 6.0 per section, or a TOEFL iBT overall score of 90, minimum 20 per section, for applicants whose first language is not English.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC, with one set of dates per applicant type rather than by citizenship. Fall 2027 entry: high-school-route applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027, while transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027 (Education and Contemporary Arts transfer applicants may apply from 1 October 2026). Spring 2027 entry runs 1 July to 15 September 2026, and Summer 2027 entry runs 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Admission documents are generally due 28 February 2027 (Fall) and offers must be accepted by 1 May. International applicants use the same EducationPlannerBC dates and portal; SFU publishes no separate international deadline. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
