Offered by University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada, PhD in Medical Science is a doctorate in Medicine programme. The programme runs for 4 years. Tuition for international students is CAD 2,859 per semester (CAD 1,225 per semester for local students).
Also offered as: Master's Degree
At a glance
Degree:Doctorate
Field:Medicine
Duration: 4 years
Local tuition: CAD 1,225 / semester
International tuition: CAD 2,859 / semester
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This is a thesis-based Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Science at the University of Calgary, offering broad scientific training with specializations spanning cancer biology, critical care medicine, joint injury and arthritis research, biomedical ethics, physiology, molecular and medical genetics, and mountain medicine and high-altitude physiology. The program requires three courses, mandatory research ethics training in the first year, participation in seminars and journal clubs, a defended research proposal, oral and written candidacy exams, and an original thesis that is submitted and defended. Full-time completion is expected within four years, with six years as the maximum. Instruction is based at the Health Sciences Centre building on the Foothills Campus in Calgary. Admission requires a minimum 3.3 GPA and an MSc or other relevant master's degree. The program is described as preparing students for independent scientific careers in academic and non-academic settings, with graduates going on to work as researchers, educators, clinicians, or in government agencies, health organizations, and industry. It suits master's-level science or health graduates seeking doctoral-level research training in a chosen biomedical specialty.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.30 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: Admission requires an MSc or other relevant master's degree, and a minimum GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale over the past two years of full-time study (at least 10 full-course equivalents or 60 units). Applicants submit a curriculum vitae and two reference letters. The programme page defers language testing to the Faculty of Graduate Studies' general standard: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0), TOEFL iBT 86 overall (no section below 20), PTE Academic 59, or Duolingo English Test 125 (no sub-score below 105); a degree taught in English at a recognised institution may exempt applicants. Admission is offered for May, September or January intake, with domestic deadlines of March 1, June 1 or October 1 respectively, and earlier deadlines for international applicants.
Application Details
Start Date:May, September and January
Application Deadline:For Fall 2027 entry, the University of Calgary opens undergraduate applications for domestic applicants on 1 October 2026 and for international applicants on 15 August 2026, both closing on the same firm application deadline of 1 March 2027, with supporting documents due by 15 March 2027 and offers accepted by 1 May 2027. International applicants follow the identical March 1 deadline; the university publishes no separate, later international closing date. Applications are not accepted on a rolling basis after the deadline for most direct-entry programmes, though a small number of programmes (e.g. Nursing) run further selection rounds into the summer while space remains. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
