Graduate Embedded Certificate in Maternal and Child Health Research

The Graduate Embedded Certificate in Maternal and Child Health Research is for students in the MatCH scholarship program. It encompasses basic science, clinical, epidemiology and health services research in the departments of Medical Genetics, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology as part of the Medical Sciences Graduate Program.

The Certificate will provide students with additional training specific to maternal and child health including:

critical analysis of interdisciplinary biomedical and clinical research;
laboratory experience through rotations in three laboratories spanning multiple aspects of biomedical and/or clinical research to facilitate their final departmental placement; and
aspects specific to Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, or Medical Genetics depending upon the primary department that the student enters following the rotation semester.

Entrance Requirements

Applicants to the Graduate Embedded Certificate in Maternal and Child Health Research must apply to the MSc or PhD program in any one of the three participating departments in the Medical Sciences program. At the time of application they should indicate that they would like to be considered for the MatCH scholarship program.

Applicants must have an admission GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4-point scale from the University of Alberta. The admission GPA will be calculated on the last 60 units of graded coursework completed, or on the equivalent of the last two years of full-time graded coursework.

Where applicable, applicants must provide proof of English Language Proficiency (refer to English Language Requirement ). Any one of the following is acceptable:

TOEFL (internet based) minimum score of 100 with at least 21 on each of the individual skill areas, or equivalent
IELTS minimum score of 7.0 with at least 6.0 on each test band

All other proof of English language proficiency will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Students requesting the MatCH scholarship program must also submit

a curriculum vitae,
a personal statement,
three letters of reference,
a list of five investigators/laboratories that they would be interested in working with.

Admission is competitive and dependent on funding availability and the quota for the year.

Application deadlines:

September - Deadline for Application May 1
January - Deadline for Application, October 1

Program Requirements

Students in the Graduate Embedded Certificate in Maternal and Child Health Research are required to complete 9 units in coursework. Students may have to complete more than the minimum degree requirements to qualify for both the degree and the certificate.

Required Courses

INT D 605 (3 units) Interdisciplinary research experience in basic biomedical and clinical settings.
- This course must be taken in the first term of the degree program. Lab rotation will be based as much as possible on the student’s stated preferences
PAED 600 (3 units) Seminar Course in Paediatric Sciences (Critical Discussion of Biomedical and Clinical Research)

Elective Course

One 3-unit course relevant to women’s and children’s health, subject to approval by the student’s supervisory committee and the graduate coordinator in the student’s primary department

At the end of the first term of their degree program students may be matched to one of the three areas of rotation that they pursued as their primary department for the certificate. In the event that the certificate department is different than the degree department, students may request a change of program department.

Length of Program

All Graduate Embedded Certificate requirements must be completed during the student’s graduate degree program. The embedded certificate will be awarded at the time the students earn their degree.