When considering an application to all our graduate programs (thesis and course-based), it is the responsibility of the applicant to connect with a faculty member who could appropriately supervise the research project that you intend to develop. The role of the graduate supervisor is to provide guidance and direction in the selection of courses, the thesis or research topic and research methods, and thus must have the expertise required to support your intended research project. 

Potential supervisors will also be assessing your potential alignment with their expertise and their program of research. Some faculty members may be unable to accept new students at this time depending on the number of graduate students that they are currently supervising.

 Consider the following steps toward securing a potential supervisor:

1. Develop an executive summary of your personal academic. This should include highlights of your educational background, publications and academic achievements, and research plans.
2. The Research section of our web site can help you determine which professor's research may match your own areas of interest.  
3. Identify a list of those specific faculty members whose expertise is aligned with your intended research project.
4. Contact selected faculty members by email and append your executive summary of your academic profile. Invite the faculty member to connect with you by email, phone, or teleconference to have a conversation about your application.
5. Be prepared to explore with a potential supervisor how your possible research question could align with their research program and expertise. 

If you are unsuccessful in your search, it may be that our faculty members are not a good match with your area of research, or they do not have the capacity.  In that case, you may have to change your topic to one that more closely aligns with a potential supervisor, resulting in a good fit.  

Your other option would be to consider broadening your search to another great Canadian university.  Although we would like for you to study at the University of Alberta, we recognize that is not always possible as a student's success in a graduate program depends on finding a supervisor with similar research interests.