MASc Supervisor Interview in Canada: Questions

MASc Supervisor Interview in Canada: Questions

For a thesis-based MASc or MSc in Canada, the call with a prospective supervisor can be the admission decision and the funding decision at the same time. Waterloo's Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering department says "Finding a supervisor is mandatory in order to receive an offer of admission to the MASc program." University of Toronto MIE says MASc students "must be funded, either by external scholarships or by a professor's research funds" and "Without funding, we cannot offer admission."

So treat the call as a job conversation. Our view: before you hang up, ask what the funding is, where it comes from and for how long. Then confirm it in writing. It is a fair question: the department pages below show why the answer decides whether you can come at all.

Every university page quoted below was checked on October 31, 2026. Rules differ by department, not only by university; check your own department's page before the call.

Why the supervisor call decides

Eight department and program pages, side by side:

Two things follow (our reading). First, on seven of these eight pages an offer depends on a faculty member agreeing to supervise you (our count), so the person on the call has a veto. Second, at Waterloo ECE the person on the call is also the person who pays you: the GRS is "paid by the student's academic supervisor". The call is the one moment when the decision-maker and the budget-holder are the same person, talking to you directly.

The countercase: course-based MEng programs do not work this way. Waterloo CEE: "Course-based programs do not require a supervisor or research." If you are applying to an MEng, there is no supervisor call and no supervisor funding. Our page on whether you need a supervisor to apply in Canada sorts programs into the three models before you get this far.

What the call looks like

Three of the eight pages describe the format:

• Bishop's MSc Physics: "Potential supervisors will contact you directly for next steps (e.g., a Zoom interview), if they are interested in your application."
• UofT MIE: "Faculty members will review applications and may contact students about offering supervision."
• UofT Pharmacology: a committee interview, not a supervisor call: "All eligible applicants are contacted for a face-to-face interview with a member of the Graduate Education Committee (GEC). Where distance is an issue, telephone interviews might be arranged."

Bishop's example is a Zoom call with the professor. If the invitation does not say who will join or how long it takes, ask in your reply. That is a normal question.

Questions you will be asked

No Canadian page publishes a question list. The questions below are ours: what a professor deciding whether to fund you for two years would need to know. Each one maps to a paragraph of your statement of intent, so reread it first.

Two rules for answering. Say "I don't know, but here is how I would find out" instead of guessing. Our reading: a supervisor is checking how you will behave in the lab. Keep each answer to a minute or two, then stop and let them ask the next question. For more on the research questions, PhD interview questions for international students covers the same ground for doctoral calls.

Questions you must ask: funding

Ask these in the last ten minutes, in this order. Each one has an answer that should appear in your offer letter.

1. Is the position funded, and how much is it per year? Waterloo MME and ECE both state $18,000 per year as guaranteed funding for full-time MASc students.
2. Where does the money come from? A research studentship from the supervisor's grant, a teaching assistantship, a department award or an external scholarship. Waterloo ECE notes that a teaching assistantship is separate: "You may apply to the department to be considered for a GTA assignment once you are a registered student."
3. For how many years? Waterloo MME states "for 2 years".
4. Does it cover tuition? Waterloo ECE warns that "GRS funding amounts are meant to help cover the cost of tuition but are often not enough to cover annual living expenses." Ask what is left after tuition. Our guide to whether Canadian MASc funding covers tuition shows how to read the offer line by line.
5. What would you expect in the first term? Courses, lab training or a starting project. This tells you whether the funding is tied to a specific grant.

Published requirement vs our recommendation: no Canadian page says you must ask about funding on the call. The recommendation is ours, and it rests on two published facts: that funding is a condition of the offer (UofT MIE, UofT Pharmacology), and that at Waterloo ECE the supervisor pays it. If the professor prefers to discuss funding by email, accept that, and use the follow-up below. For asking after a yes, what to do when a supervisor says yes has a written version. For negotiating an offer you already hold, see negotiating a PhD funding offer.

After the call: follow-up email

Send it the same day or the next. It thanks the professor, confirms what you heard, and puts the funding answer in writing.

Constructed example: a follow-up email after a Waterloo-style call (96 words)

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's email.

Context (invented): Arjun Mehta, a mechanical engineering graduate from India, has had a 30-minute call with an invented Professor Lin about a battery-cooling project.

Dear Professor Lin,

Thank you for the call today about the battery thermal-management project. I enjoyed hearing how the new test rig will be used in the first year.

To confirm my notes: you are considering supervising my MASc application for Fall 2027, the position would be funded through a research studentship of $18,000 per year for two years, and I could also apply for a teaching assistantship after I register. Please correct me if I have misunderstood anything.

I have attached the two papers from my undergraduate project that we discussed.

Best regards, Arjun Mehta

Why it works: it restates the funding in numbers, which gives the professor a chance to correct it before the offer is made, and it does not pressure. The amount in the example matches the published Waterloo MME and ECE minimum; use the figure your own professor actually says. The thank-you email after a PhD interview has more templates for calls that end without a decision.

Questions about supervisor interviews in Canada

Does a good supervisor call mean I am admitted?

No. UofT Pharmacology says "a promise of acceptance by a graduate faculty member does not guarantee admission into the graduate program." UofT MIE says "Confirmation from the supervisor to the Graduate Office is required to proceed in the MASc program."

Should I contact the supervisor before or after I apply?

It depends on the department. Waterloo ECE says many faculty "will not consider a potential applicant until they have applied", while UofT MIE says applicants are "strongly encouraged to contact professors with whom they would like to work, either before or after submitting an application." Our guide to emailing a supervisor for a master's in Canada covers the first email.

What questions should I ask besides funding?

Ask about the group: how often the supervisor meets students, what current students are working on, and where recent graduates went. Questions to ask a professor in a PhD interview has a longer list.

Can I be self-funded in an MASc?

Not in Waterloo ECE: "Unfortunately, we do not accept self-funded full-time students into our MASc program." Other departments may differ; ask.

Get a free review of your letter of intent

Get a free Quick Review of your letter of intent against GradPilot's general master's statement of purpose rubric, the closest rubric we have for a Canadian letter of intent or statement of interest. It reads whether your letter explains your academic interests, preparation, goals and reasons for choosing the program, which is what the supervisor will ask you about on the call. If you are applying for a PhD instead, use the general PhD statement of purpose rubric. You can also start a graduate SOP review and choose the general master's statement of purpose rubric. The difference between the department letter and the study-permit letter is covered in Canadian statement of intent vs study-permit SOP, and more guides are on the graduate school essays hub.

Sources

Retrieved October 31, 2026, except where noted.

• University of Waterloo, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate programs: supervisor needed for an offer; course-based programs.
• University of Waterloo, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, MME grad student program specific FAQs: supervisor mandatory; $18,000 per year for 2 years.
• University of Waterloo, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Thinking of applying: GRS paid by supervisor, no self-funded MASc, GTA, tuition note, contact timing.
• University of Waterloo, Systems Design Engineering, Graduate programs: no offer without supervisor acceptance.
• University of Toronto, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Master of Applied Science: funding and supervisor conditions; faculty contact.
• University of Toronto, Pharmacology and Toxicology, What happens after my application is received?: committee interview; offer conditions.
• University of British Columbia, School of Biomedical Engineering, MASc/PhD application instructions: supervisor initiates admission.
• Bishop's University, Physics and Astronomy, MSc in Physics pre-application form (PDF): professor decides; Zoom interview example.