Lettre de Motivation, Quebec Master's: English Guide

Lettre de Motivation, Quebec Master's: English Guide

At the Université de Montréal, the master's letter (called a lettre d'intention or lettre de motivation) is set per program: 1,000 words maximum in urbanisme, 250 words in European studies. For research master's, the letter is not the deciding document. The directeur de recherche who agrees to support you is.

Our view: a francophone applicant's polished letter cannot rescue a research-master's file with no supervisor behind it. Find the supervisor first, then write a letter that fits the program's own word limit. This page explains the rules in English and quotes the French verbatim, so you can check every line against the source.

Every Université de Montréal (UdeM) and Polytechnique Montréal page quoted below was checked on October 31, 2026. None of them states an admission year for these rules, so recheck the program page before you submit. We did not check Université Laval's pages, and this page does not cover Laval.

Contents

• Lettre de motivation vs lettre d'intention: same job, program-set length
• The directeur de recherche comes first for research master's
• Writing to a directeur de recherche
• French language requirements
• Constructed example: a 350-word lettre d'intention in French
• Questions about the lettre de motivation for a Quebec master's

Lettre de motivation vs lettre d'intention: same job, program-set length

UdeM uses both names, and each program page sets the length and content. Three programs show the range:

The réadaptation page adds: "La lettre peut également faire état de considérations variées ayant pu affecter son parcours vers la recherche." In English: the letter may also mention circumstances that affected your path toward research. That is a published invitation to explain a gap or a detour, in that program.

Our recommendation: write to the strictest limit you face first. A 250-word version forces you to find the one sentence that says what you want to study and why this program. Expand from there for a 1,000-word program; never cut a 1,000-word letter down by deleting the last paragraphs.

Both urbanisme and European studies also ask for two recommendation letters; urbanisme specifies they come "du milieu universitaire" (from academics).

The directeur de recherche comes first for research master's

The réadaptation master's makes support a condition of admission. The candidate must "être appuyé par un directeur de recherche et, le cas échéant, par un codirecteur acceptant de l'encadrer" (be supported by a research director, and where relevant a co-director, who agrees to supervise). Two of the required documents depend on that person:

• "Le formulaire de plan d'études, décrivant le cheminement et le financement prévus, dûment approuvé par le directeur de recherche." (A study plan form, describing the planned path and funding, duly approved by the research director.)
• a research-topic registration form that explains, among other things, how the project fits "à la programmation du directeur en termes de faisabilité, de financement, d'adéquation perçue avec les intérêts du candidat" (into the director's research program in terms of feasibility, funding and fit with your interests).

You cannot complete either form alone. A strong letter with no director means an incomplete file.

Polytechnique Montréal states a similar rule for its research master's and doctorates: "Le choix du directeur de recherche qui encadrera vos études et travaux de recherche n'est pas requis pour déposer votre demande d'admission. Toutefois, il est préférable d'entreprendre rapidement vos démarches puisqu'un professeur (votre futur directeur de recherche) doit appuyer votre candidature pour que vous soyez admis." In English: you can file without a director, but a professor must support your application for you to be admitted, so start early.

Polytechnique also says what happens either way. If you have contacted a professor, "Indiquez son nom dans votre demande d'admission" (put their name in the application), which does not commit them. If you name nobody, "Votre candidature circulera alors dans le département" (your application will circulate in the department). For its professional programs, it says you do not need a director before applying.

The countercase: not every master's works this way. Polytechnique's professional programs need no director before you apply, and UdeM's urbanisme page asks for your research project only "si possible". Check your own program page before you spend weeks on supervisor emails.

For the same question at English-language Canadian universities, see do you need a supervisor before applying in Canada.

Writing to a directeur de recherche

Polytechnique's page gives the content of a first email. It says to introduce yourself, give the strong points of your CV, name the program, and then raise these questions, among others: "En quoi les sujets sur lesquels le professeur travaille vous intéressent-ils? Démontrez que vous vous êtes informé au préalable." (Why do the professor's topics interest you? Show that you have done your homework.) "A-t-il de la disponibilité pour vous encadrer?" (Do they have room to supervise you?) "Peut-il vous offrir une aide financière et de quel type?" (Can they offer funding, and what kind?)

Constructed example: a 114-word email in French

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email. Context (invented): Aïcha Mbarga, a civil engineering graduate from Cameroon, writes to a Polytechnique professor. Names in brackets are placeholders. The email, from greeting to signature and excluding the subject line, is 114 words by our count.

Objet : Maîtrise recherche en génie civil, automne [année] – [Prénom Nom]

Madame la Professeure [Nom],

Je termine un baccalauréat en génie civil à [Université], au Cameroun, et je souhaite faire une maîtrise recherche sur la durabilité des bétons à base de ciments composés en climat chaud et humide. Votre article de [année] sur [sujet] m'a amenée à me demander si les mêmes mécanismes de carbonatation s'appliquent à nos granulats latéritiques. Pour mon projet de fin d'études, j'ai coulé et testé 36 éprouvettes et rédigé l'analyse.

Accueillez-vous un étudiant à la maîtrise pour l'automne [année] ? Si oui, un financement est-il envisageable ? Mon CV et mon relevé de notes sont joints.

Je vous remercie de votre attention.

Veuillez agréer, Madame la Professeure, mes salutations distinguées.

Aïcha Mbarga

Notes in English:

• Vouvoiement throughout ("vous", "Veuillez agréer"). Address the professor by title and surname.
• The second sentence proves you read their work and turns it into a question, which is what Polytechnique asks for.
• One number about your own work (36 specimens, the analysis written by her) instead of a list of courses.
• Availability and funding are asked directly, as Polytechnique's list does. That is normal, not rude.
• One closing formula. Our view: in Quebec email, one polite closing line is enough. Stacking two or three France-style formulas adds length and nothing else.

French language requirements

Each UdeM program page sets its own French rule. Both urbanisme and réadaptation say the candidate must have studied a significant part of their education in French, or otherwise prove sufficient French with a recognized test if the faculty requires it. The levels differ:

• Urbanisme: "Moyenne de B2 en compréhension orale et compréhension écrite" and "B1 (tranche supérieure) en expression écrite" on the European framework (CECRL). It adds: "Selon votre résultat en expression écrite, vous pourriez devoir suivre et réussir un ou deux cours de français écrit durant votre première année d'études." (Depending on your written result, you may have to take and pass one or two written French courses in your first year.)
• Réadaptation: "l'atteinte du niveau B2" of the CECRL.

Both pages also require "une bonne connaissance de l'anglais" in reading. If your schooling was in French, as in francophone Cameroon, the test may not apply to you; the page's wording on "une partie significative de ses études dans cette langue" is the test to read.

Unknown: we did not verify Polytechnique's or Laval's French rules, so this page states none.

Constructed example: a 350-word lettre d'intention in French

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Context (invented): Aïcha Mbarga, now applying to the UdeM Maîtrise en urbanisme (1,000-word limit), writes a shorter letter that covers each element the page names. The French text, including its bold headings, is 350 words by our count (French spaced punctuation such as " ;" is not counted as a word).

Madame, Monsieur,

Je présente ma candidature à la Maîtrise en urbanisme de l'Université de Montréal. Je souhaite y étudier comment les quartiers informels de Douala peuvent être raccordés au drainage pluvial sans déplacement massif des habitants, et faire de cette question mon projet de recherche.

Mes motivations. Pendant mon stage de fin d'études à [Bureau d'études], j'ai participé au relevé de 40 ouvrages de drainage dans le quartier [Nom]. J'ai réalisé les mesures, saisi les données et rédigé la section sur l'état des caniveaux. Le rapport recommandait d'élargir trois canaux, ce qui impliquait de démolir des maisons. Les solutions techniques existaient ; ce qui manquait, c'était une méthode pour planifier avec les habitants. C'est cette méthode que je veux apprendre.

Mes attentes. J'attends de la maîtrise trois choses : une formation en planification participative, des outils d'analyse spatiale que je n'ai utilisés qu'en initiation, et la possibilité de réaliser un mémoire sur un terrain que je connais. Je souhaite aussi comprendre comment les villes québécoises intègrent la gestion des eaux pluviales aux plans d'urbanisme, pour comparer ces pratiques à celles de Douala.

Mon projet de recherche. Si mon admission le permet, je propose un mémoire sur la planification du drainage dans un quartier informel de Douala. J'étudierais les plans existants, je mènerais des entretiens avec des habitants et des agents municipaux, et je comparerais deux tracés possibles selon le nombre de ménages touchés. Je sais que ce projet devra être précisé avec un directeur de recherche ; [Professeur·e], dont les travaux portent sur [thème], est la personne avec qui j'aimerais le préciser.

Mes projets d'avenir. Après la maîtrise, je compte travailler comme urbaniste auprès d'une communauté urbaine ou d'un organisme de développement au Cameroun, sur des projets d'aménagement qui associent les habitants dès le départ.

Pourquoi ce programme. Le programme permet de choisir entre un mémoire et un travail dirigé, et il offre des cours en [cours tirés de la page du programme]. Cette combinaison correspond exactement au passage que je veux faire, de l'ingénierie des ouvrages à la planification des quartiers.

Je vous remercie de l'attention portée à ma candidature.

Aïcha Mbarga

Notes in English, tied to the urbanisme page:

• Every element the page names has a heading: "motivations", "attentes", "projets d'avenir" and "projet de recherche". Bold headings are our choice, not UdeM's, and you can remove them once each part is in place.
• The research project is conditional, because the page says "si possible". She proposes a topic and says it will be refined with a director, which matches how the program works.
• Her own share is explicit: she took the measurements, entered the data and wrote one section. The report's recommendation is the firm's, not hers.
• The register is plain. No opening flattery of the university, no stacked politeness formulas, one thank-you line. Our view: a Quebec reader wants your project, not your courtesy.
• The program paragraph uses a placeholder for course names. Take them from the program page; do not invent them.

What it leaves out: her grades (the transcript shows them), her French level (the test or her schooling shows it), and anything about the study permit, which is a separate document for a different reader. That split is set out in Canada master's statement of interest rules.

Questions about the lettre de motivation for a Quebec master's

How long is a lettre de motivation for a master's at the Université de Montréal?

It depends on the program. Urbanisme allows 1,000 words maximum, European studies asks for 250 words, and réadaptation states no length.

Can I write the letter in English?

The UdeM pages we checked do not say. They require sufficient French for the program and good reading English. Our view: for a French-language program, write the letter in French, since it is also evidence of the French you will study in.

Do I need a directeur de recherche before applying?

For research master's, in practice yes. UdeM réadaptation requires one and a study plan form they approve; Polytechnique lets you file without one but says a professor must support you before admission.

Is a Quebec letter the same as a France lettre de motivation?

The document has the same name and job. The rules differ: in Quebec they come from each program page, and the supervisor can decide the file. For France, see the motivation letter guide for French universities.

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 fit for a Quebec lettre d'intention. The rubric is published in English. It reads for your academic interests, preparation, goals and reasons for choosing the program, and whether your experience supports your plan. For a research master's, the Professor's First Pass lens reads whether a faculty reader can quickly find your research direction and your preparation.

More guides for the same application:

• How to email a supervisor for a master's in Canada: the English-language version of the first email.
• McGill statement of purpose length by department: Montreal's English-language university, department by department.
• Graduate school essays hub: every master's and PhD guide.

Sources

Retrieved October 31, 2026, except where noted.

• Université de Montréal, Maîtrise en urbanisme – Règlements (no admission year stated): lettre d'intention limit and content, two academic recommendation letters, French levels and written-French courses, English reading.
• Université de Montréal, Maîtrise en études internationales, option Études européennes (no admission year stated): 250-word letter, two recommendation letters.
• Université de Montréal, Maîtrise en sciences de la réadaptation – Règlements (no admission year stated): director support, lettre de motivation content, study plan and research-topic forms, B2 French.
• Polytechnique Montréal, Encadrement (no year stated): director not required to file but required for admission, naming a contacted professor, email content, professional programs.
• Not retrieved: Polytechnique Montréal's main graduate admission page returned a bot-protection page on October 31, 2026 and was not bypassed. Université Laval: not checked.