Sutherland-Chan Diploma Program Info for Applicants
Outline of the Admissions Process

We are gratified by your interest in our school and delighted to receive your application to enroll in our diploma program. While we have a number of guidelines and requirements, we also recognize that each potential student has a unique background. We do our best to take this into account while providing an admissions process which is accessible and equitable. If you have special needs or specific questions to address to us before making your decision to apply, please do not hesitate.

Some applicants have studied massage therapy in a jurisdiction outside Ontario or have another type of health profession training. As a result, there may be grounds to apply for advanced standing in parts of our curriculum. Such applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. Details describing specifics of the prior learning, including transcripts and certificates/diplomas and course outlines or other available documentation of course material, must be submitted along with a standard Sutherland-Chan application. For further information on advanced standing, please contact Michael Nurse, our Director of Admissions at 416-924-1107 ext. 14. email: michaeln@sutherland-chan.com.

All applications should be directed to Michael Nurse, our Director of Admissions at 416-924-1107 ext. 14 or by email: admissions@sutherland-chan.com. You may send in parts of your application with more to follow later - we will open a file in anticipation of receiving the remaining pieces. In most instances, however, we wait to make a decision until we have all of the required material. An exception may be made in the case of prerequisite course requirements. We often accept candidates provisionally, pending successful completion of a prerequisite course, when all of the other components of the application are in good order.

Once you have submitted your application, we start working on it right away. Within 1-2 weeks of receipt of your documentation and fee, we will be in touch to tell you whether you have met all of the requirements for admission to Sutherland-Chan. If you have, we will notify you right away of your acceptance. If not, we will let you know about any missing items or further steps that need to be taken.

All applicants must provide proof of:

All applicants must supply the school with:

  • One character reference letter
  • All academic transcripts

Once the completed application is in and processed, many applicants are exempted from any further requirements and are notified right away that they have been accepted. However, some will be asked to take the Canadian Adult Achievement Test (CAAT). The CAAT is a multiple-choice functional level test that gives us a reading of a candidate's command of English and Study Skills. The decision as to which applicants will be requested to sit the CAAT is described below.

Any of the following will exempt an applicant from taking the CAAT:

  • Successful completion of at least one university credit
  • Successful completion of a college-level English credit
  • High school diploma which includes a Grade 12 English mark of 65% or higher
  • Previous good score on the CAAT Level D

Any of the following will result in the applicant being asked to take the CAAT:

  • Does not have or cannot verify an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or its equivalent
  • Has a high school diploma without Grade 12 English or with a Grade 12 English mark lower than 65% (Please note: An applicant in this situation may elect to take the Sutherland-Chan Physiology Prerequisite Course rather than doing the CAAT.)

If an applicant is required to take the CAAT, we will be in contact to set up an appointment time. It is a timed test that takes two hours.

After you have been reached by phone to inform you of your acceptance into the Sutherland-Chan program, an acceptance package will be mailed out to you. You are on your way!