The program is open to qualified graduates from a wide variety of disciplines including agriculture, home economics, sociology, communication, education, health and medicine, history, and economics. A four-year honours degree is considered as the normal and basic admission requirement. All incoming students are expected to have completed at least one third- or fourth-year-level undergraduate statistics course. Work experience in a rural area or non-urban community is considered especially useful in applying theory to practice and in identifying research needs and topics.

Students in the School of Rural Extension Studies have employment backgrounds in areas such as agricultural extension, rural and volunteer organizations, community development, education, family and consumer studies, social work, communication technology, health, international project management, and technology transfer.

A minimum of two full-time semesters of course work, or the equivalent, must be completed. Thesis and major paper options are available. For the thesis option, 3.0 credits plus a research thesis are required; for the major paper option, 4.0 credits plus the Major Research Paper are required. All students must complete the core courses (described in the course list for this program).

Students select an advisor and a research committee who will assist them in course selection, research and thesis development.

All students will be required to complete a thesis or major research paper.