Calendar 2005/2006

Location

Heritage Medical Research Building, Room 2

Faculty number

(403) 220-4288

Fax

(403) 270-7307

E-mail address

chsgrad@ucalgary.ca

Web page URL

http://www.med.ucalgary.ca/chs

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Master of Science (MSc), thesis-based

Master of Community Medicine (MCM), a course-based degree for community medicine residents

Within the thesis-based programs, the student may elect a specialization in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Research or Hospital Epidemiology. Further information on degree offerings can be obtained from the Department's website.

Combined MD/Master's and MD/PhD programs are offered under the title "Leaders in Medicine."

In addition to Faculty requirements, the Department requires:

(a)A BSc, BA, MD or equivalent degree for admission to the Master of Science program

(b)A Master's degree or MD or equivalent degree for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy program, and, depending upon the proposed area of specialization, the applicant should have completed two to four of the required courses for the Master of Science degree, or equivalents

(c)A minimum admission grade point average of 3.20 on a four point scale over the last two full years or equivalent

(d)For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 600 (written test) or 250 (computer-based test)

(e)A statement outlining the applicant's interest and reasons for choosing the program

(f)A letter from a faculty member of our Department indicating interest in supervising the applicant

(g)Work experience or education in the health system is highly recommended

The deadline for the submission of complete applications is 15 February for September admission.

Students applying to the MD/Master's or MD/PhD program must apply individually to each program and complete a supplementary application for the Leaders in Medicine Program.

It is possible for a student to take courses as an unclassified student before applying for admission to a Master's or doctoral program. However, for courses to be credited toward a student's degree requirements, they must have been completed at a satisfactory level (B+ or better) within three years of commencing full-time studies for the degree. No more than two half-courses taken as an unclassified student will normally be applied to reduction of degree requirements for thesis-based programs.

Persons who take courses as an unclassified student with the intention of applying later for admission to a Master's or a doctoral program are not guaranteed eventual acceptance into the program.

In addition to Faculty requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Science (Thesis-based)

(a)The Block Week course "Introduction to Community Health Sciences"

(b)In addition, a minimum of six half-course equivalents for all specializations

Master of Community Medicine (Course-based)

(a)The Block Week course "Introduction to Community Health Sciences"

(b)In addition, a minimum of twelve half-course equivalents

Doctor of Philosophy

A minimum of four half-course equivalents

In addition to the Faculty requirements, the Department requires that all students attend the two research seminars offered weekly and bi-weekly during the academic year.

The Department does not normally give credit for undergraduate courses.

Maximum completion time is four years for the thesis-based Master of Science, and six years for the Master of Community Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy.

Leaders in Medicine - Expected completion time is four to five years for the MD/Master's program and six to seven years for the MD/PhD program. Maximum completion time is six years for the MD/Master's and eight years for the MD/PhD.

All students are assigned an Interim Advisor before admission. During the second academic term of the first year of the program, each student is asked, via Interoffice Memo, if he/she wishes to have the Interim Advisor named as Supervisor. If so, the memo, signed by both the student and the proposed Supervisor, is returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator. If not, the student meets with the Graduate Program Coordinator to discuss the appointment of another Supervisor.

For thesis-based Master's students, the Supervisory Committee is usually named at the same time as the naming of the Supervisor. For doctoral students, the Supervisory Committee must be appointed within three months of the appointment of the Supervisor. The Supervisor, in consultation with the student and the Graduate Program Coordinator, recommends the Supervisory Committee. For course-based MCM students, the Supervisory Committee must be named before the planning of MDSC 649 - Practicum in Community Medicine, usually in the second term of the second year of the student's program.

Master of Science students in the Leaders in Medicine Program must have a supervisory committee constituted according to the regulations of the graduate program. Both Master of Science and doctoral students will also be evaluated and advised by a Joint Liaison Committee composed of the Associate Dean (Graduate Sciences Education), Associate Dean (Undergraduate Medical Education), and the Associate Dean (Research) of the Faculty of Medicine.

Doctoral candidacy examinations consist of a written component followed by an oral examination. The student has two weeks to prepare written solutions to four questions. The Department's Graduate Education Committee sets three of the four questions; the fourth question, relating to the student's specialty area, is set by the student's Supervisory Committee.

Final thesis oral examinations are closed.

In the course-based MCM program, a final test of overall competency of the subject area is required at the completion of all course work; this final test will include a written and an oral component.

The proposal should be 12 to 15 single-spaced, typewritten pages. Appendices are permitted and should include the research instrument and, if the research involves agencies or institutions outside of the Department, their written permission to conduct the research. Doctoral students should include a complete literature review as an appendix.

After approval by the student's Supervisory Committee and before commencement of data collection, all proposals are submitted to the Conjoint Medical Ethics Committee for ethical review, and most are submitted to the appropriate CRHA committee for impact review.

None

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, please see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this calendar.

Students applying for Graduate Scholarships must submit their applications to the Department by 15 January.

Courses in Community Health Sciences are offered under the auspices of the Department of Medical Science and are listed in the Medical Science section of this Calendar.

Current faculty and their areas of research can be found at http://www.med.ucalgary.ca/chs.