Calendar 2005/2006

Location

Social Sciences Building, Room 956

Faculty number

(403) 220-3216

Fax

(403) 282-9298

E-mail address

costello@ucalgary.ca

Web page URL

http://www.soci.ucalgary.ca/

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Master of Arts (MA)

In addition to Faculty requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts

(a)Demonstrated competence, normally through course work, in classical and contemporary theory, research methods, and statistics

(b)A written statement of intent

(c)A sample of written work

Doctor of Philosophy

(a)A grade point average of 3.50 on a four-point scale over a Master's program

(b)Demonstrated competence in theory, methodology, and statistics, in addition to a substantive interest

Deadlines for the submission of complete applications:

1 March for September admission

1 February for September admission if applying for scholarships through the Faculty of Graduate Studies

The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission.

Master of Arts- Credit may be allowed for up to two 600-level Sociology half-courses.

Doctor of Philosophy- Credit may be allowed for Sociology 711.

In addition to Faculty requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Arts

(a)Demonstration of competence at the graduate level in four areas:

1. Methods of sociological research
2. Sociological statistics
3. Sociological theory
4. One substantive area of concentration

(b)Competence in statistics, methods, and theory demonstrated by taking Sociology 611, Sociology 613, Sociology 631, and Sociology 633

(c)Two substantive 600-level seminars from Sociology Department offerings

(d)Preparation of a thesis prospectus

Doctor of Philosophy

(a)Sociology 703, Sociology 711, Sociology 705and two substantive area 600- or 700-level seminars, at least one of which must be a Sociology seminar.

(b)Students may find it advisable to take 600-level courses in sociological theory, methods and statistics, and/or additional substantive area seminars in preparation for Sociology 711, the doctoral examination in research methodology, the qualifying paper in sociological theory and the candidacy examination.

(c)Successful completion of a thesis prospectus, normally within sixteen months of initial registration in the doctoral program. Successful completion of the prospectus means that the Supervisory Committee has approved the thesis project, and a written copy of the prospectus is filed with the Sociology Department Graduate Administrator.

(d)Students must successfully complete a qualifying paper in sociological theory, with substantive application serving as the vehicle to display the scope and utility of the theory and/or theorists. The paper should be 7000-8000 words, plus references. It is the student's responsibility to compile an appropriate bibliography for the paper in consultation with the supervisory committee; to produce a paper proposal that is acceptable to the supervisory committee, and to complete the paper in a timely manner. Supervisory committee approval of the qualifying paper indicates successful completion. Students have the right to revise and resubmit papers that are rejected, but final approval should occur within sixteen months of initial registration in the doctoral program. A written copy of the approved qualifying paper must be filed with the Sociology Department Graduate Administrator.

(e)Proficiency in a language other than English if necessary for the student's research. The supervisory committee will set this requirement at the time of the defence of the thesis prospectus.

(f)A candidacy examination with a written and an oral component.

None

None

Expected completion time is 20-24 months for the Master of Arts and four years for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Maximum completion time is four years for the Master of Arts and six years for the doctoral programs.

An interim advisor is assigned to incoming students who have not already selected a supervisor. After two terms in the program, a student will make supervisory arrangements with a faculty member in the chosen area of research. In the case of doctoral students, the supervisor and student will select two other faculty members to serve on the student's supervisory committee.

Doctoral Examinations

Students must take the Doctoral Examination in Research Methodology during the official university examination period in April of their first year in the program. Students who fail the examination must retake the examination no later than during the official university examination period in April of their second year in the program. Students who fail the retake will be required to withdraw from the program.

The Doctoral Examination in Research Methodology is a seven-day take-home examination taken after Sociology 705Q (Advanced Methodological Issues). Students will take Sociology 705Q and undertake independent study to prepare for this examination. The examination will be based on a reading list which is kept on file and updated regularly by faculty specialized in sociological research methodology. No list of specific questions will be provided for the Methodology examination, but students may refer to previous doctoral examinations for sample questions.

Candidacy Examinations

The candidacy examination has a written and an oral component. A final reading list is prepared by the student's supervisory committee and given to the student at least three months before the written examination. The written candidacy examination in the student's substantive area is written within one month of the oral candidacy examination. The written candidacy is normally a seven-day take-home or six-hour closed-book examination. Both the written and oral candidacy examinations are graded together.

Thesis Oral Examinations

Final thesis oral examinations are open.

Students whose research involves human subjects must receive approval from the departmental Ethics Review Committee and the University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board before beginning data collection.

Master of Arts students are required to prepare a thesis prospectus.

Doctoral students are required to prepare a thesis prospectus for approval by their supervisory committee within sixteen months of the date of entry into the program.

None

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. Information on departmental funding is available in the Sociology Graduate Handbook. For further information on awards, please see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this calendar.

Students applying for scholarships through the Faculty of Graduate Studies must submit their applications to the Department by 1 February.

Students should refer to the Department's manual, Graduate Studies in Sociology, for further clarification and explanation of these regulations.

The active research interests of the faculty can be found at http://soci.ucalgary.ca/Home/graduate/gradresearch.html