Graduate Programs in Sociology

General Information

The Department of Sociology offers programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. Four MA programs are available: (1) a course-based MA; (2) a thesis-based MA; (3) a course-based MA in criminal justice; and (4) a thesis-based MA in population and life course dynamics.

The PhD in Sociology strives to educate scholars with a breadth of knowledge of the discipline and specialized in-depth knowledge of particular fields within the discipline.

The Department of Sociology encourages all outstanding applicants to submit a completed application by December 15 in order to be considered for recruitment scholarships and other university awards. Furthermore, all applications completed before January 15 will be considered for admission, awards and graduate assistantship funding.

Application forms for admission are available online at www.gradstudies.ualberta.ca. Detailed graduate program information is available on the Department’s home page at www.sociology.ualberta.ca.

Entrance Requirements

The Department’s minimum admission requirements for the course-based and thesis-based MA programs in sociology and population and life course dynamics are a four-year undergraduate degree with a major in Sociology (honors preferred), or a related discipline, and a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 in the last two years of undergraduate study at the University of Alberta (20 single-term courses), or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution. The Department requires as part of the application package a clearly defined statement of research interests that will be developed into a research proposal as partial fulfilment of the MA degree.

Minimum admission requirements for the MA in criminal justice (course-based) are a four-year BA (Criminology), or equivalent, or a four-year undergraduate degree in sociology or a related discipline and a minimum of one year of full-time work experience in the criminal justice system. Students must have completed introductory courses in criminology, criminal justice administration, statistics and research methodology prior to admission. The minimum average is 3.2 (on the 4-point letter grading system), or equivalent, in the last two years of undergraduate study.

For admission to the PhD program, the minimum requirements are a master’s degree with an average of 3.5 on all graduate courses and undergraduate coursework taken in the final two years (20 single-term courses) at the University of Alberta, or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution.

Where applicable (refer to English Language Requirement ), applicants require a TOEFL score of 100 (Internet-based) or equivalent, or higher to be considered for admission.

Financial Assistance

Graduate assistantships are available on a highly competitive basis for students in full-time study who make satisfactory progress toward a degree. Students will be expected to apply for competitive awards. Exceptionally qualified applicants may be nominated by the Department for a University of Alberta recruitment scholarships (see www.gradstudies.ualberta.ca). Support for dissertation research is available on a competitive basis through internally administered Sociology Doctoral Research Grants.

Graduate Program Requirements

Master’s Programs

• Master of Arts (Sociology)
    

Doctoral Programs

• Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology)
    

Graduate Courses

Graduate courses can be found in Course Listings , under the subject heading Sociology (SOC).