Sociology
Source: https://grad.ucalgary.ca/future-students/graduate/discover-opportunities/explore-programs/sociology-phd Parent: https://grad.ucalgary.ca/future-students/graduate/discover-opportunities/explore-programs/anthropology-ma-thesis
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Thesis-based program
Program overview
UCalgary's sociology program prepares globally competitive graduates with the support of one of Canada's top rated research-oriented departments. Our graduate programs ground learning in core knowledge of classical and contemporary social theories, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and supplement this fundamental study with specialized courses of interest. Recent research topics include international health governance, immigration and employment, patterns of offending, gender tranformative youth programming, restorative justice and racialized youth, issues in healthcare and professional work, urban cycling, anime fandom, social inclusion of Black African youth, discourses of sexual assault. Students benefit from a professor/student ratio that guarantees access to support and feedback.
Completing this program
- Core Courses: Students take courses in social statistics and advanced methods, in addition to seminars in sociological theory.
- Candidacy: Students will complete both oral and written candidacy exams.
- Additional Courses:Topics may include health and illness, ethnicity and racialization, gender, urban sociology, indigenous issues, deviance and social control, and more.
- Thesis: Students will be required to submit and defend an original research thesis.
Outcomes
Academic jobs such as professor, instructor and post-doctoral scholar; alternative academic jobs such as researcher, educational consultant, and data analyst; health sector, government, non-profit, researcher, analyst, program evaluation, clinician.
A PhD in Sociology is usually considered a final degree.
Thesis-based program
Students are required to prepare a thesis and successfully defend in an open oral defense.
Courses
Seven courses (21 units)
Learn more about program requirements in the Academic Calendar
Classroom delivery
Time commitment
Four years full-time; six years maximum
Supervisor
A supervisor is required, but it is not necessary to find a supervisor before applying. PhD supervisors are normally appointed at the end of the second semester.
Fees and funding
See the Graduate Calendar for information on fees and fee regulations, and for information on awards and financial assistance.
Supervisors
Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree.\ Please note: additional supervisors may be available. Contact the program for more information.
Accepting Inquiries
youth and cyber risk, fear of crime, perceptions of police, social construction of youth crime, social construction of social problems 2. Pallavi Banerjee
Accepting Inquiries 3. Alex Bierman
Accepting Inquiries
Sociology of mental health; aging; quantitative research methods; social psychology; sociology of religion 4. Dean Curran
Accepting Inquiries
Risk; Theory; Inequality; Environment; Finance; Digital 5. Ariel Ducey
Accepting Inquiries
Emotions and affect; health care work and caring labor; science, technology and innovation in medicine; political economy of health care 6. Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot
Accepting Inquiries 7. Abdie Kazemipur
Accepting Inquiries
immigration, ethnic relations, religion, secularization, social capital, Muslim minorities in the West 8. Scott McLean
Accepting Inquiries
Historical sociology; sociology of education; popular culture 9. Matt Patterson
Accepting Inquiries
Urban Sociology, Sociology of Culture, Sociological Theory
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Admission requirements
GPA
A grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale over a master’s program.
Minimum education
Demonstrated competence in sociological theory, social methodology, and social statistics, in addition to a substantive interest.
Work samples
A sample of written work.
Documents
A written statement of intent
Reference letters
Two
Test scores
None
English language proficiency (ELP)
An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in different ways. For accepted criteria, please refer to the program “Admissions” tab in the Academic Calendar.
*Please contact your program of interest if you have any questions about ELP requirements.
Deadlines
For admission on September 1:
Canadians and permanent residents:
- Dec. 15 application deadline
International students:
- Dec. 15 application deadline
If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements
Are you ready to apply?
Learn more about this program
Department of Sociology
Social Sciences Building, Room 956A\ 618 Campus Place NW\ Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4
Contact the Graduate Program Advisor
Visit the departmental website
Faculty of Arts
University of Calgary\ 2500 University Drive NW\ Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4
Visit the Faculty of Arts website
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