Sociology, Ph.D

Admission

To be admitted directly to the Ph.D. program, applicants must have received a Master’s degree from a recognized University.

Any Ph.D. student admitted without 9 units of undergraduate sociological theory or without Master’s level sociological theory will be required to complete the requisite number of courses at the appropriate level, in addition to the regular graduate program.

Requirements

Course Requirements

The course requirements will normally be six half courses chosen in consultation with the student’s supervisor, and the following courses. The courses below are professional development courses and cannot be counted towards the six half courses required for the degree.

SOCIOL 724 / Doctoral Research and Professional Development Part 1 (during the first year of the program)
SOCIOL 725 / Doctoral Research and Professional Development Part 2 (during the second year of the program)

Theory Course

Ph.D. students who have not successfully completed a 700-level theory course at the M.A. level at McMaster with a grade of B+ or better within the last two years must take one 700-level theory course, namely, one of the following list and pass the course with a grade of B+ or better.

Quantitative Methods

Ph.D. candidates will be required to demonstrate competence in quantitative methods by taking SOCIOL 740 Statistical Methods for Social Research and pass the course with a grade of B+ or better. Persons admitted to the Ph.D. program without the equivalent of Sociology 3H06/Research Techniques and Data Analysis or SOCIOL 6Z03 Introduction to Social Statistics , however, will be expected to complete 6Z03 before taking SOCIOL 740 . Admission is governed by the general regulations.

Additional Course Requirement

Ph.D. candidates will also be required to satisfy the Department of suitable competence in either qualitative methods or historical methods according to procedures delineated by the Department in the Graduate Handbook, normally by taking the classes below and achieving a grade of B+ or better in the course.

Additional Information

In addition to the theory and methods requirements, all Ph.D. students must take at least three regularly scheduled 700-level half courses. Other than SOCIOL 6Z03 , no 600-level courses are permitted. Students are limited to one supervised research course (SOCIOL 730 , SOCIOL 731 ) or one half course in another department. Students may petition the Department Graduate Committee on a case-by-case basis for greater flexibility.

Comprehensive Examination

The required Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations consist of examinations in two fields of sociology. Students must take one core area. For the other exam, they can either take another core area or one of the specialty areas. The specialty areas may not be offered every year depending on the availability of faculty. Core examination areas are: Sociology of Gender and Sexuality, Social Psychology, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Political Sociology and Social Movements, and Work and Occupations. In addition to the examinations offered in core areas, students may take a comprehensive exam in the following specialty areas: Crime and Law, Sociology of Culture, Indigenous Thought and Settler Colonial Studies, Migration, and Education.

By the end of their first year in the program, doctoral students must complete six half courses, or at least four half courses and one comprehensive exam. By the end of their second year in the program, they must complete all six half courses, both professional development courses, both comprehensive exams, and must present a satisfactory dissertation proposal.

The student’s supervisory committee and the Graduate Committee may require Ph.D. students to demonstrate competence in a second language if their chosen area of study and research makes knowledge of a second language desirable.

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree will present a thesis which shows competence in original research. Each candidate will be required to defend the thesis in a Final Oral Examination.