Applications for our graduate programs are required to meet admission and application requirements for both the Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies at UBC and the Department of Sociology.
Applying to our graduate programs
Application Deadline
All supporting documents must be received by December 15, 2019. Please note that applications and supporting documents received after the deadline cannot be guaranteed assessment by the Sociology Graduate Studies Committee (SGSC).
MA in Sociology
To be considered for admission into the M.A. program in full standing, an applicant should hold a four-year undergraduate degree in sociology or a cognate field (i.e. a closely related field with significant sociological content).
In completing this degree, the applicant normally should have attained first-class standing (an average of 80% or higher here at UBC) in their third- and fourth- year courses (300- and 400- level courses here at UBC) as well as first-class standing in their third-and fourth-year sociology courses in particular.
Applicants should also ensure that they meet all of the minimum requirements for admission to graduate studies at UBC set by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.
Ph.D. in Sociology
In deciding on admission to the Ph.D. program the Department of Sociology considers an applicant’s previous academic accomplishments and potential to pursue and complete original sociological research.
Students entering the Ph.D. program are normally required to have completed an M.A. degree in sociology or a related social science field (with significant sociological content). Students entering without a M.A. degree in sociology should discuss their preparedness for graduate studies in sociology in their applications.
Applicants should also ensure that they meet all of the minimum requirements for admission to graduate studies at UBC set by the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.
Specific Requirements for UBC Sociology
All students entering the Ph.D. program from Fall 2013 onward are expected to have completed all required coursework in the M.A. program (15 credits). Students who have not previously completed any of these courses—either at UBC or elsewhere—are required to complete these courses in addition to their 12 required Ph.D. course credits.
To determine if a student’s prior coursework satisfies any or all of these M.A. course requirements, incoming students must have their prior coursework reviewed and approved by the Sociology Graduate Studies Committee (SGSC) Chair prior to the start of the student’s first term. Please be aware that students need to receive notification from the SGSC indicating that specific prior courses taken elsewhere fulfill specific M.A. course requirements. Students must not assume that their prior coursework fulfills any of these foundational course requirements.
To have prior coursework reviewed, students must provide the SGSC Chair with syllabi/course outlines of these prior courses. Course materials must be sent to the SGSC Chair by email attachment. The SGSC Chair will then review those materials and approve any courses that are deemed equivalent to Department courses in terms of content and depth. These course materials must be submitted in advance of the student’s first term.
The language of instruction at UBC is English. Applicants who have not completed a degree at a university where English is the primary language of instruction must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) before their application for admission will be considered.
UBC Sociology requires that applicants achieve a TOEFL score of 600 (paper exam), 250 (computer exam) or 100 (Internet exam). Alternatively, the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) language tests may be taken. The GCE A-Level English examination with a standing of at least “B” is also acceptable in lieu of the TOEFL. The language exam must have been taken within the past two years.
For certain kinds of thesis or dissertation research, a student may require competence in a language other than their own. In that case, a requirement for language training will be incorporated into the student's program.
Students who do not have a prior degree from a Canadian university are required to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination); results must be from the past 24 months. Scores should be sent to UBC using the institution code 0965.
Please visit the GRE website for details.
