Doctorate (PhD) in Interdisciplinary Research on Contemporary Social Issues

Courses (15 units)

• HTP7901 Doctoral Seminar (3 units)
• A minimum of four elective graduate courses (12 units). At least two of the courses must be in different schools or faculties. A directed readings or a research internship may, with permission, replace a regular course.
• HTP9997 Comprehensive examination
• HTP9998 Thesis Proposal
• HTP9999 PhD Thesis

The choice of courses and registration in a directed readings course or an internship must be approved in advance by the Interdisciplinary Program Committee (IPC).

The internship is compulsory for candidates admitted without having achieved the required level of field experience.

Comprehensive examination

The comprehensive examination, overseen by the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC), has a written and an oral component. The questions must be drawn from at least two different disciplines. Anyone who fails the written of the oral is entitled to one retake, which must happen the following term. A second failure in either component leads to a grade of NS (not satisfactory) and to withdrawal from the program. The examination must normally take place by the end of the fifth term and by the end of the sixth at the latest. Failure to sit and pass the examination by the deadline counts as a failure.

Thesis Proposal

The thesis proposal is prepared under the guidance of the Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) and it must be considered acceptable and defended orally to the Committee’s satisfaction before the end of the sixth or at the latest the seventh term. In the event of failure, the proposal may be submitted and defended a second time no later than the following term. A second failure leads to a grade of NS (not satisfactory) and to withdrawal from the program.

The proposal, once found acceptable by the TAC, must be forwarded to the IPC for approval, a step that must be completed before submitting it to the Research Ethics Board (if required) and before undertaking any independent data collection.

PhD Thesis

The thesis may be a monograph format or a series of articles or a theoretical exposition linked to a project with an agency.

Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC)

During the second term in the program, a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) is formed. The Committee is composed of the thesis supervisor and at least two other professors, one of whom must belong to a faculty other than that of the thesis supervisor. The Committee’s membership must be approved by the Interdisciplinary Program Committee (IPC). Meetings between the student and the Committee take place at least twice each year commencing with the second year of registration in the program.

Minimum Standards

The passing grade in all courses is C+. Students who fail two courses (equivalent to six units), the comprehensive exam, the thesis proposal, the thesis or whose progress is deemed unsatisfactory are withdrawn from the program.

Duration of the program

Students are expected to complete all requirements within five years of full-time study (15 terms). The maximum time permitted is six years from the date of initial registration in the program.

Academic Regulations