MA Degree Requirements - Graduate Program in Sociology

We offer two options leading to the MA degree: the thesis option and the research review paper option. The thesis option involves twelve-course credits and a research-based thesis. Students choosing the research review paper option are required to complete eighteen-course credits and write a major paper based on a critical review of a body of literature.

Thesis Option

The thesis is an empirically-based research paper. Empirical is construed broadly to include a variety of data including quantitative, qualitative, discourse/text-based, historical/comparative, and so forth. You can collect your own data or use secondary analysis.

Students are expected to carry out the original research project planned in their proposal and report the results in appropriate thesis form. The thesis should demonstrate originality and understanding of the topic. These are typically 120 to 150 pages long, plus references.

If you are using human participants, attention should be paid to the Senate Policy for the Ethics Review Process for Research Involving Human Participants. This policy states that all university-based research involving human participants, whether funded or non-funded, faculty or student, scholarly, commercial, or consultative, is subject to the ethics review process. Students should, therefore, familiarize themselves with (i) the Senate Policy for the Ethics Review Process for Research Involving Human Participants and (ii) the SSHRC/NSERC/CIHR Tri–Council Policy Statement Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.

Completion of two full courses or the equivalent, including SOCI 5901 3.0 (Key Debates in Sociological Theory), SOCI 5995 3.0 (M.A. Seminar), and one 6000-level half course in research methods and/or social statistics. Note that SOCI 5900 (Independent Reading Course) does not count toward this total course requirement.

Courses that meet the methods requirement are 6060, 6086, 6090, 6095, 6096, 6112, 6120, 6121, and 6150. As the program is only able to offer a select number of methods courses during any academic year, not all of the courses which meet the methods requirement will be available for you to enroll in.

At the core of a student’s program is the formation of a two–person graduate faculty supervisory committee. This committee is a way to establish and maintain close contact with faculty members who share similar orientations and interests. While the committee is particularly important when working on the thesis, if it is in place early enough, the members can also act as academic advisors. Within the general parameters of program requirements, the supervisory committee is largely responsible for advising students on a course of study appropriate to their interests, assessing their work and progress, and for professional mentoring.

The specific composition of the supervisory committee is in the student’s own hands, subject to the Director’s approval and general Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations which specify the categories of membership that must be filled. Briefly stated:

MA supervisory committees MUST consist of a minimum of two members from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, one of whom must be from sociology and will serve as the principal supervisor. In exceptional circumstances, one additional member, who does not have an appointment to the Faculty of Graduate Studies MAY be included, but this requires prior approval by the Dean.

Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations state that MA students must have a supervisor in place by the end of their first term of study, and a supervisory committee in place no later than their second term of study. Students who do not meet this deadline will be unable to register unless the supervisor and/or supervisory committee has been approved. Students must fill in the Supervisor and Supervisory Committee Approval form and submit it to the program office in order for their supervisor and committee to be formally approved.

The York Sociology Graduate Association, with help from the program members, has developed some guidelines (.pdf) to assist you in both choosing and meeting potential committee members.

The thesis proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. At least three months before the thesis defence, the following must be submitted to the graduate program office:

(i) Thesis Proposal Form (TD1)
(ii) FGS Human Participants Research Form (TD2)
(iii) Appendix B: Informed Consent Checklist for Researchers (TD3)
(iv) Appendix F: Statement of Relationship Between Proposal and an Existing HPRC-Approved Project (TD4), if necessary
(v) TCPS Tutorial
(vi) I nformed Consent Document
(vii) An electronic copy of the proposal

Once the thesis proposal and ethics have been approved, students are expected to carry out their research project and report the results in appropriate thesis form. The thesis should demonstrate originality and understanding of the topic.

Students must pass an oral examination on the subject of the thesis and related questions. When the thesis is judged examinable by the supervisory committee, a thesis defence must be set up by the supervisory committee. At least 20 business days prior to the oral exam date, all paperwork for the defence must be deposited in the program office. The paperwork includes:

(i) A “recommendation for oral examination” form signed by your committee members, or with e-mails attached confirming that your thesis is defendable. The form must also include the title of your thesis, the confirmed date and time of the defence, as well as the names of all examining committee members. Once deposited in the graduate program office, students will be unable to change the title of their thesis. The examining committee consists of:

two graduate faculty members are chosen from the program and/or supervisory committee, at least one of whom must be from the supervisory committee
one graduate faculty member at arm’s length from the thesis, and normally from outside the program

(ii) An electronic copy of your thesis, without the acknowledgment section. This will be distributed to the arm’s length examiner by the program office. The student is responsible for providing each of their supervisory committee members with an e-copy.

(iii) Apply to graduate through the FGS website.

There are important deadlines to be observed if you intend to graduate in February, June, or October. THEY WILL NOT BE WAIVED.

Theses written by former students may be consulted, but not removed from the Common Room (2101 Vari Hall).

The thesis oral examination requirement is met if one of the following situations exists:

(i) if the committee accepts the thesis with no revisions; or

(ii) if the committee accepts the thesis with specific revisions

If revisions are required, these must be completed and approved by both the supervisor and the chair of the examining committee. Once approved, your supervisor and the chair must fill out a “revisions approved memorandum” form confirming that the revisions have been completed, or they may each send an e-mail to the Thesis Coordinator confirming the same.

Once the Thesis Coordinator has received confirmation of your approved revisions, she will send you an invitation to complete an Electronic Thesis record and upload your thesis as a PDF along with any supplementary files you may have. Be sure that you have followed the proper thesis formatting guidelines prior to uploading your document. The Thesis Coordinator will review, approve or return your document(s) if there are any problems (e.g. formatting). Please note that it takes 24 hours from the time in which the Thesis Coordinator sends you an invitation for you to be able to access the portal to upload your Thesis.

When the Thesis Coordinator has your submission has been approved, she will send confirmation of this to the program office. The date on which the Thesis Coordinator confirms approval of your document is the date on which your MA is officially completed. Students must remain registered in the program until this confirmation is received.

The program office will then process your name for convocation.

Approximately two months prior to the convocation ceremony, you should visit the convocation website and RSVP for the ceremony. Their website will also inform you about all facets of convocation.

Upon conferral of your degree, your thesis will be deposited in the Institutional Repository (YorkSpace) and will be available for harvest by Library and Archives Canada.

Research Review Paper Option

The RRP is intended as an opportunity for you to assess and evaluate the existing sociological research and theoretical literature pertaining to a particular topic of interest. It is to be based on a broader engagement with the literature as opposed to a deliberately focused research endeavor that addresses a narrowly specified research question and comes to a conclusive answer (as is done in the thesis option).

The end result of the RRP may vary depending on the approach you have adopted. For instance, it may involve the development of a set of new research questions that are well-grounded in the debates or questions you have identified from the existing literature. Alternatively, the end result may be the development of an initial exegesis (i.e. a critical interpretation, explanation, or exposition) and preliminary development of a working argument based on what you have read. Third, it may be an exposition of how different theories explain a particular sociological issue/problem. This typically involves some comparing and contrasting of these perspectives as well as some evaluation or assessment of the state of the literature (which theoretical perspective seems the best or most promising and why?).

Completion of three full courses or the equivalent, including SOCI 5901 3.0 (Key Debates in Sociological Theory), SOCI 5995 3.0 (M.A. Seminar), and one 6000-level half course in research methods and/or social statistics. Note that SOCI 5900 (Independent Reading Course) does not count toward this total course requirement

At the core of a student’s program is the formation of a two-person graduate faculty supervisory committee. This committee is a way to establish and maintain close contact with faculty members who share similar orientations and interests. While the committee is particularly important when working on the research review paper, if it is in place early enough, the members can also act as academic advisors. Within the general parameters of program requirements, the supervisory committee is largely responsible for advising students on a course of study appropriate to their interests, assessing their work and progress, and for professional mentoring.

Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations state that MA students must have a supervisor in place by the end of their first term of study, and a supervisory committee in place no later than their second term of study. Students who do not meet this deadline will be unable to register unless the supervisor and/or supervisory committee has been approved. Students must fill in the Faculty of Graduate Studies Supervisory Committee Approval form and submit it to the program office in order for their supervisor and committee to be formally approved.

The York Sociology Graduate Association, with help from the program members, has developed some guidelines (.pdf) to assist you in both choosing and meeting potential committee members.

The RRP Proposal is to be limited to 1,250 to 2,500 words. Examples of RRP proposals can be consulted, but not borrowed, from the program secretary’s office, 2077 Vari Hall.

The question: The proposal should include an organizing or guiding question that defines the orientation you will adopt towards your general topic of interest. That is, specify the inquiry question that will guide your interrogation of the literature.

The “guiding question” given in your proposal is very different, and should not be confused with, the type of thesis research question that is oriented towards a hypothesis or answering an empirical research question. That is, the question for the RRP Proposal is a “topical question” rather than a question that raises an argument – it may deal for instance with identifying the key debates or issues pertaining to the topic of interest.
Definition of Key Concepts: Define the key concepts you will be using for your RRP work. That is, describe these concepts and situate the concepts with the literature. If possible, give examples to illustrate them.

Relation to existing literature: The proposal should specify how your RRP analysis is situated within the existing literature. How does your proposed RRP fit in, or connect with, the relevant theoretical approaches and substantive research in the field? This means you need to clearly indicate how your RRP stands in relation to the current issues and approaches to the topic. Please note the proposal is not the place to write a lengthy review of the literature.

Types of literature to be reviewed: The proposal should also give some details of how you plan to investigate and address your question – for example, what types of journals, books, or other materials you will be accessing. In other words, identify the range and types of material you intend to read and analyze. You may also want to indicate if you are searching in a substantial way in disciplines outside sociology, or if are you limiting your analysis to sociology. Please note that the proposal is not the place to write a lengthy review of the literature.

Outline and timeline: A preliminary outline of the different sections of the RRP should also be given, with an associated timeline, to help organize your thoughts and presentation according to a feasible schedule for completion.

References: List all sources used.

Approval: The research review paper proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee at least three months before the RRP defence. An electronic copy of the proposal must be submitted along with the Research Review Paper Proposal Approval Form to the graduate program office.

An important element of the assessment and evaluation of the topic is the inclusion of a critical reflection on the work of others. On the basis of your critical review of the existing literature, you should provide and discuss illustrative evidence of the arguments and/or perspectives identified.

The RRP should also include a critical synthesis of the major theoretical, methodological, and/or substantive findings in the field. This type of critical synthesis is a creative exercise in that, based on your review of the literature, you develop and provide your own substantive framework in evaluating the body of sociological work.

Please keep in mind that because the RRP is not meant to be a ‘mini–thesis’, it does not involve a research design or collection of primary data.

Some examples of RRP titles and well-developed guiding questions may be accessed through the program secretary’s office, 2077 Vari Hall.

General Requirements for the RRP: The Research Review Paper should be roughly 10,000 to 12,500 words in length.

The RRP should normally take the equivalent of three months full–time work to write.

This is likely to be less formal than a thesis oral since it involves only the members of the supervisory committee and the student. The committee may waive the oral examination, however, this should only be done under exceptional circumstances.

Once the research review paper has been approved by your supervisory committee, please work with your committee in setting a date for the oral exam. After the oral exam, please submit the following to the graduate program office:

(i) RRP Examination Approval Form
(ii) An electronic copy of the RRP

Students are required to be registered and pay fees until the paperwork and RRP are submitted to the program office. Only then will the MA degree be considered completed.

There are important deadlines to be observed if you intend to graduate in February, June, or October. THEY WILL NOT BE WAIVED.

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Thesis Option

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