Supervisory Assignments

An incoming student must have a proof of agreement to supervise from one or more faculty members in the student’s proposed area of thesis research. Admission will not be granted without proof that adequate supervision is available during the applicant’s studies. The selection of an eligible Permanent Supervisor is made by mutual agreement between the student, the faculty member, and the Graduate Program Director. A permanent Supervisor should normally be appointed by the end of April of the first year of registration. At the time of appointment, the Permanent Supervisor should be currently active in research in an area related to the student’s interest.

The Supervisory Committee should be appointed as quickly as possible but no later than three months after the appointment of the Permanent Supervisor.

Research Proposal

Doctoral students must complete a written Thesis Proposal, which is approved by their Supervisory Committee in a Thesis Proposal Meeting. For more information, see poli.ucalgary.ca/graduate/current-program-rules-policies.

Doctoral Field of Study Examinations

Political Science doctoral students must successfully complete two Field of Study (FoS) written examinations: (i) one written FoS examination in their chosen Primary Field; and, (ii) a second written FoS examination in their chosen Secondary Field. In addition, students must successfully complete a single oral FoS examination which treats both their Primary and Secondary Fields. For more information, see: https://arts.ucalgary.ca/political-science/current-students/graduate/phd-program-requirements/phd-candidacy.

Thesis Examination

Scheduling of the Examination
All members of the Supervisory Committee (if applicable) must have reviewed the student’s draft thesis document before an examination can be scheduled.

Composition of the Committee
The Internal Examiner may be internal to the home program.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science

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General Program Information