Program/Course Requirements

Completion requirement

In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements and Faculty of Arts requirements, the Department normally requires:

a) A minimum of 18 units of coursework, which must include::

at least 12 units of graduate courses in Political Science;
at least 6 units must be in the student's chosen Primary Field and at least 6 units must be in the student's chosen Secondary Field (Primary and Secondary Fields will consist of any two of Canadian Politics, Comparative Politics, Indigenous Politics, International Relations, or Political Thought);
a maximum of 6 units as reading courses;
POLI691 (see Advanced Credit);
and up to 3 units of graduate courses in any area.

b) Field of Study Written Examinations.

c) Field of Study Oral Examination.

d) Thesis Proposal and Meeting.

e) Language Requirement (if applicable).

f) Written Thesis.

g) Thesis Oral Examination.

Additional Program Information

Completion requirement

Advanced Credit

The applicant must make Advanced Credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not normally be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma.

If graduate-level courses are taken as post-BA courses, the Graduate Program Director may allow the student to claim up to 6 units at our graduate level.

Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)

The department of Political Science will not permit the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course offered by the Political Science Graduate Program.

Students may not choose the CG grade for a course taken extra to load.

The use of the CG grade will affect students’ eligibility for internal awards.

Credit for Undergraduate Courses

Applicants with knowledge of research methods equivalent to POLI399 may be given a course exemption in POLI691. Course exemption exempts students from taking this course, but they are still required to complete the total number of units required for their degree. Applicants must make course exemption requests as part of the admission process.

Time Limit

Expected completion time is four years for the PhD program. Maximum completion time is six years.

Supervisory Assignments, Research Proposal and Required Examinations

Completion requirement

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.

Financial Assistance

Completion requirement

Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.

Students applying for scholarships must submit their applications to the Department by January 15.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science

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Overview

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Program Details