Admissions

You should review the application process checklist.

We require the following items to complete your application:

- online application form
- statement of intent (1-2 pages in length)
- a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to undertake sociological analysis
- resume
- (if applicable) IELTS or TOEFL scores
- 2 assessment reports and/or letters of reference (see below for guidelines)
- transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (including transfer credits)

Your statement of intent should specify the area of study that you are interested in and any potential research topics that you would like to work on. It should explain how your academic background and achievements have prepared you to undertake graduate study in this area and why you believe that you would be successful. You should also explain why the graduate program at UVic would be a good fit for you. You should identify which faculty member(s) you would like to work with as a potential supervisor and state whether you have already been in contact with this person. In sum, the statement should take the form of a one- to two-page essay that clearly states and situates your research interests (with references to relevant academic literature) and explains why you are a good candidate for admission.

How to apply for graduate admission

To ensure that your application receives full consideration and timely attention, please read the following instructions carefully:

Complete the graduate studies online application.

Fill in your application form clearly and completely. This includes disclosing all post-secondary institutions where any course registrations were made. Failure to disclose may result in having your admission and registration cancelled. The application fee requirement cannot be waived. If you need to make arrangements for someone else (possibly a friend or family member) to pay the application fee contact the Graduate Admissions and Records office for more information.

You will need to provide the names and email addresses of your chosen assessors when you submit your online application. It is important that you contact your referees prior to applying to confirm their willingness to provide you with an assessment. A letter of reference may also be supplied as part of the assessment report. Once you have applied, an email with the online assessment report will be sent to your assessors for them to complete. Copies of unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended will be required for upload at the time of application. If you are offered admission, you will be required to submit official documents confirming your information. For more information on what is considered "unofficial transcripts", please see the "submission of documents" page on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website:

Ensure that all documents are submitted under the same name. If documents are received with alternate spellings or different names, delays will undoubtedly occur. Submit your application early. The majority of applications are received within two weeks of the deadlines. Processing is much slower at these times.  Please ensure that you plan ahead with your application and the materials required. It could take several weeks for transcripts and assessment reports to arrive and be processed for review.

The department welcomes applications from Canadian and international students with strong backgrounds in sociology or related fields. Students who do not major in sociology for their undergraduate degrees are encouraged to contact the department's Graduate Advisor for advice early in the application process.

Admission to the PhD program normally requires a master's degree in Sociology or a related social science discipline with a minimum average of 7.0 to 7.5 (A- to A) in graduate courses. To be admitted to the program, an applicant must have excellent letters of reference, present a clear statement of research interests and submit an example of strong scholarly work.

It is important for there to be a good fit between student and supervisor if graduate study is to be successful, especially at the doctoral level. Accordingly, all PhD applicants are required to contact potential supervisors in advance of submitting an application for admission. It is recommended, but not required, that MA applicants do so.

Typically, between 8 and 10 master's students, and 2-3 PhD students are admitted to the program each year.  Because of our size, students selected for admission benefit from relatively small seminar classes and gain ample access to professors.

Admission to the master's program requires a bachelor's degree, with a minimum overall average of B+ (6.0) in the final two full years of credit units of undergraduate work.

Admission to the PhD program normally requires a master's degree in sociology or a related social science discipline with a minimum average of 7.0 to 7.5 (A- to A) in graduate courses.

Applicants for admission whose first language is not English and who have not resided in Canada for at least three consecutive years immediately prior to the beginning of the session applied for must demonstrate competency in English. Most applicants qualify by providing results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable score is 575 on the paper-based test or an overall score of 90 on the Internet Based TOEFL (IBT), with the following minimum section requirements: Listening 20; Speaking 20; Reading 20; Writing 20. Alternatively, an overall score of a least Band 6.5 with no score of less than 6.0 on each academic component of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or a score of 64 on the Michigan English Test (MET) will also be accepted.

When you apply online, you can indicate that you wish to apply for  Sociology (as your major) with a concentration in CSPT - so only one application is required.  If you are admitted into the Sociology graduate program and your file has indicated CSPT, it will then be reviewed and considered for admission into the CSPT program.

Institutional code for TOEFL is 0989.

Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (including transfer credits) are required. For more details of required documents, you can find the information on the Faculty of Graduate Studies - Submission of documents website.

All students who submit applications by the funding deadline are considered for financial support. We normally fund master's students for two years. To qualify for second-year funding, a student needs to make adequate progress in the first year.

Doctoral students are normally funded for four years. The department strives to support doctoral students with funding approaching $20,000 a year. International students must have first class degrees in order to be eligible for full funding. Sources for funds can include teaching and research assistantships, grants and fellowships from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, external grants and fellowships, and sessional teaching work for doctoral students in their third or fourth years of study (once they have completed both their candidacy exams.)

All eligible students are encouraged to apply for funding from provincial, federal and external sources.

You can get more information on the Faculty of Graduate Studies site.

Assessment reports from a minimum of two professors or other academic authorities who are familiar with your work are required. Once you apply online, your assessors will be sent a email with the online asessment report to be completed. Letters of reference may be supplied as part of the assessment reports. Students will not be permitted to see these documents.

All documents are to be uploaded online, unless otherwise requested by the Faculty of Graduate Studies or Graduate Admissions and Records.

You can view the checklist on your My UVic application page for a list of received and outstanding documents. Submit any outstanding documents as PDFs not uploaded as part of your application to graddocs@uvic.ca. Please keep in mind that it could take several weeks before all documents received will appear on your checklist.

Once your file has sufficient information for evaluation, a graduate admissions and records officer will review it to determine if you meet the minimum requirements for the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Once this is confirmed your file will be forwarded to the specific program department for their assessment. You will be advised of the decision as soon as possible, but in some cases this may take many weeks.

Once you have been accepted to your program and authorized to register, you should review the registration information for continuing students.