Social and Cultural Anthropology MA

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate degree with honours or specialization in anthropology or joint specialization in anthropology and sociology, with a grade point average of 3.00 (B average) is required. An undergraduate degree with a major in anthropology, with a grade point average of 3.00 (B average) is considered, provided that the background preparation is acceptable.
Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.

Additional Admission Requirements

Applicants who lack certain prerequisite courses may be required to take a qualifying program of up to 12 undergraduate credits in addition to the regular graduate program. For the qualifying program a grade point average of 3.00 (B average) is required.

Applicants with deficiencies in their undergraduate preparation may be required to take up to 24 undergraduate independent credits.

Applications to the program must be accompanied by a preliminary statement (roughly 500 words in length) of the student's intentions regarding research, fieldwork and thesis.

Degree Requirements

Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits.

Please see the Sociology and Anthropology Courses page for course descriptions.

MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology (45 credits)

45

credits chosen from one of the following options:

MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology with Thesis - Field Research (Option A)

MA in Social and Cultural Anthropology with Thesis - Bibliographic Research (Option B)

Note 1. All students are required to plan courses related to their own interests with the help of advisors.
Note 2. Students registered in Option B are required to take 3 credits of SOCI elective studies.
Note 3. No more than 3 credits of elective studies taken outside the Department of Sociology and Anthropology may be credited towards the degree.

Additional Degree Requirements

Credits. Additional courses may be taken from outside the program, subject to the advice and approval of the student's supervisor or the Graduate Program Director.

Supervision. Students are assigned an interim advisor upon admission. Students in the thesis option must select their permanent advisor by the beginning of the second term, along with a second committee member. Their thesis is evaluated by the two-person committee and a third examiner. Students in the non-thesis option select a permanent advisor by the beginning of the second term, and their final research papers are evaluated by the advisor and a second examiner.

Language Requirement. A working knowledge of English and French is recommended, although written work may be submitted in either language. Where appropriate, students are encouraged to acquire competence in the language of the community they choose to study; this may be achieved in the context of ANTH 640.

Academic Regulations

Academic Standing. Please refer to the Academic Standing section of the Calendar for a detailed review of the Academic Regulations.
Residence. The minimum period of residence is one calendar year (3 terms) of full-time graduate study or the equivalent in part-time study.
Time Limit. Please refer to the Academic Regulations page for further details regarding the Time Limits. The thesis option is designed to be completed in two years. The non-thesis option can be completed in 12 months.
Graduation Requirement. In order to graduate, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.70.