Admission Requirements
The Department invites applications from students with a background in Sociology or related research area. Follow the Research Areas link (under "Graduate" above) for complete details.MA
Applicants should have an overall average of at least 78% (B+) in completed 3rd and 4th year courses. Students who have taken upper level courses as well as sociological theory, statistics and/or methods are preferred.
PhD
Admission to the PhD program requires an overall average of at least 78% (B+) in graduate level courses. Applicants who have taken sociological theory, statistics and methods are preferred.
In the case of an outstanding student with an Honours degree in Sociology, the student may be admitted into the PhD program after completion of the MA coursework. In these exceptional cases students would proceed immediately to the PhD program without obtaining an MA degree.
Proficiency in English
Applicants born outside Canada whose first language is not English must provide an English proficiency score. Acceptable tests and the minimum scores are listed below. The only exemption from this rule is an applicant who has studied two or more years in an English speaking university in a country with English as the primary language. As part of the admissions process, an interview may be held, either in person or via teleconference, if the admissions committee desires further information about a particular applicant.
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) must have been administered within the last two years. A score of at least 625 (paper-based) or 263 (computer-based) or 107 (Internet-based) is required for admission. Western's TOEFL ID is 0984.
- IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) must have been administered within the last two years with a minimum score of 8.