Admission Requirements

Course-based and thesis-based MA programs in Sociology

• Normally, a four-year undergraduate degree with a major in Sociology (honors preferred), or a related discipline.
• A minimum grade-point average of 3.5 (3.7 is considered competitive) in the last two years of undergraduate study at the University of Alberta (20 single-term courses), or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to have completed coursework in statistics (I.e., SOC 210), research methodology (I.e., SOC 315), and two sociological theory courses (I.e., SOC 212, SOC 335), or their equivalents.

PhD programs

• Master's degree with an average of 3.5 on all graduate courses and undergraduate coursework taken in the final two years (20 single-term courses) at the University of Alberta, or equivalent qualifications from a recognized institution.

English Language Proficiency

All foreign students who have not completed a degree at an English-language university (recognized by the University of Alberta) must upload one of the following original certificates in order to show English language proficiency:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

• minimum score of 600 (paper-based), or a total score of 100 with a score of at least 21 on each of the individual skill areas (internet-based)

• minimum score of 85, and a minimum score of 3 on the speaking component

• minimum overall band score of 7, with at least 5.5 on each band (Academic)

• overall minimum score of 70, with at least 70 on each subtest

• overall minimum score of 68 with a minimum band score of 60

Countries exempt from the English Language Requirements