Admission Requirements
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is awarded by the Faculty of Environmental Studies to candidates for conducting independent and original research and reporting thereon in a thesis.
Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy (Planning) program is normally in September and is open to students who have:
- a master's degree with excellent standing (minimum 80%) from a recognized university. Evidence of ability to pursue independent research is essential;
- three letters of reference, at least two of which must be from academic sources;
- two official academic transcript from each post-secondary institution;
- a 1/2 page statement of interest in the graduate program which describes the aspects of planning offered in our School in which you are particularly interested;
- a Supplementary Information Form for the research you wish to undertake;
- at least one substantial example of work completed during the last two years of academic study. Students with professional experience may submit a professional report of which they were sole or senior author.
- proof of English Language Competency: Applicants who have not completed three or more years of post-secondary work at a Canadian institution or at an institution at which English was the primary language of instruction, or have not been employed for a similar period of time in a position in which English was the primary language of business will be required to provide certification of English language proficiency.
TOEFL: minimum score of 100, with minimum skill scores of 26 in each of speaking and writing;
Paper-based TOEFL - minimum of 600 overall is required and 4.0 on the TWE and 50 in the TSE.
Computer-based TOEFL - minimum of 250 overall, 50 in the TSE and 5.0 in the essay.
Other tests of English language proficiency accepted include:
IELTS (International English Language Testing System ) - minimum score of 7.5;
MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery) - minimum score of 90, and
CAEL (Canadian Academic English Language Assessment ) - minimum score of 70 is required with 70 in writing and 70 in speaking
EFAS (English for Academic Success [Renison University College, University of Waterloo] - 80% overall in level 400
These tests are offered in Canada, the United States and many other countries.
Degree Requirements
| Degree Program |
Degree Requirements |
Program Duration |
|
PhD
|
- two 700-level obligatory one-term courses: 700, 710 for a total of 1.0 units
- two 800-level elective one-term courses: 801, 802 for a total of 1.0 units
- student's advisory committee may require up to two additional one-term graduate level courses if necessary for research area
- thesis (2.0 unit weight)
- In addition, students must complete two program milestones:
- comprehensive examination
- research plan - oral presentation April of 2nd year
|
4 years - 12 terms of full-time enrollment
6 years - 18 terms part-time
|
The comprehensive exam is normally taken between the 13th and 16th month of the program. The examination focuses on three issues:
- knowledge of fundamental concepts and theories of planning and of the specific research topic area;
- broad knowledge of relevant research methods; and
- the capacity to generate an important research question and to apply appropriate theories and methods to it.
Further information regarding university regulations see Minimum Requirements for the PhD Degree.