Master of Arts in Sociology

Master of Arts in Sociology (MA)

• Graduate Admission Requirements
• Program Requirements
• Graduate Studies Program and Degree Requirements
• Available Sociology (SOCI) Courses
• Complete listing of all courses

Streams/Specializations

Students have the option of completing the program through one of the following routes:

Major Research Paper (MRP) - Full-Time (one year program)
Major Research Paper (MRP) - Flex-Time (three year program)

Thesis Research Project (TRP) - Full-Time (two year program)
Thesis Research Project (TRP) - Flex-Time (four year program)

Major Research Paper (MRP) Route

The Major Research Paper (MRP) Full-Time option takes one year to complete (three consecutive terms: Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer) while the MRP Flex-Time option takes three years to complete (nine consecutive terms).  Both the Full and Flex-Time options are designed for students who decide to conduct library-based research, including reviews of literature and secondary analyses of data (e.g. census and survey data) that focus on social issues and policy analysis affecting individuals and communities in northern and rural areas and elsewhere in Canada and abroad, and who plan to seek employment opportunities possibly as research or policy analysts/evaluators in government and the social services sector. Students will have a MRP committee to oversee and assist with their chosen project, made up of a faculty supervisor and one consulting committee member drawn from a government, community or private organization directly related to their MRP topic. Students in the MRP option will complete a total of 24 credits: three required courses in Sociological Theory, Research Design and either Quantitative Analysis or Qualitative Analysis (9 credits); three additional elective courses (9 credits); and the MRP (6 credits).

Thesis Research Project (TRP) Route

The Thesis Research Project (TRP) Full-Time option takes two years to complete, (six consecutive terms: Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer x2) while the TRP Flex-Time option takes four years to complete (twelve consecutive terms).  Both the Full and Flex-Time options are designed for students who plan to undertake original, primary source empirical research that addresses a social problem or social issue affecting individual and communities in northern and rural areas and elsewhere in Canada and abroad, and who plan to continue on to further academic studies, or to work in a front-line research capacity with a community or private organization, or with government. Students will have a TRP committee to oversee and assist with the chosen project, made up of a faculty supervisor, an additional two faculty members, and one consulting committee member drawn from a government, community or private organization directly related to their TRP topic. Students in the TRP option will complete a total of 27 credits: three required courses in Sociological Theory, Research Design and either Quantitative Analysis or Qualitative Analysis (9 credits); two additional elective courses (6 credits) which may include a practicum placement with a government, community or private agency; and the thesis (12 credits).

Admissions

• Admission Information & How to Apply

Applications

• Online Application
• Master of Arts in Sociology - Supplemental Application Instructions and Requirements

Dates and Deadlines

• Graduate Studies Important Dates
• Funding Application Deadlines
• Tuition and Fees Deadlines

Tuition and Fees

• Master of Arts in Sociology Tuition, Fees and Payments

Funding and Financial Aid - Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards

​Funding is available to graduate students from both internal and external sources. Internal funding includes teaching/research assistantships, faculty research grants, and Nipissing Graduate Scholarships. The value of these scholarships varies. Students are also encouraged to compete for scholarships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS), the Canada Graduate Scholarship, and the Mackenzie King Memorial Scholarship.

• Student Financial Services
• Types of Graduate Funding
• Graduate Awards Policy
• Graduate Funding Deadlines
• Additional Sources of External Funding

Nipissing University Research Data Centre (RDC)

The Statistics Canada Research Data Centre (RDC) provides students in the M.A. in Sociology – Applied Social Research degree with access to micro-level data of Canadian census and surveys on population, work and education, health, economic, ethnicity and migration, crime, Indigenous population, family, youth and children, and other topics in order to conduct specialized northern and rural focused research, while at the same time bringing together other faculty and community members from across northeastern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada and abroad to share expertise and needs for information and research. The Nipissing University RDC is the only such facility in northern Ontario that will be a focal point for faculty and graduate students investigating the problems of northern and rural communities and comparing these with social issues and problems elsewhere in Canada and abroad. For additional information, visit: https://crdcn.org/toronto-rdc-nipissing-branch
 

Avery Beall, RDC Statistical Assistant explains the steps involved to access the RDC data, and highlights some of the new COVID-19 data sets available for researchers in the RDC.

Further information about other RDC data sets available and application procedures can also be found on the Nipissing RDC website.

Sociology Lab

The Sociology Lab with more than 40 personal computers provides Sociology students with various statistical and data management software (e.g., SPSS, Stata, SAS, and NVivo) to analyze public-use microdata survey and census data and organize qualitative data for their research projects and thesis. The Lab is also used for training students how to employ the software and analyze and organize the data.

Institute for Applied Social Research (IASR)

The Institute for Applied Social Research (IASR) is a fully self-funded institute of researchers conducting applied research and evaluation projects in policing, corrections, mental health and education/employment training. Students in the M.A. in Sociology – Applied Social Research will be employed to assist faculty in the IASR with in-field research projects.

Graduate Student Centre

The Graduate Student Centre is a modern, shared facilities for all graduate students on campus, with individual study carrels available for graduate student use, along with telephone, hardwired and wireless internet, and shared printing/copying facilities.

Harris Learning Library

The Harris Learning Library is a modern, award-winning library facility with comprehensive electronic database access to academic and research books, articles, theses and monographs, in combination with on-site library holdings. Casual and quiet study areas, on-site computer and photocopying/printing facilities, and group study and meeting rooms make the Harris Learning Library a focal point of the Nipissing University campus for undergraduate and graduate students alike.

Equipment and Software

Graduate students have access to a wide variety of software, include Microsoft and Apple products, and analytic software include SAS, STATA, SPSS and QSR. Both Apple and Microsoft computing platforms are supported, and there is wireless access throughout the university facilities. University technology Services (UTS) provides support for all software and hardware used at Nipissing University, and is a certified Apple computer repair centre.

On-Campus and in the Community

Nipissing University has a number of cafeteria facilities on campus, three Tim Horton’s service counters, and ‘Good-to-Go’, a healthy, fast-food service counter located in the Surtees Athletic Centre. In addition, restaurants, grocery stories, other facilities, including One Kids Place and the North Bay Regional Health Centre are located close to the university.

Graduate Studies Resources

• Graduate Studies Regulations
• Graduate Studies Procedures
• Graduate Studies Forms
• Graduate Studies Glossary
• Graduate Student Card Application
• Professional Learning Services
• Centre for Literacy

Life Course Transitions

The CRC Chair in Life Course Transitions in Northern & Rural Communities is a federally-funded program of research that brings together faculty with expertise in social demography, education and work, gerontology, health informatics and health care delivery, Indigenous history, culture, contemporary social, economic and technological development, and criminal justice administration and law. Students in the M.A. in Sociology – Applied Social Research will engage with faculty and visiting scholars and post-doctoral researchers in applied research projects, investigating social problems and issues in northern and rural communities and elsewhere in Canada and abroad.

Post-Graduation Careers and Employment Opportunities

The Nipissing University M.A. in Sociology – Applied Social Research degree will provide students with the academic background and applied research and evaluation skills to work in a wide variety of occupations and fields where research, analysis and interpretation skills are required. Students graduating from the M.A. in Sociology – Applied Social Research degree will work as research and policy analysts in government, community and private organizations; as quantitative, statistical data analysts for government, community and private organizations, including ‘big data’ organizations such as credit card and internet-based companies; as highly-educated and qualified social service, police, customs, military and probation officers; as sampling and survey research designers and analysts; as qualitative research analysts and focus group facilitators with marketing and media research organizations; as social epidemiologists and demographers employed by healthcare and other government organizations; and as candidates for more advanced studies at the doctoral level in sociology, anthropology, criminology and related fields.