| CARVIEW |
Sociology
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Program
| Program | Expected Length | Project and/or thesis | Course based |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.A. | 2 years | ||
| Ph.D. | 4 years |
The Department of Sociology offers a thesis and non-thesis program leading to a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Sociology and a thesis-based Ph.D. program. The program of study for the candidates in M.A. and Ph.D. programs is prepared to suit the individual student's needs and interests. This generally requires a combination of rigorous training in the areas of theory and methodology and elective courses in the candidate's area of interest.
Graduate student enrollment in the department is at a level that provides flexibility and extensive student-faculty interaction. Presently, there are 50 graduate students enrolled in the M.A. and Ph.D. programs with 19 faculty members who are actively involved in research. Our current faculty research areas are:
- Citizenship, immigration, race, and ethnicity
- Crime and justice
- Health and illness
- Indigenous Peoples and societies
- Development, agriculture and environment
- Science, education and knowledge
- Family and religion
The Department of Sociology at the University of Saskatchewan provides a research supportive environment. Office spaces for students are located near the Graduate Student Computer Labs. Graduate students have opportunities to work in a variety of research settings, including activities related to projects through the Social Sciences Research Laboratories and the Saskatchewan Data Research Centre.
Research supervisors
It is not necessary to find a potential supervisor before you begin an application. The list below though may be helpful to learn about the research interests of our faculty.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Criminology; Intimate Partner Violence; Penology; Social Control; Youth Crime and Resilience | |
| Aboriginal Rights; Chinese Law and Society; Corporations; International Criminology; Policing; White Collar Crime | |
| Addictions; Animal Assisted Interventions; Criminalization; Healing; Health; Indigenous Wellbeing; Knowledge Mobilization; Mental Health; Women and Girls | |
| Health Care; Higher Education; Knowledge Systems; Reflexive Modernization; Sociological Theory | |
| Production co-operatives; sociology of agriculture; sustainable rural development | |
| Addictions Recovery and Healing; Crime and Society; Indigenous Justice; Indigenous Knowledge; Restorative Justice | |
| Education; Immigration and Diversity; Political Sociology; Racial and Ethnic Stratification; Social Capital; Social Inequality | |
| Crime; Life Course; Social Research Methods; Youth | |
| Colonial Gendered Violence; Community Research and Organizing; Critical Criminology; Feminist and Indigenous Feminist Thought; Harm Reduction; Human Trafficking; Post-, Anti-, and Settler-Colonialisms; Sex Work; Systemic Inequalities; Women and Law | |
| Families; Gender; Qualitative Research Methods; Sexuality; Young Adults | |
| Autobiography; Feminist Theory; Queer Theory; Transnational Feminisms; Trauma and Resilience | |
| Community Based Participatory Research; Indigenous Knowledge; Sociology of Medicine; Sociology of Science and Knowledge | |
| Arts Based Methods; Caring Labour; Labour History; Participatory Research; Work; Work Organization | |
| Immigrant Families; Indo-Canadians; International Migration; Second Generation; Transnationalism | |
| Classification; Colonialism; Gender; Governance; Identity; Law; Race; Social Control; Surveillance; Technology | |
| Immigration; Inclusion; Indigenous-settler Relations; Inequality; Social Policy; Sociology of Education; Work and Labour Markets | |
| Families; Life Course and Aging; Partnership Trajectories; Quantitative Methods; Romantic Unions; Social Demography; Transitions to Adulthood | |
| China Studies; Immigration; Race and Ethnic Relations |
Carolyn Brooks
Associate Professor, Tenured
carolyn.brooks@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Criminology; Intimate Partner Violence; Penology; Social Control; Youth Crime and Resilience
Research interests:
- Criminology
- Intimate Partner Violence
- Penology
- Social Control
- Youth Crime and Resilience
Hongming Cheng
Professor, Tenured
hoc699@mail.usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Aboriginal Rights; Chinese Law and Society; Corporations; International Criminology; Policing; White Collar Crime
Research interests:
- Crimes of the powerful (white-collar, corporate, state crime)
- Policing and society
- Violence against women
- Media, deviance, and social control
- Land rights of Aboriginal citizens and Chinese peasants
- Corporations and securities regulation
- Chinese law and society
Colleen Anne Dell
Research Chair in One Health & Wellness, Professor, Tenured
colleen.dell@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Addictions; Animal Assisted Interventions; Criminalization; Healing; Health; Indigenous Wellbeing; Knowledge Mobilization; Mental Health; Women and Girls
Research interests:
- Animal Assisted Interventions
- Addictions
- Criminalization
- Health, Healing & Wellness
- Mental Health
- Indigenous Wellbeing
- Knowledge Mobilization
- Women and Girls
Harley Dickinson
Professor, Tenured
harley.dickinson@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Health Care; Higher Education; Knowledge Systems; Reflexive Modernization; Sociological Theory
Research interests:
- Socio-cultural Modernization & Anti-modernization
- Sociological Theory
- Knowledge Systems (Creation/Communication/Application)
- Health Care Systems & Institutions
- Higher Education Systems & Institutions
Michael Gertler
Associate Professor, Tenured
michael.gertler@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
production co-operatives; sociology of agriculture; sustainable rural development
Research interests:
- sociology of agriculture and food
- organizational innovations supporting sustainable rural development
- agricultural restructuring and diversification
- community and co-operative pastures
- knowledge politics in co-operatives
- labour relations and co-operatives
- organic farming
John G. Hansen
Associate Professor, Tenured
john.hansen@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Addictions Recovery and Healing; Crime and Society; Indigenous Justice; Indigenous Knowledge; Restorative Justice
Research interests:
- Addictions Recovery and Healing
- Crime and Society
- Indigenous Justice
- Indigenous Knowledge
- Restorative Justice
Monica Hwang
Associate Professor
moh581@mail.usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Education; Immigration and Diversity; Political Sociology; Racial and Ethnic Stratification; Social Capital; Social Inequality
Research interests:
- Racial and Ethnic Stratification
- Immigration and Diversity
- Political Sociology
- Social Inequality
- Social Capital
- Education
Timothy Kang
Assistant Professor
tik289@mail.usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Crime; Life Course; Social Research Methods; Youth
Research interests:
- Life Course Theory
- Youth Delinquency
- Narrative Criminology
- Research Methodology
Julie Kaye
Associate Professor
julie.kaye@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Colonial Gendered Violence; Community Research and Organizing; Critical Criminology; Feminist and Indigenous Feminist Thought; Harm Reduction; Human Trafficking; Post-, Anti-, and Settler-Colonialisms; Sex Work; Systemic Inequalities; Women and Law
Research interests:
- Colonial Gendered Violence
- Community Research and Organizing
- Harm Reduction; Sex Work
- Feminist and Indigenous Feminist Thought
- Post-, Anti-, and Settler-Colonialisms
- Critical Criminology
- Human Trafficking
- Women and Law; Systemic Inequalities
Sarah Knudson
Associate Professor
skk914@mail.usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Families; Gender; Qualitative Research Methods; Sexuality; Young Adults
Research interests:
- Families
- Gender
- Sexuality
- Young Adults
- Qualitative Research Methods
Marie Lovrod
Associate Professor, English/Women's and Gender Studies
marie.lovrod@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Autobiography; Feminist Theory; Queer Theory; Transnational Feminisms; Trauma and Resilience
Research interests:
- Transnational Feminisms
- Intergenerational trauma and resilience
- Feminist theory and methods
- Queer theory and methods
- Creative methodologies
- Autobiography/collective auto-ethnography
Jennifer Poudrier
Associate Professor, Tenured
jennifer.poudrier@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Community Based Participatory Research; Indigenous Knowledge; Sociology of Medicine; Sociology of Science and Knowledge
Research interests:
- Sociology of Science and Knowledge
- Sociology of Health and Medicine
- Community based participatory research
- Indigenous knowledges
- Visual Methodologies
Elizabeth Quinlan
Professor, Tenured
elq966@mail.usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Arts Based Methods; Caring Labour; Labour History; Participatory Research; Work; Work Organization
Research interests:
- Arts Based Methods
- Caring Labour
- Labour History
- Participatory Research
- Sociology of Work
- Campus-based Sexual Violence
- Gendered Work Organization
Kara Somerville
Professor, Tenured
kara.somerville@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Immigrant Families; Indo-Canadians; International Migration; Second Generation; Transnationalism
Research interests:
- International Migration
- Transnationalism
- Immigrant Families in Canada
- Second Generation Canadians
- Indo-Canadians
- International Students
Scott Thompson
Assistant Professor
scott.n.thompson@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Classification; Colonialism; Gender; Governance; Identity; Law; Race; Social Control; Surveillance; Technology
Research interests:
- Surveillance
- Governance
- Law
- Identity
- Classification
- Social Control
- Technology
- Colonialism, Race, Gender
Terry Wotherspoon
Professor, Tenured
terry.wotherspoon@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Immigration; Inclusion; Indigenous-settler Relations; Inequality; Social Policy; Sociology of Education; Work and Labour Markets
Research interests:
- Sociology of Education
- Social Inequality and Exclusion
- Indigenous-Settler Relations
- Social Policy
- Immigration and Racialized Minorities
- Work and Labour Markets
Laura Wright
Associate Professor, Tenured
laura.wright@usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
Families; Life Course and Aging; Partnership Trajectories; Quantitative Methods; Romantic Unions; Social Demography; Transitions to Adulthood
Research interests:
- Families
- Life Course and Aging
- Partnership Trajectories
- Quantitative Methods
- Social Demography
- Transitions to Adulthood
- Romantic Unions
Li Zong
Professor, Tenured
liz508@mail.usask.ca
Faculty website
Areas of specialization
China Studies; Immigration; Race and Ethnic Relations
Research interests:
- China Studies
- Immigration
- Race and Ethnic Relations
- Social Stratification and Social Mobility
Tuition and funding
Funding
To be eligible for department funding, students must meet the language requirements for admission and have obtained at least an 80% academic average in the last two years of study.
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Tuition
Thesis or project-based master's program
Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
| Term | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2025 | $1,812.00 CAD | $4,077.00 CAD |
| January 1 - April 30, 2026 | $1,812.00 CAD | $4,077.00 CAD |
| May 1 - August 31, 2026 | $1,812.00 CAD | $4,077.00 CAD |
| Total per academic year | $5,436.00 CAD | $12,231.00 CAD |
Doctoral program
Doctoral students pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program. Both international and domestic Ph.D. students pay the same rate.
| Term | |
|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2025 | $1,812.00 CAD |
| January 1 - April 30, 2026 | $1,812.00 CAD |
| May 1 - August 31, 2026 | $1,812.00 CAD |
| Total per academic year | $5,436.00 CAD |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2025 | Winter 2026 | Spring 2026 | Summer 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $578.45 CAD | $804.73 CAD | $36.75 CAD | $36.75 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Admission requirements
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. 60 credit units)
- A four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English
- Master’s degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in a relevant academic discipline
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 75% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. coursework required in master’s program)
Application process
Submit an online application
International Students - Master’s and doctoral students applying for a study permit do not need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL). Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma students, as well as Visiting Research students studying over six months, still need a PAL. Review federal international study permit policies before you apply.
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable application fee: $125 for domestic students and $145 for international students. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- Completing a relevant test with the appropriate score is required before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
You may be required to submit the following documents:
- A curriculum vitae or resume
- Statement/letter of intent, including a statement of research interests. The letter should outline your academic background and other relevant information, as well as your proposed area of graduate research, identifying as much as possible, such as your research problem, theoretical interests, and proposed data sources or methodological approach. The letter should be one to two pages for M.A. applicants and five to six pages for Ph.D. applicants. The letter is an important means by which the Graduate Studies Committee can determine the extent to which the proposed research can be accommodated within Department programming and to ensure appropriate supervisory resources are available. The letter of intent is also a useful means by which faculty members can identify students whose work may be eligible to be supported through research grants and other external forms of funding.
Contact
Department of Sociology
9 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5
Graduate Chair
Dr. Elizabeth Quinlan
Email: elizabeth.quinlan@usask.ca
Graduate Programs Admin Support
Valerie Lipton
Email: sociology.grad@usask.ca
- Department of Sociology
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements
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