Human Studies and Interdisciplinarity (PhD)
Examine human social and physical development over a lifetime.
Academic Advisor
David Leeson
Telephone: 705-675-1151 ext 4299
Email: dleeson@laurentian.ca
Office:
Emily Macdonald
Administrative Assistant
705-675-1151 ext 5117
emacdonald2@laurentian.ca
Program Requirements
All admitted applicants, in consultation with their Principal Advisor, shall develop their program of study within the first semester of their residency by evaluating their academic strengths and weaknesses using the stated competencies of the program.
Students may be required to undertake coursework to develop areas of competency. Areas of competency that may be required are, for example, second-language competency or reading competency in languages other than the language of instruction, or statistical or quantitative analysis competencies. In accordance with their former background and preparation, students may take elective coursework at the Master’s level (5000 or above). Students who wish to take a limited amount of coursework at another university may do so in accordance with the Graduate Calendar regulations.
The main components of the program shall be as follows:
- Three core seminars worth 3 credits each: HUST 6126 EL – Interdisciplinary Research Methods, HUST 6156 EL – Theories in Interdisciplinarity and HUST 6066 – Interdisciplinary Knowledge Dissemination;
- Two elective seminars worth 3 credits each. The placement (HUST 6906 EL- Field Based Research Placement) can be substituted for one of these seminars;
- A Comprehensive General Examination; See past successful comprehensive examinations
- A Thesis, See past successful theses
Human Studies Students Association (HUSSA)
The purpose of the Human Studies Students Association is:
- To foster unity among the students in the Human Studies PhD program
- To provide forums for the students to express concerns or suggestions for the program, and
- To organize social events which give students the chance to meet and share goals and issues with each other.
Applying to the Program:
The first step in applying is to find a supervisor. Please consult the list of our faculty members (scroll down to the very bottom of the page). You can email directly any of these professors whose research interests might align well with your own, and provide them with a description of your research project. Once you have secured a supervisor, you can start the formal application process. Please see the “Admission Requirements” and “How to Apply” sections below.
Starting the Program
Once accepted into the program, students begin by completing the coursework (Three required courses, as mentioned above, and two elective courses, which can be chosen in consultation with the supervisor). Course completion normally takes one to two years, depending on the student’s status in the program, as full-time or part-time. During this period the student and supervisor should establish a thesis supervisory committee, which will consist of at least two other professors, who will provide guidance and direction to the writing of the student’s dissertation. The committee members may be Laurentian professors, or they may be external to Laurentian. Once the thesis supervisory committee has been established, all members should sign a Thesis Supervision Contract (PDF), confirming their commitment to the supervision process.
Next Steps – Preparation for the Comprehensive Examination
Once the coursework has been completed and the supervisory committee has been established, the next step is to prepare for the comprehensive examination, which includes both a written paper and an oral defense. The work on the Comprehensive papers may take between 1 to 2 years for a full-time student, and up to 4 years for a part-time student.
The comprehensive paper consists of two parts:
A minor part dealing with interdisciplinarity (20 to 50 pages), in which the student must explain the concept of interdisciplinarity, and how their research project is interdisciplinary in nature. There is a required bibliography for the minor (PDF). Students must reference all these titles in their minor paper, and can add titles if they wish.
A major part dealing with the student’s research topic, in which the student does the literature review of his or her thesis and develops the problematic.
When the student is ready to begin writing the comprehensive paper, they must consider the questions they will be addressing in the major part to the paper. These questions must be agreed upon by all members of the supervisory committee, to ensure they are all on the same page in regards to the themes and direction the student’s paper is pursuing. Committee members and the student must sign the Agreement on Comprehensive Examinations form (PDF), and submit a copy of the agreed-upon questions, in addition to the proposed bibliographic titles for the major comprehensive paper.
When the student has completed writing the comprehensive paper to the satisfaction of all the committee members and the approval of the Program director, an oral defense of the comprehensive exam can be scheduled. At this time the Program’s administration will send the committee members a form to evaluate the comprehensive paper.
Further information on procedures for the comprehensive exam is available at the following links:
- COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION STEPS (PDF)
- COMP EXAMINATION PROCESS INFO (PDF)
- COMP EXAM SEQUENCE (PDF)
Thesis defense
After successful completion of the comprehensive exam, the final stage of the program is preparation for the thesis defense. Detailed information about the preparation of the thesis document can be found at the following links:
Before a defense can proceed, the thesis document must be approved by an internal examiner (from within Laurentian) and an external examiner, in addition to the supervisory committee. Internal and external examiners must be approved by the Faculty of Graduate Studies to ensure their suitability. Upon such approval, a date and time can then be set for the defense. The thesis supervisor will then submit to Graduate Studies an evaluation of the thesis (Reader’s Report) from each of the committee members, along with a pdf copy of the thesis. Graduate Studies will send the thesis out for reading by the internal and external examiners, and if their evaluations are positive, the defense can proceed as scheduled.
Information on the procedures and timelines involved in the preparation of a thesis defense, as well as required forms can be found at the following links:
Applications must fulfill both the General Requirements for Graduate Applications and the Specific Requirement for the Human Studies and Interdisciplinarity PhD Applications. All of the information must be compiled and submitted to the Laurentian University Admissions Office.
Applicants will typically have completed a Masters degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university with a minimum grade of B+(75%). Applicants must provide evidence of suitable educational background and potential for advanced research in their selected field of study.
Documentation will include a completed application form, official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended by the applicant, curriculum vitae, a two-page ‘Statement of Interest’, three letters of recommendation as well as a form confirming the supervisor. A student applying to the program must have a supervisor confirmed.
Application process
Step 1. Contact the Graduate Coordinator and/or individual faculty member about the possibility of becoming a student. Students are encouraged to consult the faculty list on the Faculty Members tab in order to identify a potential supervisor (i.e. a faculty member they would like to work with).
Step 2. Click here to submit the online application. Once students have applied, they will receive instructions (typically within 48 hours) from the Office of Admissions leading them to the MyLaurentian portal. Students can access the portal at my.laurentian.ca; sign in credentials will be provided in the correspondence received from the Office of Admissions upon successful completion of an application. The following documents will be required in order to complete an application.
Documents:
- Three Reference Forms (to begin the process at my.laurentian.ca click on "Reference Submission" on the left-hand navigation menu)
- The “Information about the candidate, achievements and projects” form (found in MyLaurentian)
- The “letter of Intent” form from a member of our program attesting his/her commitment to supervise your thesis research (found in MyLaurentian)
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume (to be uploaded via MyLaurentian)
- Official Academic Transcript(s) from all post secondary studies* (Please note that current or prior Laurentian University students do not need to request transcripts)
*Please note that official transcripts or WES course-by-course (for institutions attended outside of North America) must come directly to the Office of Admissions from the previous post secondary institution by requesting at the time of your application or by contacting the institution's Registrar's Office.
Step 3. Once the Admissions Office receives all information and the application is deemed complete, the application will be forwarded to the department. An Admissions Committee meets to review the applications.
Step 4. The Admissions Committee will review all applications on file and make a decision regarding the suitability of each applicant. The Admissions Committee will then make a recommendation to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Laurentian University. The Graduate Studies office will verify the dossier and if satisfactory, the Dean of Graduate Studies will forward the recommendation to the Office of Admissions at Laurentian University for admission.
Step 5: If approved for admission, the Office of Admissions will send the student an Offer of Admission via MyLaurentian. Applicants wishing to accept the offer of admission must indicate their response on MyLaurentian within 3 weeks of receiving the offer. Once the student has accepted the offer, a transition to the registration process occurs.
1. Check your program requirements
You can find your program requirements on this page, under admission requirements. For some Graduate programs you will need to secure a supervisor as part of your application process. You can find if you need to contact a supervisor on the how to apply to graduate programs page.
2. Complete your Application
Once you have reviewed your program requirements you can apply through the graduate application portal. This will take you to an external site, hosted by OUAC. Within 48 business hours of submitting your application you will receive an email with further instructions.
Apply Now3. Setup your myLaurentian account and upload your documentation
Once your application has been received by Laurentian University, you will receive an email that contains information on accessing your myLaurentian Portal where you will continue the application process. To activate your account, visit the myLaurentian Portal and click the yellow bar "New to Laurentian".
Please note that the submission of items on the “My Checklist” is solely the obligation of the applicant. Please review this list carefully in order to complete your application.
Learn more on our how to apply to graduate programs page.
Detailed How To ApplyThe degree options listed below are for the upcoming academic year, not the current academic year. If you are a current student looking for which courses to take in order to complete your degree options from a previous academic year's curriculum, please consult with an academic advisor.
Students must follow these regulations while in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Approved Fields of Study
- Interdisciplinarity, Culture, and Society
Program of Study
3 core seminars
HUST 6126E Interdisciplinary Research Methods
HUST 6156E Theories in Interdisciplinarity
HUST 6066E Interdisciplinary Knowledge Dissemination
2 elective seminars (3 credits each)
The placement (HUST 6906E Field Based Research Placement) can be substituted for one of these seminars.
A Comprehensive General Examination See past comprehensive examinations
A Thesis
HUST 6000E Thesis
See past successful thesis