In the Department of Sociology in Education, the M.Ed. degree may be pursued under either Option II (eight half courses and a major research paper) or Option III (six half courses and a thesis). Additional courses are sometimes required to make up for limited sociology or education content in prior studies. The normal prerequisite for Option III is a four year undergraduate degree with specialization in sociology or equivalent. At least half of the courses must normally be taken in the Department of Sociology in Education.
M.Ed. Option II (Eight courses and a Major Research Paper
The following are the main steps in getting started on your MRP:
1. Obtain a supervisor. Students are responsible for finding a faculty member, typically in the department, willing to work with them on this research project. Often this person will be someone from whom the student has taken a course and the MRP will be an extension of a class paper. The supervisor is not necessarily your faculty advisor.
2. When you and your supervisor have agreed on a topic, fill in the MRP Departmental Information form (at the end of this document or available from the graduate studies secretary) giving your name, the title, the supervisor's name, the date and a brief summary of proposed work. Give us two copies.
3. If your study involves the collection of data on human subjects, there must be a serious consideration of ethical issues. Complete a short version of the OISE Ethical Review form in consultation with your supervisor, who will keep it on file. The form should be with these guidelines or available from the Graduate Studies Secretary.
4. If you wish, look at exemplary MRPs from the past and/or at the file containing summaries of current and recent MRPs (and other theses) in the Department.
1. One starts with a research problem or issue.
2. The problem or issue should then be placed in the context of a relevant body of theory or literature.
3. The next step is to obtain data that will enable the research question to be examined and evaluated. These data can range from the results of your own research to library research.
4. The next step is to use or develop appropriate methods to analyze the data.
5. The results of your analysis should then be reported and discussed.
6. The paper concludes with an examination of the theoretical and/or policy implications of your analysis.
7. The paper may build on a previous class paper by extending it.
It is the aim of the MRP to acquaint students with the practice of research or scholarship in an area of their choosing. Such acquaintance will normally entail familiarity with some portion of the relevant academic literature, which the student will be expected to treat critically or analytically. The method to be employed in the MRP may range from a philosophical approach to that of an empirical study.
1. The student electing to do a major research paper shall, after the completion of a minimum of four courses, but no later than the completion of the candidate's sixth degree course, locate a faculty member to supervise the completion/evaluation of the major research paper.
2. Normally, one faculty member will supervise the MRP and that faculty member will be a member of this department.
3. Evaluation of the adequacy of the paper for degree completion shall be on a pass/fail basis.
4. A pass requires the positive evaluation, and signature, of the supervisor of the MRP.
5. In the case that a candidate's major paper is not recommended for acceptance, the candidate may, in the following term, resubmit a revised or different major paper for evaluation.
6. At the discretion of the department chairperson, a candidate may resubmit the same or a different paper a third time. This shall be deemed to be the candidate's final opportunity to complete this requirement.
7. The candidate shall be free to change his/her MRP supervisor.
8. Time limits for the completion of the major paper shall conform to those normally set by OISE Graduate Studies/SGS for completion of the M.Ed. degree.
9. A record of the candidate's MRP title and supervisor will be kept by the department. It is the candidate's responsibility to inform the department of changes in writing.
10. The MRP supervisor is responsible for filing, by the end of the term in which a major paper is submitted, to the departmental chairperson, a notification of the acceptability or otherwise of the paper.
11. The graduate studies secretary of the department will be responsible for keeping departmental records, and for transmitting to OISE's Graduate Studies Office the results of all official evaluations of MRPs.
12. The graduate secretary will keep records of titles of papers, persons submitting papers, MRP supervisor, dates filed for all papers submitted and an abstract (which the student should prepare) of the accepted major research paper.
13. The department will normally allow the candidate to take as a part of the candidate's normal course load one half course, under the direction of the MRP supervisor, whose purpose is to facilitate production of the major paper. This may be done as a reading course.
14. Any appeals to the above process shall be initiated to the department chairperson, or in cases of conflict of interest on the chairperson's part, to the Assistant Director, Academic, OISE.
15. STUDENTS ARE ASKED TO GIVE TWO COPIES OF THE DEPARTMENTAL INFORMATION FORM (see p. 5) TO THE GRADUATE STUDIES SECRETARY IN THE SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT WHEN AN INSTRUCTOR HAS AGREED TO SUPERVISE A MRP.
The following are the formal terms of reference and requirements for Option III:
1. The committee will consist of two faculty members drawn from the department and from others in the Graduate School of the University of Toronto.
2. At least one member of the review committee must be a member of this department.
3. The chairperson of the committee will normally be a member of this department.
4. The candidate may choose (with mutual consent by faculty selected) who shall constitute their committee and who shall be chairperson of the committee.
5. Evaluation of the adequacy of the paper for degree completion shall be on a pass/fail basis.
6. A pass requires the positive evaluation, and signature, of both members of the committee.
7. The candidate shall be free to change members of the committee until four weeks prior to the time at which the paper is to be submitted for evaluation.
8. The department will normally allow the candidate to take as a part of the candidate's normal course load one half course, under the direction of a member of the candidate's committee, whose purpose is to facilitate production of the major paper or thesis.
9. Any appeals to the above process shall be initiated to the department chairperson, or in cases of conflict of interest on the chairperson's part, to the Assistant Director, Academic, OISE.
10. Record keeping, deadlines, and procedures for completion of the M.Ed. thesis shall generally conform to the department's procedures for M.A. theses. These procedures are available from the graduate secretary.
11. In the case of a recommendation not to accept the thesis, a candidate will either be allowed to resubmit the thesis 1/ in the following semester, or 2/ alternatively, the candidate may instead take two additional courses and submit a major paper once.
NAME OF STUDENT
TITLE OF MAJOR RESEARCH PAPER
NAME OF SUPERVISOR
DATE:
SUMMARY OF (PROPOSED) WORK: