Doctor of Social Sciences

Program Description

The Doctor of Social Sciences (DSocSci) program is Canada’s first applied research doctorate designed exclusively for working professionals. It responds to the growing demand nationally and internationally for scholar-practitioners who can provide intellectual leadership in the workplace and help build sustainable organizations, communities, and societies in an age of global interdependence. An alternative to traditional doctoral programs, the DSocSci focuses on the interdisciplinary applications of the social sciences to complex, real-world problems of direct concern to organizations, communities, and society in general.

The program responds to the national and global demand for workplace leaders with doctoral-level research skills who have the capacity for social and organizational innovation in support of sustainable organizations, communities and societies. The program of study builds candidates’ knowledge of a range of applied social research methodologies and their understanding of their relevance to specific practical social purposes. The DSocSci program is based on the academic and professional expertise of the Faculty of Social and Applied Sciences (FSAS). Doctoral programs of study should normally be consistent with the research areas of emphasis in one or several of the FSAS schools: the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Environment and Sustainability, the School of Leadership Studies, and the School of Peace and Conflict Management.

Application Deadline 

The deadline for application is September 1st of each year. Please visit the Admission Process page for information on applying.

Who It's For

Career professionals with a master’s degree in one of the social sciences or related disciplines who have a minimum of 10 years work experience in positions of decision-making authority and, those who seek to advance their applied research skills and provide analytical leadership to solve complex real-world problems. The program design is tailored to career professionals and speaks to recent Canadian research that shows two out of three PhD graduates will work in non-university settings, rather than as university professors. This degree will be of particular interest to policy analysts, senior administrators, or executives from the public, private, or non-profit sector who work in areas such as natural resource management, health care, global security, professional communication, disaster relief, humanitarian aid, conflict management, values-based leadership, environmental sustainability, or learning and technology.