University of Manitoba - Arthur V Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice - Ph.D. Program

Ph.D. Program - Supplemental Regulations

These Supplemental Regulations are currently under review by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS).

This text provides the regulations and procedures for the doctoral program in Peace and Conflict Studies that are supplemental to those of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, which govern all graduate programs at the University of Manitoba. This document should be read in conjunction with the Faculty of Graduate Studies Academic Guide, and with the general regulations and policies of the University of Manitoba, which are published in the Graduate Calendar.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION  

The doctoral program in Peace and Conflict Studies provides a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to prepare students to pursue independent research aimed at analyzing and resolving the complex issues facing the global milieu of peace and conflict using a variety of conflict analysis and resolution, social justice and peace studies tools, processes and methods. The expectation is that students will participate in the scholarly debates in the field of peace and conflict studies through their writing and in academic conferences.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE  

The Ph.D. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies is based in the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice at St. Paul’s College and is under the general supervision of the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) Graduate Program Committee. The PACS Graduate Program Committee consists of the Director and Associate Director of the Mauro Centre; the Rector of St. Paul’s College; the Deans or their Designates of the Faculties of Arts, Education, Law, and Social Work; and two additional persons elected for two-year terms by the faculty members associated with the Program.

The PACS Graduate Program Committee performs the functions of a department on such matters as student admission; approval of programs, composition of thesis committees, candidacy examinations, and monitoring of student progress. The PACS Graduate Program Committee is responsible for the general administration of the Program, in accordance with the policy guidelines derived by, and approved by the PACS Graduate Program Committee, and where applicable, the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Chair of the PACS Program Committee performs the function of Department Head and reports to the Dean of Graduate Studies on matters related to the Committee’s work.

ADMISSION

  It is the goal of the Doctoral Program in Peace and Conflict Studies and the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice to provide a rigorous Ph.D. program. The significance of research in peace and conflict studies and of intervention for conflict resolution and peace-building demands a high standard of commitment, scholarship, and professionalism.

Criteria for admission to the Ph.D. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies follow Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations supplemented with PACS regulations. Specifically, students must possess:

1. A high academic standing in previous university work with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours.

2. A thesis-based master’s degree, either: (a) earned in peace and conflict studies, conflict analysis and resolution, or peace studies from an institution recognized by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Manitoba; or (b) earned in another related discipline, such as education, law, social work, and sociology, among others. In the second case, applicants will normally be required to take some prerequisite courses in the field as occasional students in order to be admitted to the Program. Further, in the second case, students may be admitted in one of two ways. Students are required to complete prerequisite courses before being accepted into the program, or students are provisionally admitted to the program pending successful completion of prerequisite courses to be taken. In both cases, the occasional courses are paid for on a per course basis.

3. In the event a Master’s degree was not thesis-based, appropriate research capability as evidenced by a major research paper from a recognized institution, or an independently completed research article published in a refereed journal.

4. An area of research interest that can be supported by a PACS Graduate Program faculty member. Students may contact a faculty associate of the program to ascertain if that person might be interested in being their Advisor prior to submitting an application to enter the program.

5. Proficiency in the English language at levels required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

With an application to the Ph.D. program students must specify a proposed area of research in a three- to four-page document to demonstrate their research interests, commitment, seriousness, and to ensure that the PACS faculty can support the proposed research project. Applicants can request to work with a particular faculty associate of the program as their Advisor. However, admission is competitively based and limited, so admission to the program, does not guarantee a first choice Advisor.  All Ph.D. students must meet a residency requirement by devoting two academic terms at the University of Manitoba to full-time study. The purpose of the residency is to ensure that students have the opportunity to immerse themselves fully in the theoretical and practical elements within their chosen area of study. This is also an opportunity for face-to-face collaboration with student colleagues and with faculty members.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

While prior experiential learning and practice is highly valued and will strengthen an application to the Program, there will be no transfer of life experience credits into the Program in lieu of Ph.D. course requirements.

Application

Each application for admission to the Ph.D. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies must include:

1. A completed Faculty of Graduate Studies application form with Application Fee.

2. Evidence of appropriate research capability.

3. A description, of not more than 1,000 words (3-4 page document), outlining the applicant’s academic and/or professional goals.

4. Any additional information including awards, scholarships, abilities, or authorships.

5. A statement indicating the preference ordering of at least two faculty associates of the program under whose supervision the applicant would like to work (See list of Faculty Associates).

6. Three reference letters from individuals who are familiar with the applicants’ academic abilities and potential. It is recommended that one of those letters be from the student’s Master’s thesis advisor indicating that the applicant has demonstrated suitability and preparation for Ph.D. studies.

7. A Curriculum Vitae.

8. All Transcripts sent directly from previous post-secondary institutions.

Completed applications must be forwarded to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, 500 University Centre, no later than December 15 to be considered for admission for the next academic year.

ROLES OF ADVISORS AND COMMITTEES

Program Advisor  Each student will be assigned a Program Advisor at the time of admission in consultation with the PACS Graduate Program Committee. The Program Advisor is a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and is responsible for advising the student on the program of study and monitoring the student’s progress including conducting the annual review of progress. The Program Advisor serves as an interim Thesis Advisor, and normally the Program Advisor becomes the Thesis Advisor.

Thesis Advisor

The Thesis Advisor is the person primarily responsible for guiding and supervising the student’s progress through the subsequent stages of the Program. The Program Advisor, in consultation with the student and the PACS Graduate Program Committee, is responsible for the designation of the Thesis Advisor who must be a faculty associate of the Ph.D. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Thesis Advisory Committee

The Thesis Advisory Committee must consist of a minimum of three members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, two of whom are normally faculty associates of the Ph.D. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies. Thesis Advisory Committee members are as follows:

1. The Thesis Advisor who acts as Chair of the Thesis Advisory Committee;

2. One faculty associate of the program or one member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies interested in the thesis topic;

3. One internal/external, who is a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and may not be from the same Department as the other two members of the committee, and may in fact, be a faculty associate of the program.

The PACS Program Committee must approve the initial composition of the Thesis Advisory Committee and any subsequent changes to its composition. The student’s Thesis Advisory Committee and the PACS Program Committee must approve the program of studies and any subsequent changes to the program of the student. The Thesis Advisory Committee guides the student through the candidacy examination, the thesis proposal, and the thesis.

Candidacy Examining Committee

The Advisory Committee normally will serve as the Candidacy Examining Committee.

Thesis Examining Committee

The Thesis Examining Committee must consist of a minimum of four persons: the Thesis Advisory Committee plus an external member, appointed after the proposal defense and in all cases before the thesis examination. The Thesis Advisor will recommend the name of a prospective external examiner, an accompanying rationale for the recommendation, and an indication of the proposed external examiner’s willingness to participate in the PACS Graduate Program Committee for approval at least two months prior to the projected date of the thesis examination. The external examiner must be a distinguished scholar with particular expertise in the Ph.D. thesis research area. Once approved by the PACS Graduate Program Committee, the recommendation will be forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval.  

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Academic Standing/Annual Review

The Faculty of Graduate Studies requires an annual review of progress for each student. Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations specify that the student should be present during this annual review, must have the opportunity to read the Committee’s report, comment on its contents, and then sign the report, testifying that these rights were extended. It is the responsibility of the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee to complete the annual review of the student’s progress in time to file a report to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee by May 30 of each year. A student whose performance is unsatisfactory may be required to withdraw from the program.

Language Reading Requirement

The Advisory Committee reserves the right to require a student to better his/her knowledge of a non-English language.

The Ph.D. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies has the following four requirements:

1. 24-credit hours of coursework

2. Candidacy examination

3. Thesis proposal and defense

4. Thesis examination

Coursework Requirements

Students must successfully complete a program of courses approved by the PACS Graduate Program Committee. This program shall include as a minimum the following twenty-four credit hours of coursework. More courses may be required where specific deficiencies in a student's background have been identified. Coursework is as follows:

1. Aminimum of 12 credits of 7000 level core courses must be in the student’s program area and must include the program core coursework common to all students in the program:

▪ PEAC 7030: International Peace & Conflict Resolution

▪ PEAC 7040: Violence Intervention & Prevention

▪ PEAC 7050: Intercultural Conflict Resolution & Peace-building

▪ PEAC 7060: PACS Selected Topics A, or PEAC 7070: PACS Selected Topics B

2. A minimum of 6 credit hours must be in a cognate area. The 6 credit hours of cognate courses can be taken from courses offered at the 5000 or 7000 level with the approval of the PACS Graduate Program Committee. Several departments now offer courses, which are suitable for inclusion into the Program to meet the needs of individual students. The written consent of the Department offering the course and the consent of the instructor is required.

3. A minimum of 6 credits will typically be in research methods/analysis.

4. Students may elect to take their cognate and/or methodology courses at our partnering institution abroad, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Students who wish to take cognate and/or methodology courses at another accredited university would need a FORMAL LETTER of permission to do so from the PACS Graduate Program Committee, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies (See "Other Forms of Earning Degree Credit: Letter of Permission for Transfer of Credit" in the "General Academic Regulations and Requirements" section of the Graduate Calendar).

5. The following advanced 3-credit occasional courses on current approaches to the field are required for those students whose Master’s degree is not in Peace Studies or Conflict Resolution

▪ PEAC 7010: Interpersonal Communication, Problem-Solving, and Trust-Building.

▪ PEAC 7020: Theories of Conflict and Conflict Resolution

In special cases other courses may be substituted as approved by the student’s Advisory Committee and the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee and finally by Graduate Studies adjudication and approval. The student seeking transfer of credits must provide course outlines, syllabi, and transcripts. On the recommendation of the Advisory Committee and with the approval of the PACS Graduate Program committee and the Faculty of Graduate Studies, a maximum of 12 credit hours may be transferred into the program from other approved institutions.

When determined, the Program of Studies form must be completed and submitted to the PACS Graduate Program Committee for approval. This form is available online at www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/graduate_studies. Individual programs of study will vary from student to student depending on each student’s research interest and the recommendations of each student’s Thesis Advisor and Thesis Advisory Committee. Students will be encouraged to take appropriate graduate courses as part of their cognate concentration in order to select the best set of courses to complement their programs. Changes in the program of study, including withdrawal from individual courses or changes of course selection are permitted with the approval of the Thesis Advisor and the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee.

CANDIDACY EXAMINATION

The purpose of the Candidacy Examination is to assess the student’s preparedness in:

1. the major program area. This normally constitutes the student’s knowledge of the theoretical and substantive literature related to the major or field of specialization,

2. the support area(s) of study, and

3. research methods suitable for the proposed research and/or discipline.

All students must successfully complete a candidacy examination after the required course work has been completed and before submitting a thesis proposal. Successful completion of the candidacy examination will normally be completed within two years following admission to the Ph.D. program. The candidacy examination is typically written within six months of completion of coursework. If a student is unsuccessful in the first attempt, a second attempt shall be allowed, within 6 months of the first attempt. Only two attempts will be allowed. The candidacy examination is set by the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee and is approved by the PACS Graduate Program Committee. Other members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies may be additional examiners at the discretion of the PACS Graduate Program Committee. The final evaluation of the Candidacy Examination, however, rests exclusively with the Thesis Advisory Committee.

The candidacy exam consists of a written and an oral part. The student will select one of three options for the form of the written candidacy examination in consultation with the Advisory Committee and declare the choice, in writing, for approval by the Thesis Advisory Committee at least three months prior to the intended candidacy examination date. The Thesis Advisory Committee will advise the PACS Graduate Program Committee about the student’s option. The Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee is responsible for the administration and supervision of the candidacy examination and for distributing a copy of the examination responses to the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee.

Written Component of Candidacy Exam

Written Option 1: Closed-Book Examination The closed-book examination must take place over two days in two four-hour periods. Questions are set by the Thesis Advisory Committee with an explanation of how the questions address the purpose outlined above, and forwarded to the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee for approval at least eight weeks prior to the intended examination date. When the closed-book examination is finished, the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee will distribute copies of the answers to the Thesis Advisory Committee and will ensure that the evaluation is completed on schedule.

Written Option 2: Take-Home Examination This examination will consist of four to eight questions. The answers will have a maximum combined length of 100 double-spaced typed pages not counting the references. The questions are set by the Thesis Advisory Committee, and must be approved by the PACS Graduate Program Committee. The student has three months to complete the questions, unless otherwise stipulated by the PACS Graduate Program Committee. A student may contact a Thesis Advisory Committee member during the initial two weeks of the examination period to request clarification of possible ambiguous questions. After two weeks the student will be expected to work alone. The student will be free to use any library or other written sources available, but must not consult faculty or other students in preparing answers. A student may opt out of the examination up to one week before the deadline for submission of answers. If a student is ill during the last week of the examination period, an extension of the deadline may be obtained from the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee. With these exceptions, failure to meet the deadline will constitute automatic failure of the examination. Answers to the take-home examination will be given to the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee and the Chair will forward the examination answers to the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee who will ensure that the evaluation is completed on schedule. A second attempt at the examination must involve new questions.

Written Option 3: Review Papers This option consists of two scholarly comprehensive review papers. The papers must be distinctly different in topic areas negotiated by the student with the Thesis Advisory Committee. Topics will be submitted by the Thesis Advisory Committee to the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee. The review papers must be independent of and unique from any writing a student has carried out as a result of course work. The student has three months to complete the review papers. As with the take-home examination, the student may use the library or other written sources available, but must not consult faculty or other students in preparing reviews. Students are reminded that this is an examination, and that faculty members and other graduate students must not discuss, read, edit, type, or proof drafts of these papers. Both typed, double-spaced reviews must be submitted to the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee who will distribute them to the Thesis Advisory Committee and will ensure that the evaluation is completed on schedule. The Thesis Advisory Committee members will evaluate the two papers and will then vote to accept (pass) or reject (fail) either or both as a result of major problems in organization, literature cited, interpretation of findings or the like. Rejecting of either paper will constitute a failure of the Candidacy Examination.

Oral Component of Candidacy Examination

The Thesis Advisory Committee will conduct an oral examination covering the content of the written component of the candidacy examination. Other members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies may be used as additional examiners at the discretion of the Thesis Advisory Committee with the approval of the PACS Graduate Program Committee. The oral examination will normally last two hours and entail the following: introduction by Chair, explanation of procedures, questions by the Thesis Advisory Committee on the student’s major program area, support area(s), and research methods. Following the question period, the candidate will withdraw and the examiners will meet in private to determine the outcome of the examination.

Evaluation of Candidacy Examination within two weeks of the completion of these examinations, a meeting of the Thesis Advisory Committee must be held for the purpose of assessing the candidacy examination performance. The examiners shall assess a pass/fail grade for the written and oral examinations. To be successful, the student must achieve a passing grade in both the written and oral components of the examination. The Thesis Advisor will inform the PACS Graduate Program Committee Chair and the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will inform the student of the result.

Within one week of this meeting, the Thesis Advisory Committee must inform the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee of the results of the Candidacy Examination. The Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee will inform the student and the Faculty of Graduate Studies of these results within one month of the completion of the examination. No student may take the candidacy examination more then twice. Any student who has failed the candidacy examination twice will be required to withdraw from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Successful completion of the candidacy examination is a condition for beginning work on the Ph.D. thesis proposal.

THESIS PROPOSAL

Under the supervision of the Thesis Advisor, the student must prepare a written thesis proposal to be submitted to the Thesis Advisory Committee. The student is required to defend the thesis proposal orally. The proposal will outline in some detail the problem the student intends to investigate as well as the theory and methodology to be employed in the endeavor. Theses may, of course, employ quite different methodologies, qualitative or quantitative; hence, the style and format of proposals will vary accordingly. Students should therefore consult their Thesis Advisors as to the most appropriate format for their specific thesis problem. In general terms, a proposal might be structured as follows: central idea of the thesis, statement of research issue and purpose, objectives of the research, preliminary review of the literature, theoretical framework, methodology, anticipated contribution of the research, research budget, and timetable (See Ph.D. Proposal Guidelines for a more detailed outline).

The Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee or his/her designate shall chair the thesis proposal defence. All members of the Thesis Advisory Committee shall be present at the proposal defence, unless specifically exempted by the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee. The thesis proposal defence shall be scheduled through the Chair of the PACS Graduate Program Committee. The Thesis Advisor will call a Thesis Advisory Committee meeting to consider the adequacy of the proposal. Students must submit the written proposal to each member of the Thesis Advisory Committee at least two weeks prior to the meeting. The Advisor must provide written notices to each member of the Thesis Advisory Committee advising them of the oral defence date. The student will formally present the proposal in a forum open to all faculty associates and graduate students of the Program and the university. Students should normally defend their thesis proposals within one year of completing their candidacy examination to maintain momentum, structure, continuity, and connection with the program and faculty. Unsuccessful candidates will be allowed a second attempt.

The purpose of the proposal examination meeting is to:

1. enable the Thesis Advisory Committee to assess the student’s preparation for undertaking independent graduate research,

2. consider the feasibility of the proposed research, and

3. provide necessary feedback for further advancement of the research.

The proposal meeting will be chaired by the Advisor, and will have the following steps:

1. Introduction by the Advisor,

2. Presentation of highlights of the research proposal by the student,

3. Review of the proposal by the Thesis Advisory Committee, and

4. Determination of approval of the proposal by the Thesis Advisory Committee.

This oral defense is graded on a pass/fail basis by members of the Thesis Advisory Committee. The decision of the Thesis Advisory Committee normally will be unanimous. At the oral defence a majority vote by the Thesis Advisory Committee will determine if the thesis proposal passes with or without revisions or fails. Students whose proposals pass with revisions must complete the revisions under the supervision of the Thesis Advisor so that the proposal can be redefended. Data collection shall not proceed until the thesis proposal has been approved and until approval has been secured from the University of Manitoba’s Research Ethics Board, where the research involves human subjects. Following the successful defence of the thesis proposal, the Thesis Advisor resumes the major responsibility for the supervision of the student in the conduct of the thesis research. The student is expected to work with the Thesis Advisor to address any concerns raised in the proposal meeting. The feedback received must be incorporated into the document.

Once the proposal has been successfully defended, the student is ready to proceed to the stage of research and thesis writing. The Faculty of Graduate Studies’ booklet entitled Thesis Guidelines is available from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the PACS Graduate Program Committee. Students are encouraged to obtain a copy of this document to assist them in the proper presentation of their thesis.

THE THESIS

The Ph.D. thesis in Peace and Conflict Studies is an independent written research document resulting from the interdisciplinary research project that combines the theoretical analysis of an issue with the practical application of peacebuilding processes to resolve the issue in the area of Peace and Conflict Studies. The thesis should show that the student has mastery of the specific field of Peace and Conflict Studies under investigation, and is fully conversant with the relevant literature. The thesis should also demonstrate that the candidate has made a contribution to knowledge in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. The thesis may entail cooperation with other faculties at the University of Manitoba and agencies in the global community. In general, the overall goal of the thesis is to build or apply theory through disciplined and focused independent study. Consequently, the thesis should be based on scholarly study and research that encompasses both theoretical and empirical aspects in the Peace and Conflict Studies field.

The examination of the thesis and its subsequent oral defense is carried out as expected by the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. When the thesis has been developed to the point where the student and the Advisor are satisfied that it is ready to be examined, the Thesis Advisor will submit a written statement to this effect to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The oral defense of the Ph.D. thesis will follow the procedures as outlined by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The oral defense of the thesis is open to all members of the University community.

The final examination for the Ph.D. degree proceeds in two stages: a) the examination of the candidate’s thesis; and b) the final oral examination of the candidate on the subject of the thesis and matters relating thereto. According to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, a student has the right to an examination of the thesis if he/she believes it is ready for examination. Before the examination of the thesis occurs, the Advisor shall furnish a written statement of opinion to the Faculty of Graduate Studies indicating that the thesis is ready to be examined. A thesis may not be formally submitted for examination more than twice. Copies of the thesis, together with the completed form "Ph.D. Thesis Title & Appointment of Examiners", must be delivered to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for distribution to the Thesis Examining Committee and external examiner. It is the responsibility of the Faculty of Graduate Studies to distribute the thesis to all examiners.