PhD

Admission requires a Masters degree in Gerontology or other discipline in which a significant amount of coursework and/or thesis/project research deals with aging or the aged.  Students will be evaluated on an individual basis. Those not meeting these requirements may need to take preparatory coursework equivalent to a Masters in Gerontology or Aging Studies.

Candidates must have a minimum 3.5 GPA. There must be supervisory capacity in the department to support the candidate’s research. Students must also meet University requirements for a doctoral level program, as per Graduate General Regulations 1.3.4.

In order to use the online application system, you will need to pay an application fee of $90 CAN (students with Canadian transcripts) or $125 CAN (students with international transcripts) by credit card (MasterCard or Visa)

Application Deadlines

• January 1st to February 28th for September admission
  

NOTE: Within reason, an extension to these deadlines may be requested by emailing gero@sfu.ca. Please provide your current SFU student ID or GA#, if you are new to SFU, and your reason for requesting the extension.

Transcripts

Applicants will upload unofficial copies (e.g. scanned copy, photocopy etc.) of all their post-secondary transcripts as part of the online process. Only if you are offered admission, will you be required to send official transcripts directly from the institution to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

References

Three academic references are required. Referees should address the applicant’s ability to undertake advanced work in the area of interest. Non-academic references should address the candidate’s academic potential. Referees should be told that the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act allows an applicant access to the information in the letters.

Statement of Research Interest

All applicants are required to submit a Statement of Research Interest. It is important for applicants to write a clear and detailed research statement in order for proper assessment by the admissions committee. A research statement should provide a clear articulation of the PhD dissertation’s substantive focus, justification and possible research methods. It is important to contextualize and ground the above in relevant literature. The Statement should be approximately 1200 words in length. Please contact the department for a sample at (778) 782-5047 or via e-mail at gero@sfu.ca.

Statement of Work / Volunteer

This is a required document. However, if you have not had any formal work or volunteer experience with the aging population, you have probably spent time with elderly family members or those in your neighbourhood at large. Be creative! Someone has given you the reason to study Gerontology.

Writing Samples

Copies of up to three published articles may be submitted for consideration by the Admissions Committee. Writing samples should be submitted directly to the Department of Gerontology office.

Supervisor Pre-Selection

Applicants MUST identify a senior supervisor from within the Department of Gerontology based on compatability of research interests. Applicants are expected to contact their selected supervisor/s in order to discuss their research interest prior to submission of the application. The list of faculty members and their research areas can be found here.

English Language Competence

An applicant whose primary language is not English or whose previous education has been conducted in another language must demonstrate command of English sufficient to pursue graduate studies in the chosen field. See Graduate General Regulations 1.13.12 for detailed requirements.

Graduate Entrance Scholarships

Graduate Entrance Scholarships are available by Departmental nomination only. No application is required.

List of Documents to be uploaded

• Three Letters of Reference
• Statement of Work / Volunteer Experience in Gerontology
• CV including scholarly work
  
• Statement of Research Interest
  
• Unofficial transcripts from all post secondary institutions (see above)
• Writing Samples (up to three)

This program consists of three core courses, two electives, comprehensive examinations and a thesis. Students may be required to complete up to two additional courses if deemed necessary by the admissions committee. Students may substitute up to three courses from other programs with departmental approval. Students may also complete one directed studies (GERO 889).

Required Courses

• GERO 803-4 Analytical Techniques for Gerontological Research
• GERO 804-4 Advanced Qualitative Methods in Gerontology
• GERO 806-4 Interdisciplinary Theories in Gerontology

Students who have completed equivalent courses in their graduate degree, may be permitted to substitute these courses with electives.

Students who complete all three required courses, will complete at least two courses from the electives listed below:

Elective Courses

• GERO 802-4: Development and Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs for the Elderly
• GERO 810-4: Community Based Housing, Health and Support Services for Older People 
• GERO 811-4: Institutional Living Environments 
• GERO 820-4: Principles and Practices of Health Promotion/Population Health
• GERO 822-4: Families, Communities, and Health (can be used for either concentration) 
• GERO 823-4: Mental Health and Illness in Later Life
• GERO 830-4: Aging in a Technological World
• GERO 840-4: Special Topics 

Comprehensive Examinations

After completion of all coursework, students will write two comprehensive examinations based on reading lists developed with their supervisory committee.

Thesis Proposal // Thesis Defense

When both comprehensive examinations are satisfactorily completed, the student must develop and successfully defend a thesis prospectus before being officially admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree.

For a full description of the program requirements please visit the SFU Academic Calendar

Financial Support

The Department of Gerontology provides funding to its graduate students through a combination of teaching positions (Teaching Assistant/Tutor Marker), Research Assistantships (available through individual faculty members), scholarships, Graduate Fellowships and private awards. Students must maintain full time enrollment and a minimum CGPA of 3.5 in their graduate work, to be eligible for funding. Support may be reduced or eliminated if the student has secured external financial support.

External funding is available to Gerontology graduate students of high caliber through the Government agencies SSHRC and CIHR.  Application to these agencies is made in October and information can be found directly on the Dean of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies website: https://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/awards/external-awards/tricouncil-doctoral.html

Graduate students must pay tuition every semester from the funding they receive. International students pay the same rate as domestic students (http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/future/tuition-and-fees.html). The cost of tuition decreases after eight semesters for PhD students.

Awards

All Graduate Fellowships, President's Scholarships, Private Awards, and Travel/Research Awards are now handled by the Graduate Award, Application, and Adjudication System (GA3). For further information about this new system and how students can access this new system, please visit the following website http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/awards/FAQs/GA3SInfo.html

Below are brief descriptions of the main SFU merit-based scholarships/awards that are applicable only to Gerontology graduate students. For further details and the most up to date information, refer to the Terms of Reference which, as well as the application forms themselves, are available on the Graduate Award, Applicaiton, and Adjuciation System (GA3).  All scholarships/awards are contingent on the availability of funding, and the Terms of Reference may change without notice. In addition to these scholarships and awards, there are also a large number of internal and external funded awards, ranging up to approximately $10,000 in value.  Please consult the graduate awards website for information on awards relevant to particular graduate programs.

Entrance Awards

• Special Graduate Entrance Scholarship (SGES)
• Graduate Dean's Entrance Scholarship
• British Columbia Graduate Scholarships (BCGS)
• Graduate Fellowships

Donor Awards

• David and Rachelle Chertkow Elder Abuse/ Family Violence Prevention Essay Prize
• GABC Chuck Bayley Memorial Graduate Award in Gerontology
• German Canadian Benevolent Society of British Columbia Aulinger Award in Gerontology
• Gloria Gutman Conference Travel Award
• Isabel Dawson Memorial Scholarship in Gerontology
• Mark Nussbaum Graduate Research Fellowships in Gerontology
• North Shore ElderCollege Society Award in Gerontology

Financial Aid Awards

• Al Eisenring Gerontology Award (available to graduate and undergraduate students)

TA/TM Positions

Three to four teaching assistant/ tutor marker positions are available each year and Gerontology students get priority. See Teaching Assistant and Tutor Marker positions . These positions are also circulated via email to the student list.

Research Assistant Positions

Gerontology faculty have a number of ongoing research grants and regularly hire graduate students as Research Assistants.  Students enrolled in the program should speak directly to their senior supervisors and other faculty for details.