Thesis-based Program Requirements
Students in all thesis-based programs must complete coursework, ethics training, professional development training, and a thesis.
Coursework
Note: DH 500 may only be taken once. DH 510, 520, and 530 can be taken multiple times, provided that the topic of the course is different for each instance.
MA
Coursework for the Digital Humanities MA consists of nine 3-credit courses
- DH 500 Survey of Digital Humanities
- Any one of DH 510 Topics in Digital Theory and Culture
- Any two of DH 520 Topics in Technical Concepts and Approaches
- Any two of DH 530 Topics in Building in Context
- Three optional courses
MA (with specialization)
Coursework for the Digital Humanities MA (with specialization) consists of nine 3-credit courses
- DH 500 Survey of Digital Humanities
- Any one of DH 510 Topics in Digital Theory and Culture
- Any two of DH 520 Topics in Technical Concepts and Approaches
- Any two of DH 530 Topics in Building in Context
Three courses chosen in consultation with the specialization department
MA/MLIS
- DH 500 Survey of Digital Humanities
- Any one of DH 510 Topics in Digital Theory and Culture
- Any one of DH 520 Topics in Technical Concepts and Approaches
- Any one of DH 530 Topics in Building in Context
- Two additional DH courses
- LIS 501, 502, 503, 504, 505 and 597 along with three optional LIS courses. Combined students must take LIS 501 (Foundations of Library and Information Studies), and DH 500 (Survey of Digital Humanities) in their first semester as prerequisites for the rest of their program.
MA/MLIS
Students who are completing the MA/MLIS Joint Degree must also take required courses from the School of Library & Information Studies. In addition to the four required courses and two optional courses in Digital Humanities, students in the combined MA/MLIS program must also take: LIS 501, 502, 503, 504, 505 and 597 along with three optional LIS courses. Combined students must take LIS 501 (Foundations of Library and Information Studies), HUCO 500 (Survey of Digital Humanities) and HUCO 520 (Tech. Concepts and Approaches) in their first semester as prerequisites for the rest of their program.
Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement
The Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement consists of two zero-credit, self-paced online courses: INT D 710: Ethics and Academic Citizenship (for both Masters and doctoral students) and INT D 720: Advanced Ethics and Academic Citizenship (for doctoral students).
In the Faculty of Arts, Digital Humanities students must complete the following to fulfil the ethics requirement:
Master’s students must complete: INT D 710: Ethics and Academic Citizenship. Enrollment is available through BearTracks.
Professional Development Requirement
The Professional Development requirement applies to all students who began their program after September 1, 2016.
The Professional Development Requirement consists of:
- Individual Development Plan (IDP)
- 8 hours of Professional Development Activities
More information on the PD requirement is available from the FGSR website
Other Requirements
Supervisory Committees
Students are responsible for establishing their own supervisory committees. Normally, this means circulating an informal proposal outlining the key ideas for the thesis, and having conversations with various faculty members. Once a student has decided on the right fit, they then invite faculty member(s) to serve on their committee. Occasionally a faculty member may be over-committed and may need to refuse a request, so students should consider alternatives as they weigh their options. The composition of the supervisory committee, and the deadline for its establishment are slightly different for DH students and combined DH/SLIS students.
DH students are required to have a supervisor and first reader in place by April 30th of their first year. Of these two people, at least one must be DH affiliated faculty (i.e. regular faculty or adjunct faculty). When the student is ready to defend the thesis, a second reader is brought on to the committee to serve as an arm's-length examiner.
DH/SLIS students are required to have co-supervisors (one a SLIS-affiliated faculty member and one a DH-affiliated faculty member) in place by April 30th of their second year.
N.B. Students with a specialization should check with their departments to see if there are additional requirements for the committee's composition.
Students must complete and return the Approval of Supervisor and Supervisory Committee Form to the MTS Office by the deadline noted above.
Thesis Proposal
Thesis Proposal Requirements and Deadlines
DH and DH/SLIS Students (including specialization)
Thesis proposals are 10-15 page documents. The supervisory committee, in consultation with the student, establishes the requirements for the proposal, but it will normally include at least the following sections:
- research overview (including research questions or central argument);
- literature review / theoretical framework;
- methodology;
- proposed timeline;
- appendices as necessary (e.g., survey questions).
The thesis proposal must be formally approved by the supervisory committee by Sep 30 of the student's second year (DH) or third year (DH/SLIS). DH students should complete and file the Approval of Thesis Proposal Form in the MTS Office; DH/SLIS students have their thesis proposals approved through a committee defence.
Thesis
All students in DH and DH/SLIS must present and defend a thesis. The subject and format of the thesis should be arrived at in consultation with your supervisor(s). Because theses in Digital Humanities vary widely depending on their area, there is no standard format for a DH thesis. Some may adopt a conventional social science model composed of chapters for literature review, data collection, discussion, etc. while others may adopt a more organic humanities-influenced approach that proceeds by theme or idea. Students are strongly encouraged to look at a variety of previous theses (searchable through https://era.library.ualberta.ca) to get a sense of what the program requires.
All theses must conform to FGSR's regulations. See Thesis Preperation, Requirements & Deadlines for full information.