Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES)

MPhil Degree

Admission to the MPhil degree programme normally requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent with at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree and relevant work experience.

A Candidate who does not satisfy this requirement may be admitted in the first instance as a qualifying student and must satisfy specified course requirements as determined by the Institute's Entrance Committee and approved by the Board of Graduate Studies and Research (BGSR) before being finally admitted to the M.Phil degree.

PhD Degree

Admission to the Ph.D. degree programme normally requires the candidate to:

• Have completed an appropriate post graduate qualification, or
• Be transferred from the M. Phil. And Ph.D. degree programmes, and
• Have the relevant work experience.

Applicants to the M.Phil and Ph.D. degree programmes are also required to submit a short research proposal which will be considered by the Institute's Entrance Committee.

Core Courses

Students in the MPhil and PhD degree programmes are required to complete the following:

1. Three (3) courses; (3 credits each) and;
2. A dissertation (MPhil)/thesis (PhD).

The required courses are:

1. Directed Readings on Thesis Topic;
2. Research Design and Management;
3. Specialised Research Methods.

SALI 7001/8001 - Direct Readings on the Thesis Topic (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to expose students to the literature relevant to their thesis/dissertation, students will be required to:

1. conduct one seminar or make one class presentation and,
2. submit a critical review of the literature relevant to the thesis topic during the semester. Students will be deemed to have passed or failed this course based on the oral and written submissions.

SALI 7002/8002 - Research Design and Management (3 credits)

The principal purpose of this course is to enhance students’ capacity to undertake research assignments in academic and operational contexts as well as critically evaluate research undertaken by other entities.  The course is designed to ensure that students have an appreciation and understanding of the role of the philosophy of science in the research process.  It also provides a medium for further discussion and development of issues akin to research design and ethical issues in the conduct of research.  Particular emphasis is placed upon exposing students to quantitative and qualitative methodologies associated with scholarly research processes.  In both contexts, where appropriate, topics for discussion will include conceptualization and measurement, data collection, survey sampling, experimentation, secondary data analysis, data preparation and data analytical considerations.  Students will be exposed to research writing practices and the preparation of research proposals.

Assessment:  Coursework 50%, Examination 50%

SALI 7101/8101 – Specialized Research Methods (3 credits)

This course is a graduate level, applications-oriented introduction to a range of specialized research methods, which are widely used in applied social and economic research, especially in the analysis of survey data.  It also involves an introduction to STATA, a specialized statistical software package used in the application of quantitative methods to real life problems involving data emanating from survey and experimental research. Course participants are required to study scholarly papers where these methods are employed, and will themselves learn to present such findings in a manner befitting professional social scientists. Students shall be required to do hands-on work in class and are encouraged to bring data and dissertation problems/ideas to class.

Assessment: Coursework 60%, Examination 40%

The length of the dissertation for the M.Phil degree candidates should not normally exceed 50,000 words excluding footnotes and appendices.