Statement of research interest and purpose?

Question

Hello, I am applying for graduate study to 2 schools. One of them ask me to provide a statment of research interest and the other want me to hand in a statement of purpose. However, i really have no ideas about how to write them. May I ask someone who had experiences or people who know how to do it to give me some ideas about writing it. Thank you very much.
By the way, I m applying for graduate study of criminology

Thanks a lot!!

i m applying for MA of criminology in SFU and UT
I list three topics for research interest.
1. relationship b/w perpetrators and their victims in homicides
2. historical penoogycial theories in western culture
3. comparisons of criminalss with bnormal personalities in criminal justice system in Taiwan and in Canada

Thank you all very much. These information are clear and important to me.

However, I am worried about 2 things.
I do not have an honour degree for my undergraduate program, so I do not have any research experiences. But when I wrote my term papers (differernt topics for different courses), I did some research for them. May I mention those term papers in my statement of research interest and purpose?

Moreover, I am an international student and I was not allowed to worke in Canada. Thus, I don't have any work experiences relevant to my graduate studies. Also, should I mention it in my statements?

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

A statement of purpose and a statement of research interest are the same thing.

Here's what they must include:

- Why are you applying to this particular deparment?
- With whom do you want to study, and why? (Research the faculty well before answering this.)
- What do you plan to focus on in your own work? (Be specific. Everyone there plans to study criminology, so you must spell out precisely what you'd like to study, and how you'd like to study it. Mention your preferred methodologies as well as your intended data.)
- What are your plans for the future? (What sort of career do you seek? Why? How will this particular graduate program prepare you for that career?)

Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

Almost this same answer was asked some time ago, and this is what was selected as "best answer":
[The member who posted it gave the name INCOGNITA, and I recommend it to you

incognita
About Me
Member since: June 26, 2006

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

OK, I'll admit that I struggled with this one too, but I can at least tell you where to start.

Going in with just your bachelor's, you're probably not expected to know what your dissertation topic will be, so don't worry about that. Instead, think in more general terms of what interests you in your field. If you still don't know, think about some things you worked on as an undergrad that you really enjoyed and feel confident discussing. You'll have time to change your mind. Your goal is to catch someone's interest in the department who works on that subfield and might like to eventually be your dissertation director.

In fact, there's nothing wrong with mentioning by name people in the department to which you're applying and articulating your interest in taking their classes or doing research with them. See what all the faculty specialize in, read samples of their research if they interest you, and explain why you are especially interested in these people, this department, and this university. It's fine if you don't have a dissertation topic set in stone yet, but if you at least have one or two potential subfields, you'll be more likely to have someone in the department who shares your interests fighting to get you in.

Your GPA, test scores, recommendations and writing sample will show your potential as a student, while your statement is where you prove that you're a good match for that particular department and school.

You might also ask one of your profs who knows you and your past work (such as one who's recommending you) and/or knows someone in the department where you're applying to read over your statement and give more specific advice.
[END OF QUOTE]

The way I found it was to type "statement of research interest" into the box lower down that has a grey button marked "search the web" beside it. When I clicked on that button I got a good list of examples - and a reference to the answer I quoted above. I strongly urge you to check this out, and then check the phrase "statement of purpose". Also in any decent bookstore one should be able to get self-help books for potential researchers ( At any level ) that should contain useful material. Beyond that a thorough Internet hunt should produce something to help. Good luck with your project.

Answer 3

For most major the thesis is very important so these schools what to know what experiences you have had, what you would like to specialize in and what you hope to achieve. In general these schools are looking for past experiences that will help you do well in graduate school, what your research interests are (and if you fit within the faculty research specialties) and how a graduate degree will help you achieve your future goals.

You should go to the college websites and look up the faculty research interests, pick one the interests you and see if you can get an appointment to talk to him/her. Plus it is always helpful to have a member of faculty that knows you. Ask for advice, see if you can talk to a student currently enrolled.

Good luck

Answer 4

They usually just want to know why you are applying to their program and school (what your interests are, what led you to apply to their program, related experience, what you want to learn in their program, what you want to do with the degree after you graduate, etc.; probably similar to essays you wrote when you applied for college but more focused on the particular field of study). You might be able to find some samples on the Internet.

For the 3 research interest topics, how about just elaborating on those topics? Say what the current state of those topics are, what you want to learn through research, and why you want to find those answers.

Answer 5

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