Graduate programs

The department of Sociology offers work leading to the degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science (M.S.), as well as the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D). Students with a Bachelor’s degree can enter the graduate program to earn a terminal Master’s degree or, with approval, continue on after receiving a Master’s degree to complete a Ph.D. degree. Students with Master’s degrees from other programs and/or universities can apply to enter the graduate program at the Ph.D. level.

Graduate training in Sociology prioritizes community engagement and policy-relevant research focused on improving people’s daily lives and society more broadly. Students focus on the integration of theory with a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches to study the dynamics of human behavior and social interaction in substantive areas including health and medical sociology, environmental sociology, education, criminology, class/stratification, race/ethnicity, urban sociology, social movements, family, gender, and sexualities. The program aims to prepare graduates for research and service positions in government, the non-profit sector, private industry, and the academy.

Admissions requirements

Degree requirements

Sociology M.A./M.S.

Sociology Ph.D.

Admissions requirements

Students must be admitted to the master’s and Ph.D. programs by the department and by the University. Admission ordinarily is granted only to those students beginning the program in the Fall term. Students are expected to move through the core courses as a cohort and work together with the faculty in a team environment.

In addition to the general University admission requirements for advanced degrees, the applicant for a sociology master’s or Ph.D. degree program must have the following materials to submit as part of a complete application:

Sociology online application.
Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic performance.
Unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended for evaluation purposes. Official transcripts will be requested once admitted.
Graduate Record Examination scores—General.
A letter of application describing his or her sociological interests.
A writing sample.
A resume, or Curriculum Vita.

Applicants for the graduate degree are normally expected to have a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Students with other undergraduate majors may be accepted; however, they must have completed courses in sociological theory, research methods, and statistics, or their equivalents.

Students applying for the Ph.D. program must have completed a master’s degree (e.g., MA/MS/MPA/MPH/MSW) prior to starting the program. If the master’s degree is not in sociology, additional sociology coursework may be required (see degree requirements section).