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.
Sociology M.A./M.S.
The candidate must complete a minimum of 54 graduate credits, including 22 credits in core sociology courses, 24 credits of electives (12 of which may be in departments other than sociology), and 8 credits of thesis. Elective courses outside sociology must be approved by the student’s adviser. The student must pass an oral defense of the thesis.
Requirements
Students working for the Master of Arts degree must satisfy the language requirement.
Core
Soc 507: (Course must be taken six times)
Thesis
Soc 503: (completed over three terms)
Electives
| Soc | Three graduate-level sociology courses | 12 |
| | Sociology or other department | 12 |
Elective courses outside sociology must be approved by the student’s adviser