Program Description | Admission | Degree Requirements | Courses
Program Description
The Department of Sociology is committed to high quality instruction and
research in sociology. Students who enter the graduate program will receive
advanced and updated instruction in quantitative and qualitative techniques of
sociological research, social statistics, classical and contemporary
sociological theory, and major substantive areas in the field. The primary
objective of the Department is to provide students with the advanced
professional skills to analyze social issues in applied settings.
Admission
Students seeking admission to the graduate program in Sociology must submit
the following:
1. a completed Graduate Studies Application for
Admission with the application fee to Graduate Studies,
2. official
transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, including the
transcript that shows the date the undergraduate degree was conferred,
3. official GRE scores,
4. a personal statement of goals, and
5. a sample of scholarly writing
In addition, students must arrange for three letters of recommendation to be
submitted on their behalf from a mix of faculty involved in their most recent
degree program.
Non-Sociology majors/minors must complete the
following undergraduate stem courses with a grade of B or better: SOC 366
Research Methods in Sociology; SOC 343 Social Statistics; SOC 386 Sociological
Theory
A holistic review of each student’s application file will be completed on a competitive basis.
Degree Requirements
Plan 1 - MA in Sociology
| Notes: |
| 1 | The specialization should be selected in consultation with the Graduate Advisor. |
Master of Arts, Plan I. Plan I requires 30 hours of graduate credit, 24 of which must be in Sociology and must be in courses numbered 500 or above with the exception of SOC 698 and SOC 699. A thesis of 6 semester hours (SOC 698 and SOC 699) in Sociology is also required. This program is designed for students who wish to continue graduate education or whose professional interests require the enhancement of analytical skills.
Students majoring in Sociology who select the Master of Arts, Plan I are required to write a master’s thesis. The thesis is an original research work which is designed to demonstrate the candidate’s theoretical, methodological and substantive skills in the discipline.
Master of Arts, Plan II. Plan II requires a minimum of 36 hours of graduate credit, 24 of which must be in Sociology and must be numbered 500 or above. This plan does not require a thesis and is designed for students who wish to concentrate on the development of their applied professional skills.
Students must also select at least one of the following specializations:
Specialization #1 – Sociology of Community and Natural
Resources
Students must successfully complete Sociology of Community
(SOC 576) and at least one of the following courses: Environmental Sociology
(SOC 564) or Social Change and Development (SOC 589).
Specialization #2 – Health and Aging
Students must
successfully complete Medical Sociology (SOC 537) and at least one of the
following courses: Seminar in Race and Ethnic Studies (SOC 565); Social
Inequality (SOC 582); Gender and Society (SOC 587); or, Social Change and
Development (SOC 589).
Specialization #3 – Social Change and
Development
Students must successfully complete Social Change and
Development (SOC 589) and at least one of the following courses: Seminar in Race
and Ethnic Studies (SOC 565); Sociology of the Family (SOC 572); Sociology of
Community (SOC 576) or Gender and Society (SOC 587).
Courses listed under two different specializations may be simultaneously employed to satisfy the requirements of each of these specializations.
Comprehensive Examinations
After completing coursework
and before completing the master’s thesis, students are required to take their
comprehensive examinations. Students must be enrolled in the University the
semester or summer session in which the comprehensive exam is administered. The
comprehensive exams for the Master’s Degree in Sociology are divided into three
parts.
The first exam consists of a written examination in theory and methods. This exam requires students to demonstrate a mastery of key concepts and pertinent theories, methodologies, and statistical procedures in sociology. It is administered in an eight-hour session twice a year.
The second exam consists of a written examination in the specialty area(s) selected by the student. Students must select at least one of the specialties offered in the Sociology program. If the student elects to have more than one specialty area, he/she will take one eight-hour exam for each of the selected specialties.
The third exam is an oral exam which is designed to address the student’s ability to explain the meanings and implications of issues relating to key concepts, pertinent theories and methods in sociology and in the specialty area(s) selected by the student. The timing of the oral examination is at the convenience of the student and the committee that administers it.