phd sociology requirements

Earning A Ph.D. In Sociology: Everything You Need To Know

Updated: May 30, 2023, 2:17am

Earning a Ph.D. in sociology helps you build a high-level career in a competitive field. As the discipline’s terminal degree, a doctorate in sociology qualifies graduates for roles in academia, business, government and nonprofits.

Ph.D. in sociology programs provide a strong grounding in sociological theory and practice and the opportunity to conduct original research.

If you want to explore a Ph.D. in sociology, this article is for you. We’ll explain what to expect from a doctoral program in sociology, including admission criteria, common requirements and sociology careers for graduates.

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What Does a Ph.D. in Sociology Entail?

What is sociology ? This field studies societies and the human relationships within them, often with the goal of addressing inequities and divisions.

A sociology Ph.D. prepares you to conduct independent research or teach at the college level. Here’s what you should expect if you plan to earn a Ph.D. in sociology.

Ph.D. in Sociology Admission Requirements

Admission to Ph.D. in sociology programs is highly competitive, with acceptance rates at some schools as low as 4%.

Admissions committees look at several factors when considering grad school applicants . Ph.D. in sociology programs typically require a minimum GPA of 3.0 to 3.5, plus a statement of purpose, scholarly writing samples, a résumé, recommendation letters and GRE scores.

Competitive applicants hold strong social science backgrounds with completed coursework in sociological theory, statistics and research methods. Most doctoral programs in sociology accept candidates with a bachelor’s or master’s in sociology or a related field. Those with bachelor’s degrees in sociology typically earn a master’s midway through the doctoral program.

Applicants without a sociology background can use their personal statement to explain how their experience and interests align with a sociology program.

Ph.D in Sociology Program Formats

Most doctoral sociology programs are traditional on-campus programs. Fully online Ph.D. programs in sociology are rare, though students may take individual courses online.

Ph.D. candidates spend less time on campus once they begin their dissertations. However, it’s wise to select your school and living situation with regular campus visits in mind.

Learners set on an online program are more likely to find an online Ph.D. program in a related major, such as a doctorate in social work .

Common Ph.D. in Sociology Degree Requirements

Sociological theory.

Many Ph.D. in sociology programs include one or more required theory courses. Understanding sociological theory helps future sociologists engage with the discipline’s history and its contemporary debates as researchers, thinkers and teachers.

Theory courses cover seminal theorists like Karl Marx, Max Weber and Émile Durkheim and explore how contemporary writers and researchers apply, challenge and adapt classical sociological thought to current issues and perspectives.

Social Data Analysis and Research

Courses in social data analysis and research bring theory into practice. A Ph.D. is a research-oriented degree that prepares graduates to produce independent research projects like dissertations.

Students learn to conduct sociological studies, draw conclusions and present findings. Data analysis and collection methods include interviews, field notes and statistical analysis.

In some programs, candidates build hands-on skills in a research practicum. Learners can also gain research experience (and help pay for their degrees ) through faculty research assistantships.

Complete Residency Credits

“Residency credits” refer to how many courses you take at your degree-granting institution. Most Ph.D. candidates fulfill residency requirements simply by completing their program’s coursework. Sometimes, a doctoral student can earn residency credits by completing a master’s degree in sociology from the same school as their doctorate.

However, transfer students and those intending to study abroad should consult an advisor or registrar to ensure they meet residency credit requirements.

Careers for Ph.D. in Sociology Graduates

What can you do with a sociology degree ? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports only 3,000 sociologists working in the United States as of 2021, though many individuals with doctorates in sociology hold other job titles. Doctoral degrees demonstrate research skills and specialized training to set candidates apart in a tight job market.

For many roles, particularly in academia, a Ph.D. is mandatory. Below, we highlight some common career paths for Ph.D. in sociology graduates. All salary data mentioned below is sourced from the BLS.

Sociology Professor

Median Annual Salary: $79,640 Projected Job Growth (2021-2031): +12% Job Description: Sociology professors train the next generation of sociologists. Depending on their institution and experience, sociology professors teach undergraduates from other majors as well. Along with classroom responsibilities, sociology professors may conduct research, publish articles and books, attend academic conferences and serve on administrative committees.

Human Resources Manager

Median Annual Salary: $126,230 Projected Job Growth (2021-2031): +7% Job Description: Sociologists use data to understand human behavior and can apply this knowledge to many business subfields, especially in people-focused fields like human resources . Human resource managers have many personnel-centered responsibilities, including hiring and training, mediating disputes and helping shape an organization’s workplace culture.

Sociologist

Median Annual Salary: $92,910 Projected Job Growth (2021-2031): +5% Job Description: Sociologists in and out of academia can pursue research roles. According to the BLS , more sociologists hold research and development roles in social sciences and humanities than in any other industry. Sociologists study social behavior, design and conduct research studies, and present their findings through reports, articles and presentations.

Social and Community Service Managers

Median Annual Salary: $74,000 Projected Job Growth (2021-2031): +12% Job Description: A social and community services career suits Ph.D. in sociology graduates seeking applied—rather than research-based—careers. Managers in this sector plan, shape and oversee programs and services that support public well-being.

Social and community service managers work for nonprofit and for-profit social services organizations and government agencies and target needs such as elder services, child and family services, food security or mental health.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About a Ph.D. in Sociology

What can i do with a sociology ph.d..

Many Ph.D. in sociology graduates go into academia and research-focused careers. However, sociology graduates can also find work in human resources, marketing and social services.

How much do you make with a Ph.D. in sociology?

A Ph.D. in sociology qualifies graduates for various high-paying jobs. One of the highest-paying jobs is human resources manager, with an annual median salary of $126,230 as of 2021, according to the BLS . Sociology professors and research sociologists earn median annual salaries of $79,640 and $92,910 as of 2021, respectively.

How many years does it take to get a Ph.D. in sociology?

A typical Ph.D. in sociology program lasts five to six years. Students with work or family obligations may take longer to complete their degrees. Conversely, candidates with a master’s in sociology may finish faster. Some programs allow candidates to take up to nine years in certain circumstances.

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Department of Sociology

Program requirements.

Below is an overview of degree requirements for a PhD in Sociology. The full requirements can be found in the  CHD Handbook 2020-2021.

Course Work

Students are required to complete 16 graduate courses. Course work includes workshops, independent study, directed reading courses, and up to two units of independent research.

Required Courses

Students must take two sociological theory courses. All students are required to take Soc 2204 in year 1, and Soc 2208 in year 2.

Each student must complete a series of required courses in methodology (SOC 2202, 2203, and 2209). Students with little background in statistics are encouraged to take an introductory statistics course, such as Statistics 100. 

Sociological Research Design

Students must enroll in SOC 2205, Sociological Research Design, in the fall semester of the first year. This course covers the fundamentals of sociological research design. Emphasis is placed on surveys, participant observation, comparative historical study, interviews, and quantitative analysis of existing data.

Teaching Practicum Students are required to take SOC 3305, Teaching Practicum, concurrently with their first term of teaching, which is generally in the fall semester of the third year.

Qualifying Paper Seminar All third-year students are required to take the Qualifying Paper Seminar, which guides students through the process of producing an original research paper of high quality.

Students must complete 6 elective courses, which may be chosen from those 1000-level courses designated as Conference Courses in Courses of Instruction ; 2000-level courses; 3000-level individual reading courses; or workshops (students are required to take two workshops). Students can receive no more than two elective credits for workshops. Courses from other departments that are cross-listed under Sociology in Courses of Instruction will count toward meeting the elective requirement. This requirement is normally completed by the end of the second year of residency and must be met by the end of the third year of residency.

Doctoral students are required to enroll in two workshops during their graduate careers. Sociology workshops are offered on a credit/non-credit basis only and attendance is required to receive course credit. See detailed information regarding PhD Workshops .

General Exam

There is one General Written Examination that is taken in August, prior to the start of the fall semester of the second year of residence. The examination is based on standard faculty-generated reading lists for seven fields within sociology (Social Organization, Social Stratification, Culture, Development, Gender, Family, Immigration, Political Sociology, and Race and Ethnicity). Students write one essay on each of four subject areas, including one essay on Social Organization and one essay on Social Stratification.

Each examination question is graded by two faculty members. The grade on this qualifying exam is an important component of the decision to advance a student to candidacy.

Teaching Fellowship (TF)

Students must complete one semester of teaching fellowship in departmental courses, or in other courses by approval. Work as a teaching fellow (TF) under the supervision of a faculty member fulfills this requirement. Teaching generally begins in the fall semester of the third year. In addition to SOC 3305, Teaching Practicum, which must be taken concurrently with the first term of teaching, students are encouraged to take advantage of departmental and University-wide teacher training programs . Students for whom English is a second language are expected to acquire sufficient facility in English to be an effective teacher.

Qualifying Paper

In preparation for a career of writing scholarly papers, each student must complete a research paper in the third year of residency. This third-year paper may be on any sociological topic, and may address theoretical, empirical, or methodological issues. The paper is expected to reflect original work and be of publishable quality. A three-person committee that includes the primary advisor evaluates the paper. Although the reading committee is usually comprised of two regular faculty members in the department, emeritus and other faculty outside of the department may serve as committee members with prior approval. A two-page overview of the research project and the name of the Qualifying Paper faculty advisor must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology by February 15th of a student’s second year in the graduate program. To ensure that students are making adequate progress on their paper, students in their third year of graduate study are required to provide a first draft of the paper to their Qualifyiing Committee Chair by September 15th. The final deadline for paper submission is March 31st.

Annual Faculty Review of Graduate Students

All graduate students after the 1st year are required to submit an annual report on October 1st of each year. The annual report includes an updated CV that notes teaching (TF or other), publishing (in press, published, or under review), papers/works in progress, participation in academic conferences, fellowship and grant awards and applications, service and other academic accomplishments of the past year. Students who have not yet defended their prospectus are required to include a planned timing of the dissertation defense. Student progress is discussed with the entire faculty at a fall faculty meeting. The progress of all first-year students is discussed separately at a faculty meeting in the spring term.

Doctoral Dissertation

Each student must complete and defend a doctoral dissertation. The dissertation must be submitted to all committee members at least two months in advance of the scheduled defense date (students who plan to obtain May degrees must submit their dissertations to their committee members by February 15th). Assessment of satisfactory completion is determined by the student’s doctoral committee members.

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Graduate Office

660 William James Hall

Office Hours (Fall 2023) Monday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (remote) Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (on campus) Wednesday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (on campus) Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (remote) Friday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (remote)

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PhD: How to Apply

The Sociology Department recognizes that the Supreme Court issued a ruling in June 2023 about the consideration of certain types of demographic information as part of an admission review. All applications submitted during upcoming application cycles will be reviewed in conformance with that decision.

The Sociology Department welcomes graduate applications from individuals with a broad range of life experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who would contribute to our community of scholars, and we are committed to providing a supportive environment for all students whom we admit. Review of applications is holistic and individualized, considering each applicant’s academic record and accomplishments, letters of recommendation, and admissions essays in order to understand how an applicant’s life experiences have shaped their past and potential contributions to their field .

Minimizing pre-admission communication with faculty: We appreciate that prospective graduate students are often instructed to reach out to faculty in advance of applying. However, our policy is to avoid any protracted discussions between faculty and candidates prior to admission since research shows that fair and transparent process can easily be clouded by back-channel communications.  We don’t mean to be off-putting! Instead, our goal is to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity and is considered fairly. For more information, you can review Stanford's Guide to Getting into Grad School.

Application Requirements

The 2025-26 Sociology Ph.D. application deadline is December 4, 2024.

Please be aware that you must submit your online application by the deadline.  Incomplete applications cannot be completed or submitted after the deadline. Recommendation letters and official test scores from ETS can be submitted by faculty and ETS after the application deadline date. 

PhD Admissions FAQs

Join dozens of  Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students  who gain valuable leadership skills in a multidisciplinary, multicultural community as  Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS).

KHS admits up to 100 select applicants each year from across Stanford’s seven graduate schools, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare them to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. As a scholar, you join a distinguished cohort, participate in up to three years of leadership programming, and receive full funding for up to three years of your PhD studies at Stanford.Candidates of any country may apply. KHS applicants must have earned their first undergraduate degree within the last seven years, and must apply to both a Stanford graduate program and to KHS. Stanford PhD students may also apply to KHS during their first year of PhD enrollment.If you aspire to be a leader in your field, we invite you to apply. The application closes on October 9, 2024, at 1:00 pm Pacific Time. Learn more about  KHS admission .

The fee to apply for graduate study at Stanford is $125 .  You may submit only one application per year (unless one of the applications is to one of the professional schools (Law, Medicine or Business). Acceptable form of payment is by credit/debit card (Visa or MasterCard only.) We do not accept electronic check payments or checks by mail. 

The fee is non-refundable and must be received by the application deadline. 

Many applicants qualify for application fee waivers. Stanford offers several application fee waiver options to ensure that the application process is available to everyone who wishes to apply. 

In the electronic application, you will be asked to upload scans of transcripts (see specific information below), a statement of purpose, a writing sample, and your CV or resume. When preparing your application materials to be uploaded into the electronic application, please note the following:

• File size must be 10MB or LESS
• Files cannot be password protected
• PDF files cannot have a digital signature
• Save each document separately

When scanning hard copy materials to upload into your electronic application please note the following:

• Resolution should be no more than 300dpi
• Scan in black and white only
• Removing images will help reduce file size

The statement of purpose (also known as a "personal statement") should describe your reasons for applying to the Doctoral Program in Sociology at Stanford.  This document is not to exceed two pages in length (single-spaced).  You should include details regarding your qualifications, academic and research interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may aid our admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology. You will be asked to upload your statement of purpose in the online application.

You must upload one scanned version of your transcript(s) in the online application. Please read the  Applying  section of this website for important information submitting transcripts.

If offered admission:  Please see this page for information on submitting final official transcripts .

Stanford accepts electronic letters of recommendation via Stanford online application system - we no longer accept paper letters.

Three letters of recommendation are required, and they must be submitted using the online service.

As part of the online application, you will be required to register the name and contact information, including e-mail address, of each of your recommenders. Recommenders will then receive an e-mail with directions on how to proceed. At least one letter should be a faculty member at the last school you attended as a full-time student (unless you have been out of school for more than five years.)

• Please inform letter writers of the application deadline.
• Letters of recommendation cannot be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed; they will be rejected.
• Substitutions for faculty recommendations may include work associates or others who can comment on your academic potential for graduate work.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test

* GRE Fee Reduction Waiver

Register early to maximize the chances of scheduling your preferred test date and time

We strongly advise you to take the GRE no later than September, so that your scores will be received by the application deadline.

Late test scores may disqualify you from admission.

We require the GRE General Test only - we do not require the subject test.

Scores must be from an examination taken within the last five years. No exceptions.

Scores must be reported directly to Stanford from the Educational Testing Service.

The Stanford institution code is 4704 .  Please do not specify  a department code.

For more information regarding the GRE, please contact ETS directly.

GRE scores from ETS are valid for five years.  For questions about the validity of GRE scores, please contact ETS. If ETS can send your GRE scores, we will accept them.

Arrangements to take the GRE General Test can be made online or by writing:

P.O. Box 600, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000, USA

Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission.

TOEFL scores are required of all applicants whose first language is not English. Stanford does not accept IELTS scores.

TOEFL EXEMPTIONS:

You are  exempt  from submitting a TOEFL score if you meet one the following criteria:     A. You (will) have a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a regionally- accredited college or university in the United States (territories and possessions excluded).     B. You (will) have an equivalent degree from an English-language university in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

You may request a  waiver  if you (will) have an equivalent degree from a recognized institution in a country other than Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom in which English was the language of instruction.

NOTE: Being a U.S. citizen does not automatically exempt an applicant from taking the TOEFL; if the applicant’s first language is not English, the applicant must meet the exception above or submit the TOEFL.

TOEFL scores must be submitted from a test taken within the last eighteen months.

We urge you to take the TOEFL by November to be eligible for admission for the following Autumn Quarter. Evidence of adequate proficiency must be submitted before enrollment is approved by Graduate Admissions.

The TOEFL is administered through: EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICES, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151

Information on registration, test centers, dates, and test formats .

The University Minimum TOEFL Score for Doctoral programs is 250 for Computer-based test, 600 for paper-based test, and 100 for Internet-based test. More information is available via the Stanford University Office of Graduate Admissions web site.

• Scores must be reported directly to Stanford from Educational Testing Service (ETS)

The Stanford score recipient number ( also called "Institution Code")  is  4704.  You do not need to specify a department code.

All scores are sent electronically to the Graduate Admissions Office, which will share your scores with your department.

Evidence of adequate English proficiency must be submitted before enrollment is approved by Graduate Admissions.

TOEFL scores are retained for 20 months by ETS. For questions about the validity of TOEFL scores, please contact ETS. If ETS can send your TOEFL scores, we will accept them.

The Department of Sociology requires a writing sample from all applicants to the Ph.D. Program. The Admissions Committee will be looking for original work giving evidence of both writing ability and the capacity for research, analysis, and original thought at the graduate level. Your writing sample could be an honors or master’s thesis, published paper, co-written paper, or comparable article.

• Papers originally written in a language other than English must be submitted in English Translation.
• Samples may be up to 50 pages long.  Other things equal, a short, effectively written sample is preferable to a longer sample. If you decide to submit a longer sample, please indicate which pages should be reviewed by the admissions committee. Your writing sample can be uploaded with your online application as a text file as an addendum to your personal statement or under 'additional information'. Writing samples can be single or double spaced.
• You must upload your writing sample in the online application per "supporting documents" instructions above.

We do not require a CV or resume for application, but you may upload your CV or resume per the "supporting documents" instructions above.

The  2025-26 Graduate Admissions Application will open for entry in mid-September 2024.

Department of Sociology

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Requirements for the PhD consist of a core curriculum, elective courses, research apprenticeship experience, a one-semester teaching assistantship, residence requirement and a dissertation with a departmental and university defense.

Beyond these requirements, students are free to tailor their graduate training under the supervision of their advisors.

Students are expected to complete all University and departmental requirements other than the dissertation by the end of the fall semester of their fourth year in the program (this includes the departmental defense of the dissertation proposal).

For additional information, see the Graduate Handbook or the online Academic Catalog .

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Requirements for the PhD

The PhD program in sociology is a five to six year program, in which students may receive an MA in sociology as part of their work toward the PhD. The program does not accept students for a terminal MA degree. Please see below for general information about the graduate program. For answers to more specific questions, please consult the Graduate Student Handbook or email the Director of Graduate Studies, Joshua Bloom .

Credit and Course Requirements:

• Students must earn at least 72 credit hours 
• Research Design
• Qualitative Methods
• Introduction to Social Statistics
• Applied Regression Analysis
• A Sociological Theory course 
• Students must complete six elective courses in sociology
• Students must complete two additional courses inside or outside the Department of Sociology

Second-Year Paper Requirement: All students (even those entering the program with an MA degree in Sociology) complete a Second-Year Paper. Most often, this paper will be an extension or revision of a seminar paper (or papers); it may also serve as a pilot or set-up for the dissertation. For these mentored research projects, students work with an advisor and a reader to produce by the end of the second year of graduate study a paper that will eventually be suitable for publication.

Comprehensive Examination:  To qualify for PhD candidacy, students must complete a comprehensive examination. Through the comprehensive examination, students are expected to identify, analyze, and integrate conceptual, methodological, and empirical literature to answer questions relevant to sociological study. Interim Comprehensive Exam Procedure . 

Dissertation Overview: Following successful completion of the comprehensive examination, the student files an application for admission to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. At this stage the student produces a proposal that outlines the topic for doctoral research and a research design for its execution to be reviewed by the dissertation committee. After the overview hearing, the student will give a brief presentation on their proposed dissertation research to the departmental community.

Dissertation Defense:  The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the doctoral committee and is open to the University community.

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Ph.D. Requirements

In order to begin the phd portion of the program, you need to:.

• earn your   Master's in the program   or have a   previous MA approved . 
• advance to the PhD program

The PhD requires 90 credits of graduate level of coursework. Here is a summary of coursework and the milestones for the PhD portion of the program:

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• Exams and Milestones Requirement

Students are required to complete three milestones before beginning their dissertation work: the first-year essay exam, qualification in two specialty areas, and the Preliminary Exam (i.e., dissertation proposal defense). 

First-Year Essay Exam

At the end of the first year, students will choose two works from a list of the most influential books and articles in Sociology. They will then use these works as a basis for two essays that investigate the influence of that work on sociological research. Both essays are due on the first day of the Fall semester of the second year of study and will be graded by the faculty member who added that work to the list. Both works cannot be sponsored by the same faculty member.

Area Qualification

Before proposing a dissertation project, students must qualify in two specialty areas. The process of qualification is as follows:

• Late in the Spring of year 2, each student identifies two faculty members (examiners) and, with each, defines an area of qualification (e.g., networks, race, social psychology)
• Each examiner determines what the student needs to do to become qualified in that area. This can include any combination of reading a list of works, writing an essay, taking an exam, passing one or more courses, participating regularly in a workshop, or anything else as determined by the examiner. 
• Each student registers the names of the examiners and the areas by the last day of graduate courses in the Spring semester of year 2.
• The Graduate Policy Committee reviews this information and approves the combination of examiners and areas. Any concerns must be discussed with the student and examiner(s) before the last day of the Spring semester.
• Starting in the summer after year 2 and continuing until approximately March of year 3, the student fulfills whatever requirements have been agreed upon with both examiners.
• When these requirements are complete, the examiners sign the certification form.
• No later than one week before the preliminary exam (i.e., dissertation proposal defense) the student submits the signed certification form to the DGSA.  

Preliminary Exam

The Preliminary Exam marks the transition from PhD student to PhD candidate ("ABD" status). In our department, the Preliminary Exam consists solely of a defense of the dissertation proposal. The following rules apply:

• Merit means that the project is engaging appropriately with one or more existing research literatures and that the project will make an innovative and intellectually significant contribution to knowledge.
• Feasibility means that the analytical plan will make it possible to make the intended contribution.
• The proposal must be no longer than 4000 words, excluding figures, tables, and references. Proposals exceeding this length will not be approved by the department.
• Book-style dissertations generally investigate the same research question (or set of questions) over the course of 5-6 chapters. Book-style dissertations are normally the work of the dissertation author alone.
• Article-style dissertations normally comprise three related papers, all of which must have the student as the first or sole author . A proposal that includes co-authored work must be accompanied by a signed statement from the co-authors that the co-authored portion will primarily be the work of the dissertation author. (Such a statement will also be required at the dissertation defense.)
• Proposals are generally organized into the following sections: background, specific aims or hypotheses, significance of the proposed research, data and methods, expected results, expected impact on the field. For article-style proposals, these sections will ordinarily be repeated separately for each proposed paper after a general introduction.
• If the proposed dissertation includes a paper that has already been completed, the contribution of this paper should be summarized in the proposal following the structure above and the paper itself should be included as an appendix (not included in the word count). If this paper is co-authored, it must be accompanied by a signed statement of the co-authors as outlined above.
• Subject to the rules above, the students Preliminary Exam committee makes the ultimate decision as to the acceptability of the proposal. For this reason, students should consult regularly with their committee during the development of the proposal.
• Should the student fail the defense, the student may apply, with the consent of the examining committee, the DGS, and the Associate Dean of the Graduate School, for a second examination to be taken no sooner than three months and no later than six months after the date of the first. The original examining committee must conduct the second examination.

  The Preliminary Exam committee consists of at least four faculty members, at least three of whom must be from Duke Sociology. As required by the Graduate School, the committee must also contain a "Minor Area Representative," a faculty member who is not from a student's specialty area. Committees must be formed and registered with the DGSA by the end of the first semester of the third year of study. The Preliminary Exam must be completed before the Graduate School deadline in the Spring of a student's third year in the program.   The M.A. degree is normally given in conjunction with the Preliminary Exam. Students who want to receive the M.A. degree must apply for graduation before the appropriate deadline. Students who want to pursue another M.A. degree at Duke should NOT apply to graduate with an M.A. in Sociology. Duke only awards one M.A. degree en route to the Ph.D. Additional M.A. degrees require the payment of tuition.

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PhD Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Requirements

The general requirements of the Ph.D. consists of 40 credits of coursework, 3 credits of Masters level research, a Second-Year Research Paper, the passing of one specialty exam, 12 credits of Dissertation research, and a Dissertation.  The coursework includes:

Required Courses : Doctoral Students must have successfully completed courses in theory, research methods, and statistics.

• Proseminar (SOCY616) - 1 credit
• Two courses in social theory (SOCY620 and an additional course from the approved list ) - 6 credits
• Two courses in statistics (SOCY601 and SOCY602) - 6 credits
• Two research methods courses (SOCY610 and an additional course from the approved list ) - 6 credits
• An advanced statistics course OR an additional course in research methods (this course must be on the approved list or approved by the student's advisor) -  3 credits
• Candidacy/Dissertation Research Credits - minimum 12 credits

Elective Courses : A minimum of 18 graduate credits is required for specialty exam eligibility. Courses should be selected to satisfy requirements of the specialty chosen by the student from the list of approved courses . Students should aim to complete the following by the end of their fifth semester:

• Required courses for each of the department's specialty areas in which you plan to take exams. The required courses by specialty area are:  Demography:  SOCY630 Population and Society and SOCY611 Demographic Techniques   Social Inequality and Mobility: SOCY661 Stratification Social Psychology: SOCY660 Theories of Social Psychology  Social Change and States: SOCY699K States, Politics, and Social Change
• Two additional elective area seminars for the department's specialty areas in which you plan to take an exam. Note students who plan to take the alternative specialty exam develop the set of three seminars that will support the alternative exam with their advisor and exam committee.
• Independent reading courses do not count for specialty exam requirements.  

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University of Missouri

College of Arts and Science

PhD Requirements

The goal of the doctoral program is to educate scholars with the theoretical, methodological, and substantive background to conduct research, present findings, and publish work that significantly expands upon and/or challenges knowledge about social life. There is no separate MA program, although doctoral students may apply for an MA degree in the context of completing requirements for the PhD.

Admission decisions are made by the admissions committee. Students are admitted to the PhD program with either a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. The doctoral program requirements of those admitted with an MA degree are determined by the admissions committee, taking account of the content and skill level of their master’s programs.

Applicants must present evidence that they are capable of successfully completing a rigorous doctoral program by submitting the required materials in the online application system through the Office of Graduate Studies.

Unless waived or taken elsewhere and approved as equivalent by the admissions committee, the following course requirements apply: At least 30 credit hours of regular courses, not including reading courses such as Soc 7960 or research courses such as Soc 7085, Soc 8110, or Soc 9090. At the discretion of the student's advisory committee, 9 credit hours may be taken outside the department in a related field of study. At least 12 credit hours should be seminars. Required courses are counted as part of the 30 hours.

The following courses or their equivalents are required and should be taken as early in the program as possible:

Soc 7120 -- Social Statistics

Soc 8130 – Advanced Social Statistics (Regression)

Soc 9187 – Seminar in Sociological Theory I (Classical Theory)

Soc 9287 – Seminar in Qualitative Methods

Soc 9487 – Seminar in Contemporary Sociological Theory

One additional methods course of the students choice is required. The elective methods course may be taken outside the department.

Advisor and Doctoral Advisory Committee

The advisor must be nominated and approved for doctoral faculty status in the department of sociology. The advisor and three additional faculty members constitute the four-member doctoral advisory committee. Three of the four committee members must be nominated and approved for graduate faculty status in the department of sociology. One of the four committee members must be from outside the department. A faculty member whose tenure line is in a department other than the department of sociology and who is on the graduate faculty in sociology may serve as either an inside member or an outside member on a doctoral advisory committee.

The advisor must be selected no later than the end of the first year of study. The advisory committee should be selected in consultation with the advisor and should represent the student’s area of research interest in which the student will take his or her comprehensive exam. Students should begin forming the advisory committee by the end of the first year of study.

Students must submit an approved plan of work (D-3, Program of Study) before the beginning of the second year of study.

Retirements and Resignations Impact on committee member or advisor status

If a faculty member or faculty affiliate  resigns from MU or goes on leave for more than a year they may continue to serve as a fifth doctoral committee member for a two-year period renewable for additional two-year terms by majority vote of the sociology faculty.   If a faculty member or faculty affiliate serving as advisor or co-advisor resigns or goes on leave for more than a year  they may continue to serve as co-advisor - along with a co-advisor who is on the MU faculty and is in residence at MU - for a two-year period renewable for additional two-year terms by majority vote of the sociology faculty.

Retired faculty members can retain graduate membership with the recommendation of a majority vote by faculty in the Department of Sociology.  Faculty members who retire will be moved from Status A to Status B for five years from the date of their retirement so they can finish any commitments to students’ committees they were chairing while still on the MU faculty. Those faculty members also qualify for doctoral faculty status during that time. Once the five years are complete or upon degree completion of all student committees, retired faculty should use Status C.  The Department can petition to the Dean of the Graduate School for an extension (one-year extension at a time) for the purpose of finishing commitments to chair a student’s committee. In all cases, the retired faculty member must have been the student’s committee chair prior to retirement.

Students are required to complete a detailed and feasible (“doable”) research proposal that will be reviewed by the advisor and the internal committee members. A first draft will be due March 1. The final draft must be approved by the committee by May 1 of their second year of study.

The research proposal should demonstrate the student’s ability to raise questions and advance arguments that are sociologically and theoretically informed. The proposal must demonstrate competence in the proposed applicable research methodology. 

A grade of “pass” qualifies the student to continue in the doctoral program. Upon successfully completing the second year proposal, students may apply for the MA degree. Failure to pass the second year proposal will result in dismissal from the doctoral program

Reasonable exceptions to these rules will be considered by the director of graduate studies on a case-by-case basis in consultation with appropriate faculty members.

The comprehensive exam is coordinated by the student’s advisor and is evaluated as a whole by the advisory committee. The exam includes both written and oral portions. Under the guidance of the advisor, exam areas will be drawn from the appropriate ASA section areas ( http://www.asanet.org/sections/list.cfm ). Advisors in consultation with the doctoral committee will use their judgement in choosing appropriate areas in which they can administer exams. Students are expected to propose lists consistent with both their individual emphases and the broader literature in the area.

The comprehensive exam process unfolds as follows:

• Soon after the advisor is selected and advisory committee formed, the student in consultation with his or her advisor and advisory committee begins to compile two comprehensive exam reading lists. The lists should be comprised of (a) core readings from the two exam areas in which the student is to be examined and (b) additional reading material from these areas considered by the advisor and advisory committee to be pertinent to the student's particular theoretical, methodological, and substantive needs.
• There should be regular meetings between the advisor, members of the advisory committee, and the student to formally monitor the progress that is being made in reading and preparing for the comprehensive exam. Progress on this front should be part of the student's annual review and noted in student’s entry in the relevant current graduate student progress system.
• When the advisor feels that the student is ready to take the comprehensive exam, a meeting is scheduled with the student to finalize the reading lists, allowing sufficient time for "catching up" on additional material if needed. The advisor coordinates the examination process and also serves as the examination committee chair. Comprehensive exam items are solicited by the advisor from advisory committee members, who are expected to take account of the two finalized reading lists in formulating and submitting exam items.
• The comprehensive exam is composed of three parts, two written take-home examinations and one oral exam. The two written parts center on the reading lists and are developed in relation to the student's two exam areas. The oral part provides the opportunity to elaborate upon and/or clarify the written examination material. The entire comprehensive exam is to be completed within a four-week period. Four days are allowed for the completion of each of the written take-home portions, with the oral portion scheduled one week after the completion of the written portions. Page limitations may be specified for responses to the written exam items.
• The completed written and oral parts of the exam are evaluated as a whole by the student's advisory committee. If the overall assessment is a pass, this is duly recorded on the "Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Results” form. If the overall assessment is less than a pass but not a fail, the committee specifies the way to remedy deficiencies. When deficiencies are remedied to the satisfaction of the committee, the student is considered to have passed the exam and this is duly recorded on the results form. Students who fail the exam may retake it once at the discretion of the committee.
• The comprehensive exams are taken during the first fourteen weeks of the fall and winter terms of the academic year at a time that is mutually convenient for the examination committee and the student.
• Students who publish sole-authored, referred articles that make an empirical and/or theoretical contribution to knowledge in recognized scholarly journals or equivalent outlets, may request exemption from written examination in one of the two exam areas.
• If a graduate student and faculty member publish a coauthored refereed article, and the graduate student was responsible for at least 75 percent of the intellectual and empirical contributions, then the student may request an exemption to the sole-authored rule. In such cases the student and faculty member should describe the student’s contributions in 1) article development, with regard to both framing the theoretical/conceptual arguments and developing the analytic strategy, 2) carrying out the analysis, 3) writing each section of the article (introduction, theoretical framework/conceptual arguments, methods, results, discussion), 4) responding to reviews and 5) revising the paper. The document should include both a qualitative description of the student’s work and a quantitative assessment of their percent contribution to each area.
• The student’s advisor initiates the request with a recommendation to the director of graduate studies (DGS). Acceptance letters, evidence that the journal is refereed, and copies of referees’ comments are submitted in support of the recommendation. The exemption decision rests with a committee composed of the DGS, the student’s advisor, and an additional faculty member, the latter of whom are selected by the DGS. Approval does not exempt the student from oral examination. When a student has been approved as exempt from written examination in one exam area, an oral defense remains part of the comprehensive examination.

Students must complete their doctoral course work before taking the comprehensive exam. The advisor and director of graduate studies certify the eligibility of students to take the comprehensive exam. The Graduate School requires that the entire comprehensive exam process be completed within a 30-day period.

The dissertation is the capstone of the doctoral student's career in the program. The Graduate School requires a 7-month period between the completion of the comprehensive exam and the completion of the dissertation.

The dissertation may take either of two forms, at the discretion of the doctoral advisory committee. One is the traditional “book-length” monograph. The other consists of three, sole-authored publishable articles combined with introductory and concluding chapters. The research reported in either case is based on an approved dissertation project conducted during the student’s tenure in the doctoral program.

The doctoral program is designed to be completed in 6 years. The following rate of progress is strongly encouraged.

Fall: Soc 7120 Spring: Soc 8130, Soc 9287 and Proseminar, Soc 9487 (elective course)

Second Year

Course requirements and electives, including theory and methods not taken during first year.

3 research hours for second-year proposal.

Fall: Complete course requirements Spring: Develop exam reading lists and submit them for committee approval. Work on publishing paper, which counts as a pass for one comprehensive exam area.

Fourth Year

Fall: Complete comprehensive exam Spring: Complete dissertation proposal and hold proposal hearing

Complete dissertation research

Dissertation defense; PhD conferred

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• PhD in Sociology

The Sociology PhD program trains future scholars in the fundamental skills of the discipline of sociology. Students will acquire advanced knowledge of sociological theory and research in their chosen areas of specialization within the discipline in order to make a significant and original contribution to the field. Graduates of the program are prepared to take up teaching and research positions in academia or beyond. Applicants should have at least a bachelor’s degree in any discipline; a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in sociology is preferable but not required.

Learning Outcomes

• Produce and defend an original significant contribution to sociological knowledge.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
• Be able to conduct scholarly activities in a professional and ethical manner.
• Be able to teach undergraduates.

Course Requirements

Candidates admitted to the PhD program must complete 16 courses, including 5 required and 11 elective courses (64 units).

Basic requirements (5 courses for a total of 20 units):

• CAS SO 701 Advanced Sociological Theory (Classical)
• CAS SO 702 Proseminar: Sociological Methods
• CAS SO 708 Contemporary Sociological Theory
• CAS SO 712 Qualitative Methods (or an approved course in qualitative methods in the social sciences)
• CAS SO 724 Quantitative Methods in Sociological Analysis* (or an equivalent Graduate Programs Committee–approved advanced quantitative methods course)

Strongly encouraged (two 2-unit courses run over two terms for a total of 4 units):

• CAS SO 951 and SO 952 Professionalization Workshop

Elective courses (11 courses, can include SO 951 and SO 952, for a total of 44 units)

The CAS SO 701 and SO 702 required courses should be completed in the first year of study. All first-year students are also strongly encouraged to register for CAS SO 951 and SO 952. The student’s remaining coursework should be chosen in conjunction with their advisor. Please consult the Department of Sociology Graduate Student Handbook for further details.

Language Requirement

There is no foreign language requirement for this degree.

Qualifying Requirements

After all courses are complete but before students write their Dissertation Prospectus, they must first meet two qualifying requirements. For each of two subfields of Sociology, students must complete either a: (1) critical essay, (2) critical exam, or (3) research paper suitable for submission to a scholarly journal. Each product shall demonstrate intellectual mastery of theories, concepts, methods, and research in the discipline. Students should select a format for each subfield in consultation with their advisor. Upon completion and approval of each paper, exam, or critical essay, the work is defended in a Comprehensive Oral Examination.

The oral examination will primarily cover the fields in the critical essay and research paper, but it may also cover other substantive, methodological, or theoretical material from the students’ coursework.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination

Candidates shall demonstrate their abilities for independent study in a dissertation representing original research or creative scholarship. A prospectus for the dissertation must be completed and approved by the readers, the director of graduate studies, and the department chair/program director. Candidates must undergo a final oral examination in which they defend their dissertation as a valuable contribution to knowledge in their field and demonstrate a mastery of their field of specialization in relation to their dissertation. All portions of the dissertation and final oral examination must be completed as outlined in the GRS General Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree and the Graduate Student Handbook .

Students who choose to withdraw from the PhD program and graduate with a terminal MA in Sociology must complete all of the requirements of the MA program , including the minimum 8 graduate-level courses (32 units) and the master’s thesis on a project of original research. Students should consult the Graduate Student Handbook for additional details about required courses for the MA program.

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Department of Sociology

Doctorate in Sociology (PhD)

Located in a small and vibrant department, our PhD degree program prizes innovative thought, faculty accessibility, communication, collegiality and respect. Our program is rigorous yet flexible: we encourage you to define your individual research interests and determine your course of study.

It also provides you with excellent training in research and teaching. As a doctoral candidate, you will participate fully in the life of our dynamic department, serving as a teaching assistant and directing your own courses, participating in scholarly conferences, and collaborating with our distinguished and diverse faculty.

Why Brandeis?

Our department has a long tradition of connecting normative questions of democracy and social justice to critical social thought and qualitative research methods. In addition to expertise in ethnographic, interview, comparative and historical methods, we are committed to excellence in the qualitative analysis of institutional change.

We offer three areas of focus:

Gender and feminist studies

Medical sociology

Culture and social change

You may choose to pursue one of our two degree programs:

A doctoral program in sociology

A joint sociology and social policy program with the Heller School for Social Policy and Management

Students enrolled in the doctoral program may elect to earn an MA in Sociology or a joint master's degree in Sociology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies along the way to the PhD.

Because our program is small, you will develop close and stimulating relationships with both faculty and peers. And you will benefit from all the hallmarks of a Brandeis education: dedicated mentoring by internationally recognized scholars, intellectual diversity, career support and the wealth of academic and cultural resources Boston offers.

Careers and Alumni

Our graduates make meaningful contributions to the field of sociology, publishing books and articles that receive recognition and awards and often changing the public agenda in important ways.

Our alumni include:

Meredith Bergey, PhD’15, teaches at the University of Virginia, where she is also working with undergraduate students to create a new hospital-based initiative to address social determinants of health in a pediatric clinic. Her latest book is titled "Global Perspectives on ADHD: Social Dimensions of Diagnosis and Treatment in 16 Countries" (Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming).

Alison Better, PhD’10, teaches at Kingsborough Community College, CUNY, where she is also co-director of Women's and Gender Studies. She recently co-edited and contributed a chapter to "Civic Engagement Pedagogy in the Community College: Theory and Practice" (Springer, 2016).

Tobin Belzer, PhD’04, is an applied sociologist and a contributing fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. She was recently a visiting scholar at the Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford University.

Financial Assistance

All Sociology PhD students get full tuition, health insurance funding, and a fellowship for up to five years. The fellowship is conditional on satisfactory performance in the program. While on fellowship funding, PhD students are required to act as teaching or research fellows as part of their fellowship support. PhD students also receive tuition remission through the university through their fifth year. Some teaching jobs beyond the fifth year may be available at Brandeis and other local colleges.

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Director of Graduate Studies

Contact Professor Gowri Vijayakumar for more information about the program.

Admission Deadline

The deadline for completed PhD applications is Dec. 15 .

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Ph.D. Program in Sociology

Director of Graduate Studies: Emily Rauscher

The Department of Sociology at Brown University offers outstanding doctoral training. Our graduate student community is small, enabling students to have fulfilling mentoring relationships with faculty and to collaborate meaningfully on research and teaching. Due to this advantage, we have partnerships with research centers and institutes across campus, including the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC), the Watson Institute for International Studies , the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society , Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4) and Urban Studies , among others. As a result, Brown graduates have an outstanding record of research, publications, and professional accomplishment. The Department of Sociology through the Graduate School offers incoming doctoral students five years of guaranteed financial support , including a stipend and health and dental insurance subsidies, through mechanisms including fellowships, traineeships, and teaching and research assistantships.

For details, please see the Ph.D. Graduate Student Handbook .

For program information, please see the Ph.D. Program Flyer .

Graduate Program

Graduate program in sociology.

The Berkeley Sociology Graduate Program is the heart of our collective enterprise. Berkeley welcomes a wide diversity of students with far-ranging research interests and equips them with the sociological training, resources, and supportive community necessary to succeed in academia and beyond. Students who come here find a graduate program that has been carefully designed to offer them a rich and complete sociological education, while simultaneously allowing space and incentives to explore and develop their original ideas. 

Factors distinguishing our graduate program from others nationwide include: 1) our rigorous training in general social theory, 2) our emphasis on public sociology and social justice, and 3) our embeddedness in a vibrant interdisciplinary community. Our emphasis on social theory is demonstrated by our required graduate theory sequence, elective theory courses, qualifying examination in theory, and teaching opportunities within Berkeley’s undergraduate theory sequence. As a department, we also maintain an abiding focus on public sociology and offer a number of fellowships, grants, and awards for students pursuing research that advances social justice. Finally, beyond the department, many students and faculty engage with university-wide institutes and clusters including the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, the Institute of Governmental Studies, the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, the Latin America research cluster, and many others.

Students admitted to Berkeley sociology receive a competitive funding package which includes six years of full support (including tuition and a living stipend) through a combination of fellowships and teaching, with many opportunities to secure funding past year six. Additionally, students are mentored in the skills needed to secure nationally competitive fellowships. In the past dozen years, Berkeley graduate students were awarded nearly one-quarter of the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships in Sociology (53 of 226), almost double that of any other program. In addition, our students support their research with fellowships from the Ford Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Fulbright Graduate Student Program, and more.  They also receive funding for their dissertation research from the National Science Foundation, the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, the Charlotte Newcombe Foundation, the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the German Marshall Fund, and the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.

Berkeley graduate students receive mentorship to publish widely and influence the field. In the 24 years that the American Sociological Association has awarded an annual prize for the best dissertation in sociology, Berkeley graduate students have won a quarter of the time (6), far more than any other department. The “News” section of this site details some recent graduate student publications. Following completion of their Ph.D.s, Berkeley graduate students frequently end up publishing their dissertations as books. For example, the students who finished from 2000 through 2007 currently have 34 books published or in press.

Training in our department has prepared many of our graduates to obtain research and teaching positions in research-oriented universities; recent graduates currently hold faculty positions at Harvard, Michigan, Stanford, Chicago, Northwestern, UCLA, Columbia, Cornell, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCSF, UCSC, Syracuse, USC, Arizona, Washington, Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MIT, Georgetown, Boston U, SUNY Albany, UMass Amherst, William and Mary, Tufts and Oregon. Other students have taken jobs at more teaching-oriented schools, such as the Cal State campuses, Oberlin, Wellesley, Barnard, Boston College, Wesleyan and Sarah Lawrence.  Outside the US, students have taken jobs at McGill (Montreal), University College (Dublin), Universidad Carlos III (Madrid) and Tsinghua (Beijing).  A smaller but significant number have pursued careers in research institutes, business, government, and nonprofits.

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Ph.D. Program

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Key to the doctoral training offered by the NYU Department of Sociology is a distinguished faculty doing cutting-edge research on topics important to theory and policy. The faculty includes individuals using diverse perspectives and methodological approaches. Thus, the selective cohort of 9-12 students admitted each year receives training that is broad and deep. Areas in which the department has faculty strength include: Comparative/Historical Sociology; Criminology and Law; Culture; Demography; Education; Environment; Family; Gender; Inequality; Political Sociology; Qualitative Methods; Quantitative Methods; Theory; and Urban Sociology. 

The program is designed to make students producers, not merely consumers, of knowledge. Training includes a two-semester course that guides a student through executing his or her own research project and writing a publishable paper. In addition to formal course work, the program includes an opportunity to do collaborative research with a faculty member the summer after students’ first year. It is common for faculty members to coauthor published papers with doctoral students arising from collaborations.

Doctoral students’ training is further enhanced by six regularly meeting workshops where students and faculty present research, get feedback, and learn from each other’s research. Students are encouraged to participate in at least one of the workshops throughout their time of study. Current workshops are in Crime, Law, and Deviance; Cultural Sociology; Economic and Political Sociology; Ethnography; Inequality; Race and Ethnicity; and Sociology of Education.

Students get training and experience in undergraduate teaching through opportunities to work as teaching assistants to departmental faculty during the fall and spring semesters, and through opportunities to teach their own courses during the University's summer sessions.

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Sociology, PhD

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Science, Scientist, cultures, human, inquiry, social

Admission standards for this program are changing for Fall 2024 applicants. Interested students should contact the department for more information.

Engage in ongoing research projects with individual faculty, research teams, and research institutes and centers from throughout ASU.

The PhD program in sociology provides advanced training in theory, research methodology and substantive fields to prepare sociologists for teaching and research with special emphasis on inequality and power; law and society; race and ethnicity; Latino sociology; health; and children, youth and families.

• College/school: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Location: Tempe

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation

Required Core (6 credit hours) SOC 603 Perspectives in Sociological Inquiry (3) SOC 685 Applied Social Theory (3)

Theory (3 credit hours) SOC 585 Sociological Theory (3)

Methods (3 credit hours) SOC 591 Qualitative Research Methods (3)

Statistics (3 credit hours) Other Requirements (3 credit hours) SOC 791 Topic: Integrative Research (3)

Elective and Research (54 credit hours)

Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) SOC 799 Dissertation (12)

Additional Curriculum Information When approved by the student's department and the Graduate College, 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree are allowed to be used toward this degree.

A minimum of 30 credit hours of the approved doctoral program, exclusive of dissertation and research hours, must be completed after admission to the program.

A qualifying exam, a written comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation are required.

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in sociology or related field from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• current resume or curriculum vitae
• personal statement detailing professional goals and research experiences
• writing sample
• three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic background
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

A personal statement is required. It must be three pages or less, double-spaced, and it must address the applicant's professional goals and reasons for desiring to enroll in the program; describe strengths that will help the student succeed in the program and reach professional goals; describe research experience (a description of the master's thesis should be included, if applicable) and relevant responsibilities held; indicate personal research interests as specifically as possible; and include any additional information that will help the committee evaluate the application.

Three letters of recommendation are required, including at least two from instructors at the applicant's institution where undergraduate or graduate work was completed. These letters should be from people who know the applicant as a student or in a professional capacity. Letters from family members or friends do not meet this criterion.

Students should see the program website for application deadlines.

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program has the following program outcomes:

• Evaluate contemporary sociological perspectives in original written work.
• Apply sociological research methods to the analysis of data to create an original empirical research paper.
• Conduct research resulting in empirical papers that have an impact on relevant communities that are determined by the subjects of the research.

Professionals with expertise in research methodologies and data analysis as well as an understanding of cultural and social change, various social issues and phenomena are sought-after in many areas, including human services, business, education, public policy, and community service and nonprofit sectors.

Career examples include:

• demographers
• research professionals
• social and community service managers
• sociologists
• sociology instructors
• urban and regional planners

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Graduate Program

• PhD requirements

Students are required to enroll as full-time graduate students, to carry a minimum enrollment of 12 units of graduate-level courses each quarter, and to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Course Lists and Planners

• Tentative Course List
• General Catalog - List of All Sociology Courses
• For cohorts beginning Fall 2015
• For cohorts that began prior to Fall 2015

Required Courses for the Sociology PhD

Seven required courses

• 200: Intro Methods/Epistemology
• 201: Classical Sociological Theory
• 202: Contemporary Sociological Theory
• 205: Quantitative Methods I
• 206: Quantitative Methods II
• 252: Research Practicum I
• 253: Research Practicum II
• 208: Graduate Proseminar, 2-unit course taken in the fall and winter quarters of the first year

Two qualitative methods courses from

• 203: Field Methods
• 204: Text Discourse Analysis
• 207: Comparative-Historical Methods
• 227:  Ethnographic Film: Media Methods

Three core seminars from

• 212: Social Stratification
• 214: Urban Sociology
• 216: Sociology of Culture
• 222: Social Movements
• 226: Political Sociology
• 230: Advanced Approaches to Sociological Theory
• 234: Intellectual Foundations of the Study of Science, Technology, and Medicine
• 244: Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
• 264: Economic Sociology
• 267: Sociology of Gender

Four additional sociology grad courses

• One may be taken outside the department and be taken S/U.
• Note: 298 (Independent Study) does not count toward elective course.

Total: 16 courses and 2 proseminars (66 units).

Independent Study Course Policy

An Independent Study course (SOCG 298) allows independent research and study for pre-dissertation students  who have completed all of their course requirements  and are in preparation of field exams or have passed their field exams already. For more information, please click here .

First-Year Evaluation

All students are evaluated by the department faculty toward the end of the academic year. At the end of the student's first year in the program, student performance is also evaluated by the Graduate Program Committee, including the Director of Graduate Studies, the faculty teaching the core sequences, and by their faculty adviser. Students whose performance is satisfactory are allowed to continue the regular course of study; others may be asked to repeat some courses or to do additional course work; others may be asked to withdraw from the program. Evaluations are communicated to students in writing.

Second-Year Evaluation and the MA

The M.A. is not a degree that students in the Ph.D. program commonly apply for in the course of their Ph.D. work; it is strictly incidental to our Ph.D. program. According to University policy , a student cannot be awarded an M.A. in Sociology if the person has already been awarded a master’s degree in the same or related discipline by another department or institution.

Students in the Ph.D. program may apply for the M.A. upon completion of the degree requirements, usually following and not before finishing the second year of study in the doctoral program. 

Requirements for obtaining the M.A. are based on the quality of the student’s course work. At the end of the second year, students have the option to be evaluated by the Graduate Program Committee for the master’s degree.

The fifteen core courses required to receive the MA degree are

Two courses chosen from

Three seminars chosen from

• 216: Culture
• 226: Political
• 230: Advanced Theory
• 234: Science, Technology, and Medicine
• 244: Race and Ethnicity
• 264: Economic
• 267: Gender

Four elective sociology graduate seminars, of which one graduate seminar may be taken outside the department for S/U.

At the end of the winter quarter of their second year, or by the first day in any quarter past the second year in which they wish to be considered, students must submit to the Graduate Program Committee 1) a cover letter stating the reason(s) for pursuing the M.A. degree and 2) three papers they have written for seminars taught by different faculty. The faculty members of the Graduate Program Committee will assess the quality of papers, as well as the student’s overall record.

The final decision regarding the M.A. is based on the student’s GPA, the three papers, and yearly Spring Evaluations . The committee makes one of the following three recommendations: pass, M.A.-only, and non-pass. "Pass" means that students have met the criteria of the department. Those given the "M.A.-only" evaluations are granted the degree but may not continue toward the Ph.D. Students who received "non-pass" evaluations are asked to withdraw without a graduate degree.

Please note that students do not need to apply for the M.A. in order to advance to prospectus and dissertation work. This process is to be followed only by those who wish to be formally granted the M.A.

Field Exams

In the quarter during which students expect to finish their theory and methods requirements, the three core seminars, and the four elective seminars, students become eligible to take two field examinations. These exams must be completed by the end of winter quarter of the student's third year in the program. The objective of the field examinations is to demonstrate mastery of two established, broad, and distinct fields of sociological inquiry, selected from a  list of fields  provided by the department.

The field exams are overseen by two-member committees. Each committee must be composed of two departmental faculty who specialize in the fields of sociology in which the student wishes to develop competence.  

In a field exam committee, one faculty will serve as the lead reader. The lead reader must be sociology faculty. It is also expected that the other committee member is a sociology faculty. In the rare case where a student is unable to identify a second sociology faculty to supervise the exam on a particular field, the student may consult the lead reader if it is advisable to invite a faculty from another UC San Diego department to be the second reader. The lead reader may petition to Director of Graduate Studies on behalf of the student.

The choice of fields and the composition of the committees must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies before the student starts preparing for the exams. Students must constitute their field exam committees by the end of their second year in the program.

The demonstration of mastery is achieved though one written paper and an accompanying oral defense for each field.

Written Paper - To prepare for the written portion of each exam, students will work with each of their lead advisers to draw up a bibliography of the respective field, which will give them a grasp of key issues and debates and a broad conceptual history of the field. Students are expected to know the central arguments of all the books and papers in their two bibliographies. The faculty for each exam will prepare a specially tailored prompt for each student. Students will have five days to respond to the prompt for each field exam -- up to ten days, combined, for the two field exams. Exams will be open book and will have a maximum page limit of twenty pages each, double-spaced, twelve point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins.

Oral Defense - Once the student has completed each written exam, an oral defense for that exam is held no later than one week after completion of the written portion of the exam. Each field's oral defense will last one hour and will be given by the two-member examining committee. The oral defense for each field is based on the written exam prompt and any other work covered in the student's bibliography.

Results - Following the oral exam, the committee evaluates the student on the basis of both the written and the oral components of the exam and assigns an overall grade to each exam. Possible grades are high pass, pass, conditional pass, and no pass .

• High pass recognizes exceptional performance.
• Conditional pass indicates that the committee has passed the student pending the completion of additional work.
• Students receiving a grade of no pass on the exam will have an opportunity to retake the entire exam, should they so desire, by the end of the subsequent quarter. Students electing not to retake the exam or receiving a grade of no pass a second time will be asked to withdraw from the graduate program.

Students must pass both field exams to proceed in the program.

Guidelines and Forms for Field Exams

• Field Exam Guidelines
• This form is due to Graduate Coordinator once a lead reader has been selected for each field exam
• This form is due for each exam and must be submitted to Graduate Coordinator once results and signatures from committee members have been recorded. Graduate Coordinator will procure signatures from Department Chair and Director of Graduate Studies. Once all signatures are obtained, a copy will be e-mailed to student, while the original form remains in departmental student records. 
• Please append a copy of your reading list AND exam questions to each form --these will be kept on file by the Department as a resource for Sociology faculty and graduate students.
• Field Exam Results Form  must  be on file prior to setting a date for prospectus defense. 

Dissertation Prospectus and Hearing

The central intellectual activity leading to the award of the PhD is the doctoral dissertation: an original contribution to knowledge, based on substantial, original research on a topic of intellectual significance within the field of sociology. By the end of the spring quarter of the fourth year* in the department, the student must have a dissertation prospectus approved by his or her doctoral committee. The dissertation prospectus is a document that presents the research topic of the dissertation, places it in the context of the relevant literature, discusses its significance, specifies and justifies the methods the student intends to use, establishes the feasibility of the research, and indicates the anticipated steps leading to completion.

*Effective Fall 2020, t he Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) remission is guaranteed for the first academic year for domestic students and for the first three (3) academic years for international students. Domestic students are expected to establish residency after their first year in the program. International students may be eligible to be exempt from non-resident tuition if you have advanced to candidacy by the end of your third year in the program. For more information, please click here .  

The prospectus defense is not open to the public.

Students will need to take the following steps to prepare for the prospectus defense and advancement to candidacy:

2-6 months prior to prospectus defense : 

• Minimum of 4 members with UC San Diego faculty appointments
• At least 1 member must have a primary appointment in a different department than the chair's primary department
• At least 2 members must be from the student's home department or program
• At least 1 member must be tenured or emeritus
• Proposed members from other UC campuses, other universities, or industry are exceptions and must be requested in writing
• The committee should include the faculty members whose fields of expertise make them most appropriate for supervising the student's research. Students should approach the faculty members she or he would like to serve as chair and members of the dissertation committee, but the committee must be approved by the Department Chair before the student starts working on the prospectus. The composition of the committee may or may not overlap with the committee that carried out the field examination. If the student elects to have a six-member committee, the sixth member has all the same obligations as the other committee members.
• Appointment of the Doctoral Committee
• Doctoral committee membership table
• Advancing to Candidacy
• Once you have established your doctoral committee and at least six weeks prior to the exam , please complete the Doctoral Committee Request form  and e-mail to the Graduate Program Coordinator .

One month prior to defense:

• Work with your advisor to determine when your prospectus is ready to be distributed to other members of your committee, at least four weeks prior to the defense. Send your prospectus by e-mail to all members of your committee (and copy the Graduate Coordinator), asking if they would prefer hard copy. Faculty commit to read and comment on the prospectus in approximately two weeks' time.
• Contact the  Graduate Program Coordinator  to schedule a room for the date and time of your prospectus defense. 
• Notify both the Graduate Program Coordinator and your committee of the date, time and location of your prospectus defense. 

Day of the oral prospectus defense: 

• Prior to your prospectus defense, the  Advancement to Candidacy form will be circulated to you and your committee via DocuSign.
• Following submission of the dissertation prospectus, the student must defend it at a hearing before the doctoral committee. The purpose of the hearing is to certify that the prospectus is significant and feasible, that the research design is appropriate, and that the student is prepared to carry it out successfully. Based on the written prospectus and the hearing, the committee may choose to approve the prospectus or to ask for revisions and resubmission. The prospectus hearing serves, in effect, as a qualifying examination, and approval of the dissertation prospectus is the final step to advancement to candidacy for the PhD degree.
• After the prospectus defense, make sure that each committee member indicates their approval and signs the Advancement to Candidacy form via DocuSign. Once all committee members have signed, the form will route to the student for signature.

After the defense:

• Students who successfully defend their prospectus are now doctoral candidates. A mid-dissertation meeting with the sociology members of the student's committee as a whole will be required twelve to eighteen months after the dissertation prospectus defense. During this meeting, the candidate will be expected to give an account of their progress and receive feedback from the committee. This meeting serves to create a deadline for the student to make substantial progress on his or her dissertation research. It also asks students to articulate their achievements and reflect on the dissertation research process. Likewise, committee members will be expected to actively participate and engage with the student and committee members and provide intellectual input and support.

Mid-Dissertation Meeting

After passing the prospectus defense, students are required to hold a meeting with all of the sociology faculty members of their dissertation committee. At the meeting, the candidate will give an account of her/his progress thus far and get input from the committee. Students and their committee chair should determine the most useful timing for the meeting, but it should take place between 12 and 24 months after defending the prospectus, with most meetings occurring around the 18 th month. In some exceptional cases, the student, after consulting with the chair, can apply to the graduate coordinator and director of graduate studies for an extension.

There are several reasons why this meeting is important. First, it creates a deadline for students to make substantial progress on the dissertation: By breaking up dissertation writing years into two phases, progress should be more manageable. Second, the meeting pushes students to reflect on where they are in the research process, articulate their achievements, and pose questions to their committee members about their project’s conceptual framework, their writing strategies, job preparation, and so forth. Third, the meeting provides an opportunity for the student’s committee members to interact not just with the student but also with one another, enhancing their collective responsibility for the student’s completion of the dissertation. And fourth, it is a time when committee members can give their intellectual input and moral support to the student in the final years in the program.

General guidelines

• Once the student and his/her advisor decide on the timing of the meeting, the student will inform the graduate coordinator and schedule the meeting to include all sociology faculty serving on the committee. Typically, the meeting will last 90 minutes. Ideally, all participants will be physically present, but under some circumstances (for example, if the student is in another country or if a faculty member is on sabbatical), some participants may use online meeting technology.
• Two weeks before the meeting is to take place, the student will circulate to all committee members a report on the progress of the dissertation to date. The student and chair will decide on the length and content of the report, but it might contain a summary of methods, empirical findings, and theoretical advances to date. In consultation with his/her chair, the student may also submit other documents, such as sample chapters, dissertation outline, stand-alone publications, questions she/he would like to seek advice from committee members, and a timeline for completion. The student should work directly with his/her chair to determine which materials are useful and appropriate for the meeting. For a few sample documents submitted by students, see the Social Assets site (Mid-Dissertation Meeting folder).
• At the end of the meeting, the chair of the dissertation committee will sign the department form documenting that the student has successfully met this requirement.

In sum, the meeting is meant to provide feedback to the student at a time when committee input is highly valuable. This is not an assessment of progress so much as an opportunity for the student to get coordinated, formative information from committee members. Like any other departmental requirement, we expect it to be met in the timeframe indicated above, though, as above, extensions are available under certain circumstances.  

Dissertation

Upon approval of the dissertation prospectus, the student proceeds with dissertation research. Students are expected to consult with committee members as the research progresses and to keep the committee chair advised of progress made. Here are the steps required to successfully complete the doctoral dissertation and be eligible to receive the doctorate of Philosophy in Sociology degree: 

Immediately after the prospectus defense: 

• Review the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA)'s  Preparation and Submission Manual for Doctoral Dissertations and Master’s Theses  

While writing: 

• Make sure you keep in contact with your chair on your progress. Students will often register for 299 with their dissertation chair as a course to work on dissertation research, however this is not a requirement. 

One month prior to the dissertation defense: 

• Students are expected to submit a draft of the doctoral dissertation directly to each member of the doctoral committee at least one month before the scheduled defense . Students are strongly encouraged to schedule their preliminary appointment with the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) Academic Affairs Advisers during this time.
• Once the dissertation is substantially completed and committee members have had the opportunity to review drafts of the written work, the committee meets at least one month before the defense takes place, with or without the student present, to consider the progress made and to identify concerns, changes to be made, or further work to be done. Once the committee members are substantially satisfied with the written work, the student, in consultation with the committee, is approved to schedule the oral defense of the dissertation . By university regulation, this defense is open to the public.
• Contact the  Graduate Coordinator  to schedule a room for the date and time of your prospectus defense. 
• Complete the Announcement of Dissertation Defense document and send the completed form to your dissertation committee and the Graduate Coordinator. 

One week prior to the dissertation defense: 

• Graduate Coordinator will circulate the completed Announcement of Dissertation Defense to all Sociology students, faculty and staff. 

Day of dissertation defense: 

• The day of your final defense, stop by your student mailbox to receive your Final Report form and complete all of the student information at the top. 
• All members of the committee must be present at the defense. Exceptions may be made only under very restrictive conditions . Having obtained preliminary approval from Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) and successfully defending the dissertation in oral examination, the student is eligible to receive the PhD. The final version of the dissertation is then filed with the university librarian via the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA). Acceptance of the dissertation by the university librarian is the final step in completing all requirements for the PhD.
• After the dissertation defense, make sure that each committee member indicates their approval and signs the Final Report form. Once complete, return to Graduate Coordinator. 

PhD Time Limit

Students must be advanced to candidacy by the end of four years.

Normative time is six years.

Total university financial support cannot exceed seven years.

Total registered time at UC San Diego cannot exceed eight years.

ALL REQUESTS FOR EXCEPTION, INCLUDING TIME LIMITS OR PERCENTAGE OF SUPPORT, MAY ONLY BE REQUESTED IF A CURRENT SATISFACTORY SPRING/ANNUAL EVALUATION IS ON FILE AT Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA).

Ph.D. Requirements

The doctoral program typically requires 3 to 5 years beyond completion of the master's degree. You'll continue taking advanced coursework, take comprehensive examinations in two subfields of your choice, and complete your dissertation.

See the  graduate handbook  for full details on the graduate program.

Overall Requirements

The Graduate College requires doctoral students to complete coursework for both a “major” field and a “minor” field before advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree (the major and minor field can be the same). All doctoral students admitted to the Ph.D. program will major in Sociology. Most will also minor in Sociology, but they can opt to minor in another department at the University of Arizona.

• The major in Sociology requires 45 units of course credit.
• The minor in Sociology requires 12 units of course credit. Requirements for minors in other fields are set by the department offering the field.

All units of required course credit for both the major and the minor must be completed before advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree. You must also complete 18 units of dissertation credit (SOC 920).

Core Courses

All courses except for 595B will normally be taken during the first two years of study (while enrolled in the M.A. program, or immediately upon admission to the doctoral program for students with a Sociology M.A. from another university). SOC 595B should be taken during the fall semester of the third year.

• SOC 500A: Sociological Theory (3 units)
• SOC 570A: Social Statistics I (3 units)
• SOC 570B: Social Statistics II (3 units)
• SOC 575: Social Research Methods (3 units)
• SOC 595A: Graduate Study in Sociology (1 unit)
• SOC 596C: Teaching Seminar (1 unit)
• SOC 596B: Presentation Seminar (1 unit)

See the M.A. Requirements for more details.

Graduate Seminars

Minimum of 12 credits from elective substantive seminars (four 3- credit courses). Select from:

• SOC 505: World-System Theory and Research
• SOC 508: Culture
• SOC 510: Political Sociology
• SOC 514: State and Social Policy
• SOC 515: Social Movements
• SOC 520: Sociology of Health & Medicine
• SOC 525: Organizational Theory
• SOC 527: Social Network Analysis
• SOC 530: Structure, Action, Identity
• SOC 534: Environmental Sociology
• SOC 535: Environmental Inequality and Justice
• SOC 551: Stratification and Class
• SOC 553: Family
• SOC 555: Gender and Society
• SOC 557: Gender and Labor Markets
• SOC 560: Race and Ethnicity
• SOC 565: Work and Professions
• SOC 583: Law, Politics, and Inequality
• SOC 587: Economic Sociology
• SOC 600: Sociology of Knowledge
• SOC 596F: Theory and Research on the Nonprofit Sector
• SOC 596A (various, including: Comparative Political Economy; Advanced Topics in the Family; Laws and Society; Sociology of Knowledge; Advanced Topics in Organizational Analysis).

The Director of Graduate Students will announce additional courses for satisfying this requirement from time to time. Courses in fulfillment of this requirement must be taken in the school (transfer credits and cross-listed courses based in other units do not apply).

It is recommended you take courses in areas that will prepare you for comprehensive examinations, but this is not required.

Advanced Methods and Statistics

Minimum of 3 credits of elective advanced methods and statistics seminars (one 3-unit course), selected from the following list:

• SOC 511: Formal Models of Cultural Analysis
• SOC 552: Advanced Topics and Methods in Stratification
• SOC 526: Methods in Social Network Analysis
• SOC 561: Programming for the Social Sciences
• SOC 574C: Categorical Data Analysis
• SOC 576: Field and Observational Methods

The DGS will announce additional courses for satisfying this requirement from time to time. Courses in fulfillment of this requirement must be taken in the school (transfer credits and cross-listed courses based in other units do not apply).

You are encouraged to take more than one advanced methods course. Additional methods seminars can be applied toward the additional 27 required elective credits described below.

Complete 27 units of additional elective credit, subject to the following restrictions (reduced to 15 for external minors, all of which must be within the school).

• At least 18 additional units must be taken within the School of Sociology. Cross-listed courses based in other departments do not qualify as courses in the school (even if they have a SOC course number). Cross-listed courses based in Sociology do qualify.
• Maximum of 3 units of credit from 696D can be applied toward minimum elective requirements for advancement to candidacy. Students who need to complete an M.A. in Sociology will normally take 696D in their second year, and this can be applied toward the Ph.D. They can repeat the course during preparation of the dissertation proposal, but this will normally be done in the fourth year, after advancement to candidacy. Students who enter directly into the doctoral program due to having an M.A. in sociology will normally not take the course in the second year, but may take it in the third year in lieu of another elective.

External & Transfer Credits

You can use a maximum of 12 credit combined external to the School of Sociology toward your degree requirements. This includes including:

• Graduate coursework in other units at the University of Arizona. This includes cross-listed courses based in another department, even if they have a SOC course number.
• Transferred graduate credit of any kind (maximum of 12 units and subject to approval by DGS)

Comprehensive Exam

Doctoral students must pass written comprehensive examinations in two areas within sociology and an oral examination covering both areas. Two areas are required for all sociology majors, regardless of the minor field. Students who elect to minor in another field outside of sociology will complete an additional written examination in the minor, in which case the minor field will also be covered during the general oral examination.

We expect that you complete the two written examinations and the oral examination by the spring semester of the third year in the graduate program.

See the  graduate handbook  for more details on the comprehensive exams. You'll also find reading lists in the graduate resources section.

Dissertation

The fourth year and beyond are dedicated to the dissertation, a monograph reporting your original research. You'll defend your dissertation before your Ph.D. Committee as the last step in the fulfillment of degree requirements. 

You are required to register for 18 units of dissertation credit (SOC 920) after advancement to candidacy. You should register in the section supervised by your advisor, even if you have not yet selected a chair or defended a proposal.

See the   graduate handbook  for dissertation requirements.

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Loyola University Chicago

Department of sociology, doctoral (phd) program.

The PhD program in Sociology is designed to produce independent scholars able to research, teach or serve in a variety of settings. We offer comprehensive training in the knowledge and skills which constitute professional competence in the field. The curriculum is designed to equip students with a broad foundation in general sociology and in more specialized knowledge related to students' career interests in teaching, research, governmental work, or public service.

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	Northeastern State University
	Aug 01, 2024   2024-25 NSU Undergraduate Catalog     2024-25 NSU Undergraduate Catalog OSRHE Program Code: 081 CIP Code: 451101 Major code: 9825 Transfer Agreements TCC Sociology AA to NSU Sociology BA     Sociology is the academic discipline focusing on the systematic study of people in interaction with one another and in organized relationships. The emphasis is on understanding how people relate to one another and why they act the way they do. The program’s goal is to help students reach an understanding of sociology and to connect this understanding with the actual social world. Sociology courses are frequently cross-listed with those in social work or anthropology with the same number or title; credit may not be earned in cross-listed courses with the same number or title. Students should consult their advisor to avoid duplicating course work. At least 19 hours of upper level (3000 / 4000) courses are required for a sociology major. At least half the major (19 hours) must be earned at NSU. Student Learning Outcomes Define, give examples, and demonstrate the relevance of the basic concepts in sociology. Understand the role of theory in sociology and be able to compare, contrast, and apply basic theoretical orientations in a topic area. Develop familiarity with sociological research methods involving gathering data, designing a research study, and critically assessing published research. Understand the interdependence between the major societal institutions and be able to illustrate how changes in one impacts the other institutions as well as impacting individuals within the society. Develop a cross-cultural perspective that promotes an understanding of other societies and of the various racial and ethnic subcultures within our own society. Apply sociological concepts and principles to their own lives, groups, organizations, and society. Prepare for a variety of professions which utilize the skills and knowledge learned in sociology. Prepared for graduate education in social gerontology. Ascertain the the requisite knowledge and skills required for graduate study in sociology. General Education Requirements - 46 hours A minimum of 46 hours of academic work in general education is required during the freshman and sophomore years.  For students transferring with the Associate of Arts degree or Associate of Science degree from a public institution in Oklahoma, all general education requirements will be satisfied with respect to degree requirements.  However, some majors may require other specific general education courses as program prerequisites or program requirements.  Students should consult advisors and the program’s plan of study for further information.  Students are required to complete general education requirements by the time they have completed 90 semester hours of college work.   General Education Requirements   Sociology General Education Requirements The following are course prerequisites that may be completed as part of the General Education requirements. MATH 1473 - Applied Mathematics or   MATH 1513 - College Algebra Required Courses - 19 hours SOC 1113 - Introduction to Sociology SOC 3323 - Social Statistics SOC 4313 - Social Research Methods SOC 4613 - Sociological Theory SOC 4713 - Social Change SOC 4723 - Social Stratification SOC 4951 - Professional Seminar Electives - 18 hours Select 18 hours of electives from 3000/4000 level Sociology courses and/or SOC 2023 SOC 2023 - Social Problems SOC 3123 - Cultural Anthropology SOC 3213 - Juvenile Delinquency SOC 3223 - Racial and Cultural Minorities SOC 3233 - Sociology of Deviant Behavior SOC 3243 - Family Sociology SOC 3343 - Corrections SOC 3413 - Rural Sociology SOC 3453 - Ethnology of the American Indian SOC 3463 - Language and Culture SOC 3813 - Sociology of Aging SOC 4000 - Workshop SOC 4013 - Drugs in Society SOC 4133 - Field Methods in Ethnology SOC 4143 - American Indians Today SOC 4153 - Archaeology of North America SOC 4163 - The Magical Worldview SOC 4173 - Indians of the Plains SOC 4183 - Ancient Mesoamerica SOC 4223 - Criminology SOC 4373 - American Indian Spirituality SOC 4423 - Urban Sociology SOC 4453 - Environmental Sociology SOC 4513 - Social Psychology SOC 4533 - Sociology of Gender SOC 4573 - Sociology of Religion SOC 4623 - Intergroup Conflict SOC 4813 - Death and Dying SOC 4833 - Aging in Other Cultures SOC 4853 - Medical Sociology SOC 4911 - Independent Study Total Degree Hours- 120 hours General education requirements- 46 hours, major total - 37 hours, minor - 18 hours. A minor is required for the Sociology major. Open Electives- 19 hours Additional degree information - college of liberal arts. In addition to general education and program requirements stated above, additional hours may be needed to satisfy all minimum degree requirements listed below. English Proficiency: Components I and II of English proficiency should be met with grades of “C” or better prior to the completion of 60 credit hours. ​A minimum of 120 hours is required. PE activity hours cannot be counted toward the total degree credit hours. Prior learning credit (CLEP, Advanced Standing, Military Credit, etc) is limited to 30 hours. ​A minimum of 30 hours in residence (from NSU) is required for graduation. Hours in residence exclude zero-level courses and prior learning credit such as CLEP, Advanced Placement, Advanced Standing, Military Credit, etc.​ A minimum of 40 hours of 3000/4000 level courses is required for graduation.  ​ A minimum of 60 hours from a 4-year school is required for graduation excluding zero level and PE activity courses. At least fifty percent of the major requirements must be upper division courses (3000 and 4000 level). At least 18 hours or fifty percent of the major, whichever is greater, must be satisfactorily completed at NSU. The minimum number of credit hours required in the Liberal Arts and Sciences varies based on the type of degree.  B.A., B.F.A. degrees require at least 80 hours.  B.S. degrees require at least 55 hours.  B.A.Ed., B.G.S., B.M.E. and B.S.W. degrees require at least 40 hours.  Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) courses are identified in catalog course descriptions. For more information, see Bachelor’s Degree Requirements   . 184 COMMENTS Ph.D. Program The Ph.D. curriculum and degree requirements provide students with the methodological skills, substantive knowledge, and mentorship to make important and impactful contributions to sociological knowledge. The program guides Ph.D. students to work on ambitious, independent research projects about which students are passionate. Graduates finish ... Earning A Ph.D. In Sociology: Everything You Need To Know Admission to Ph.D. in sociology programs is highly competitive, with acceptance rates at some schools as low as 4%. Admissions committees look at several factors when considering grad school ... Program Requirements Core Requirements. Students must complete the following department requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Sociology: Graduate Proseminar in Autumn Quarter of the first year. The course provides an introduction and orientation to the field of sociology, and to the department and faculty. The Sociology Colloquium is a semi-monthly seminar held ... Program Requirements This requirement is normally completed by the end of the second year of residency and must be met by the end of the third year of residency. Workshops. Doctoral students are required to enroll in two workshops during their graduate careers. Sociology workshops are offered on a credit/non-credit basis only and attendance is required to receive ... PhD: How to Apply Application Requirements. The 2025-26 Sociology Ph.D. application deadline is December 4, 2024. Please be aware that you must submit your online application by the deadline. Incomplete applications cannot be completed or submitted after the deadline. Recommendation letters and official test scores from ETS can be submitted by faculty and ETS ... PhD Requirements Requirements for the PhD consist of a core curriculum, elective courses, research apprenticeship experience, a one-semester teaching assistantship, residence requirement and a dissertation with a departmental and university defense. Beyond these requirements, students are free to tailor their graduate training under the supervision of their advisors. Students are expected to complete all ... PhD Requirements Requirements for the PhD The PhD program in sociology is a five to six year program, in which students may receive an MA in sociology as part of their work toward the PhD. The program does not accept students for a terminal MA degree. Please see below for general information about the graduate program. For answers to more specific questions, please consult the Graduate Student Ph.D. Requirements The PhD requires 90 credits of graduate level of coursework. Here is a summary of coursework and the milestones for the PhD portion of the program: Coursework: completed non-sequentially. 4 graded Sociology Elective Courses (minimum) Should be 500-level or approved 400-level. Courses taken as electives for MA count towards this requirement. Ph.D. Requirements Ph.D. Requirements. The Duke Sociology Department has designed a rigorous graduate program to prepare students for successful careers in academia and in related fields that demand advanced research and teaching skills. The following materials, together with the University's Graduate Bulletin, should answer most of the questions students usually ... Exams and Milestones Requirement When these requirements are complete, the examiners sign the certification form. No later than one week before the preliminary exam (i.e., dissertation proposal defense) the student submits the signed certification form to the DGSA. Preliminary Exam. The Preliminary Exam marks the transition from PhD student to PhD candidate ("ABD" status). PhD Requirements Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Requirements The general requirements of the Ph.D. consists of 40 credits of coursework, 3 credits of Masters level research, a Second-Year Research Paper, the passing of one specialty exam, 12 credits of Dissertation research, and a Dissertation. The coursework includes: Required Courses: Doctoral Students must have successfully completed courses in theory ... PhD Requirements Course Requirements. Unless waived or taken elsewhere and approved as equivalent by the admissions committee, the following course requirements apply: At least 30 credit hours of regular courses, not including reading courses such as Soc 7960 or research courses such as Soc 7085, Soc 8110, or Soc 9090. At the discretion of the student's ... PhD in Sociology » Academics PhD in Sociology. The Sociology PhD program trains future scholars in the fundamental skills of the discipline of sociology. ... Course Requirements. Candidates admitted to the PhD program must complete 16 courses, including 5 required and 11 elective courses (64 units). Basic requirements (5 courses for a total of 20 units): CAS SO 701 ... PhD Degree Requirements MA or MS and PhD in Sociology. Students are required to complete 55 credit hours of graduate-level work for the master's degree, and an additional 20 credits, plus 18 dissertation credits, for the PhD. Students who have earned a master's degree from another program must still complete the master's paper requirement from the department as ... Doctorate in Sociology (PhD) A doctoral program in sociology. A joint sociology and social policy program with the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Students enrolled in the doctoral program may elect to earn an MA in Sociology or a joint master's degree in Sociology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies along the way to the PhD. Ph.D. Program in Sociology Ph.D. Program in Sociology. Director of Graduate Studies: Emily Rauscher. The Department of Sociology at Brown University offers outstanding doctoral training. Our graduate student community is small, enabling students to have fulfilling mentoring relationships with faculty and to collaborate meaningfully on research and teaching. PhD Sociology Career Outcomes. A PhD in Sociology prepares you to obtain tenure-track jobs at research universities and liberal arts colleges, postdoctoral fellowships at prestigious academic centers or jobs in state and federal research offices. Other potential job titles for a sociology PhD include: Sociologist. Market research analyst. Postsecondary teacher. Graduate Program in Sociology Factors distinguishing our graduate program from others nationwide include: 1) our rigorous training in general social theory, 2) our emphasis on public sociology and social justice, and 3) our embeddedness in a vibrant interdisciplinary community. Our emphasis on social theory is demonstrated by our required graduate theory sequence, elective ... Ph.D. Program Ph.D. Program. Key to the doctoral training offered by the NYU Department of Sociology is a distinguished faculty doing cutting-edge research on topics important to theory and policy. The faculty includes individuals using diverse perspectives and methodological approaches. Thus, the selective cohort of 9-12 students admitted each year receives ... Sociology, PhD Program description. Degree awarded: PHD Sociology. The PhD program in sociology provides advanced training in theory, research methodology and substantive fields to prepare sociologists for teaching and research with special emphasis on inequality and power; law and society; race and ethnicity; Latino sociology; health; and children, youth and ... PhD requirements Students are required to enroll as full-time graduate students, to carry a minimum enrollment of 12 units of graduate-level courses each quarter, and to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Note: 298 (Independent Study) does not count toward elective course. An Independent Study course (SOCG 298) allows independent research and ... Ph.D. Requirements The major in Sociology requires 45 units of course credit. The minor in Sociology requires 12 units of course credit. Requirements for minors in other fields are set by the department offering the field. All units of required course credit for both the major and the minor must be completed before advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Doctoral (PhD) Program Doctoral (PhD) Program. The PhD program in Sociology is designed to produce independent scholars able to research, teach or serve in a variety of settings. We offer comprehensive training in the knowledge and skills which constitute professional competence in the field. The curriculum is designed to equip students with a broad foundation in ... Program: Sociology B.A. Ascertain the the requisite knowledge and skills required for graduate study in sociology. ... In addition to general education and program requirements stated above, additional hours may be needed to satisfy all minimum degree requirements listed below. English Proficiency: Components I and II of English proficiency should be met with grades ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis