Sociology Graduate Program - Coursework
Each semester, students must register for at least 12 credit hours per semester to comply with full-time status requirements. While students are taking coursework, these hours will normally include 9 credit hours of substantive or methods courses, 1 credit hour of Sociological Issues, and 2 credit hours of non-topical research.
In order to enable graduate students to meet degree requirements, the Department will endeavor to offer at least two Core courses every semester and to offer each Core course at least once every three years. The list of designated Core Courses is determined by the Faculty, and students may not petition the Director of Graduate Studies to substitute other courses. The list currently includes the following:
Soc 5057 – Family |
Soc 5059 – Science |
Soc 5060 – Culture |
Soc 5080 – Comparative/Historical Sociology |
Soc 5420 – Stratification |
Soc 5320 – Sociology of Gender |
Soc 5900 – Economic Sociology |
Soc 8052 – Religion |
Soc 8053 – Education |
Soc 8054 – Political Sociology |
Soc 8055 – Law |
Soc 8410 – Race & Ethnicity |
Soc 8470 – Knowledge |
Soc 8710 – Organizations |
For more detailed information on required coursework see:
Old requirements (students admitted 2010 or earlier)
New requirements (students admitted 2011 and after)
Seminar on Sociological Issues
Students must register for the Department’s seminar on Sociological Issues (SOC 8030 - Fall & SOC 8040 - Spring) as long as they are completing coursework.
Because performance in the Seminar on Sociological Issues is assessed as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory, it may not be counted toward the 24 graded credit hours required for the M.A. degree.
Directed Reading
A directed reading (Soc 9010) is a graded independent study course, carried out under the supervision of a Department faculty member. Graduate students may count up to two directed readings (6 credit hours) toward the Department’s coursework requirement for the Ph.D. degree. (Under the old degree requirements, one directed reading may be counted toward the M.A. and one directed reading may be counted toward the Ph.D. after earning the M.A.) Approval of the first directed reading is automatic, but the second directed reading requires approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. To obtain that approval, a student must submit a petition including: (1) a brief statement explaining why the second directed reading is important for the student’s program of study, and (2) a copy of the planned reading list.
Introductory Statistics
Because proficiency in introductory statistics is necessary for successful performance in Soc 5120, students must first either (1) complete Soc 7130 – Introduction to Social Statistics with a grade of B- or better or (2) petition the Director of Graduate Studies for exemption from Soc 7130 if they have passed an introductory statistics course with a grade of B- or better within the previous five years (see “Waivers of Course Requirements”). Students who have not previously taken an introductory statistics course may opt to take such course in another department of the University during the fall semester of the first year, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies (see “Courses Offered in Other Departments of the University”).
It is important to note that neither Soc 7130 nor any other introductory statistics course counts toward the Department’s number of required courses for the Ph.D. (under the new requirements) or for either the M.A. or the Ph.D. (under the old requirements).
Courses Offered in Other Departments of the University
Depending upon individual interests, courses offered in other Arts & Sciences departments or other Schools of the University may be useful additions to a student’s graduate program. Graduate students may count up to two such external courses (6 credit hours) toward the Department’s coursework requirement for the Ph.D. degree. However, ALL external courses must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. To obtain that approval, a student must submit a petition including: (1) a brief statement explaining why the external course is important for the student’s program of study, and (2) a copy of the relevant syllabus (if the current syllabus is not yet available, the syllabus from the most recent offering of the course is acceptable).
Click here for waiver and petition forms.
Research Apprenticeships
A research apprenticeship (Soc 9050/9060) is a graded course aimed at giving students practical research experience through close collaboration with a faculty member on a project of mutual interest. Graduate students may count one research apprenticeship (3 credit hours) toward the Department’s coursework requirement for the Ph.D. degree. These projects are expected to be limited in scope (i.e., able to be completed within a semester’s time with some allowance for spillover) and clearly defined from the outset, either as a separate “stand-alone” inquiry or as a discrete part of a faculty member’s larger research agenda. Student apprentices are expected to be, in effect, junior colleagues, involved in all phases of the project. Because this apprenticeship will typically grant the same credit as a graduate seminar, the total workload should be roughly comparable in most cases. This collaborative effort should result in a tangible scholarly product, most usually a co-authored paper suitable for publication. Faculty members will submit short project descriptions to the Director of Graduate Studies before the beginning of the Fall semester. All students will be apprised of these opportunities and eligible to apply directly to the faculty member sponsoring the apprenticeship. Faculty members have discretion in selecting apprentices and need not accept any of the applicants.