Admission to the Program

Applicants must meet the minimum university requirements for admission to graduate study, including a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with at least a 3.3 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores are required. A background in the social sciences is strongly preferred. Admission to the program is at the discretion of the department’s Graduate Committee and is based on academic record and letters of recommendation from two persons able to evaluate the applicant’s potential for graduate study in sociology. Provisional admission may be considered on a case-by-case basis where minimum university requirements are not fully met. 

Degree Requirements

• 36 credit hours of approved graduate work, including the research requirement 
• Tool of research: STAT-514 Statistical Methods, or another approved graduate-level statistics or specialized methods course 
• One written comprehensive examination covering sociological theory and methods of social research: 

The exam is taken after completion of two theory courses and two research methods courses. Full-time students must take the exam before beginning their second year in the program. Students who have taken prior relevant course work in sociology may opt to take the exam before taking the required courses. After taking the related courses, a maximum of two attempts of the exam are permitted. 

• Research requirement: 

SOCY-797 Master’s Thesis Independent Study (3 or 6 credit hours) 

The thesis offers students the opportunity to specialize as well as further develop research skills. Students chose the subject of the thesis in consultation with their advisor. 

or 

SOCY-795 Master’s Research: Independent Study (3) 

Completion of a substantial research report related to the student’s field of concentration under the guidance of a professor of the student’s choice.  

Advanced courses in research methods, an advanced seminar in the student’s field of concentration, or an independent study course in the field of concentration (3) 

All course work taken for the research requirement must be taken with grades of B or better. 

Course Requirements

• SOCY-610 History of Sociological Theory (3) 
• SOCY-611 Modern Sociological Theory (3) 
• SOCY-620 Social Research I (3) 
• SOCY-621 Social Research II (3) 
• STAT-514 Statistical Methods (3) 
• SOCY-795 Master’s Research: Independent Study (3) 

or 

SOCY-797 Master’s Thesis Independent Study (1–6) 

• 9–12 credit hours from one of the following concentrations, chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor. Lists of approved courses for concentrations are available from the Sociology Department: 

Public Sociology 

Race, Gender, and Social Justice 

Global Sociology 

Social Inequality 

Gender and Family 

• 6–9 credit hours in approved elective courses, including a 3-credit hour internship