Graduate programs

The department of Sociology offers work leading to the degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.) and Master of Science (M.S.), as well as the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D). Students with a Bachelor’s degree can enter the graduate program to earn a terminal Master’s degree or, with approval, continue on after receiving a Master’s degree to complete a Ph.D. degree. Students with Master’s degrees from other programs and/or universities can apply to enter the graduate program at the Ph.D. level.

Graduate training in Sociology prioritizes community engagement and policy-relevant research focused on improving people’s daily lives and society more broadly. Students focus on the integration of theory with a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches to study the dynamics of human behavior and social interaction in substantive areas including health and medical sociology, environmental sociology, education, criminology, class/stratification, race/ethnicity, urban sociology, social movements, family, gender, and sexualities. The program aims to prepare graduates for research and service positions in government, the non-profit sector, private industry, and the academy.