The Master's Program in Sociology at the University of Toledo requires 37 credit hours of study. These hours are made up of required courses in methods, theory and statistics; and electives. These courses are organized within three options. Students complete the program (37 credit hours) by choosing one of the three options: courses only; courses + thesis; or courses + internship (illustrated below). To graduate, students must meet the requirement of the department, Graduate School, and achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the Sociology Graduate Program. Having met the requirements, full-time students may complete the program in two academic years or less.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
A. Required Background (9 hours)
For students who have not completed these or equivalent undergraduate courses; otherwise, students need to substitute an equal number of hours from the electives.
B. Core (10 hours)
Required of all students.
C. Electives
Students must complete at least 6 hours of 600 level-seminars, not including the core courses in Section B. Seminars cannot be substituted for core courses. Students may take no more than 3 hours of independent study or research (Soc. 6990, Soc. 6900) to complete their degree requirements.
No more than 3 hours taken outside of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology may be applied towards completion of the M.A. degree in Sociology.
D. Sociology M.A. Program Options
Students have three options for completing the 37 required hours in the M.A. program.
| Option I Courses |
Option II Courses + Thesis | Option III Courses + Internship |
| Required Background (9 credits) |
Required Background (9 credits) |
Required Background (9 credits) |
| Required Core (10 credits) |
Required Core (10 credits) |
Required Core (10 credits) |
| Electives (18 credits) | Electives (12 credits) | Electives (12 credits) |
| Nothing Else Required | Thesis (6 credits) | Internship (6 credits) |
| Total (37 credits) | Total (37 credits) | Total (37 credits) |
Option I: Courses Only
In addition to the background and core requirements, students are required to complete an additional 18 elective hours. Electives may be substituted if the background requirements were satisfied at the undergraduate level.
Option II: Courses + Thesis
A thesis topic should be developed in collaboration with a departmental full-time faculty member who serves as a thesis committee chair, and two additional full-time faculty (at least one of whom is a member of the departmental faculty). All must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Thesis proposals should be submitted to the thesis committee by the beginning of 3rd semester of graduate work if the student is to complete the thesis by the end of the second year of full-time graduate study. Students should inform the Graduate Director of the decision to do a thesis by no later than the beginning of the 3rd semester.
A students should expect to defend the completed thesis to a meeting of his or her committee, with other faculty members and graduate students invited to attend. The completed thesis must be organized and prepared according to Graduate School guidelines and in accordance with the Graduate School schedule for the completion of degree requirements before each quarter's graduation date. A copy of the final thesis will be filed in the department as well as in the Graduate School. Students should enroll in Sociology 6960 to receive credit for the thesis. The thesis will be graded on a pass/fail basis.
Option III: Courses + Internship
An internship must be developed by the student in collaboration with two members of the full-time faculty (one of whom serves as chair) and a third member (supervisor) from the field where the internship is located (deadlines are the same as those for the thesis). Examples of internship settings:
Internship proposals may place students in research or policy-related positions. They must, however, include some means for students to make sociological observations about the internship setting. A final copy of the report will be filed in the department. Student should enroll in Sociology 6940 to receive credit for the Internship. The paper will be graded on a pass/fail basis.
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology will accept and review applications for August admission thru July 24.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Elias T. Nigem, Graduate Program Director
419.530.4662 or 419.530.2791
E-mail: elias.nigem@utoledo.edu