Master of Arts in Sociology
The Master's Program in Sociology at the University of Toledo requires 30 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 (30 credit hours) by choosing one of the three options: courses + project; courses + thesis; or courses + internship (see 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.
For information about our 4+1 Bachelor to Master of Arts Bridge Program, please click HERE.
For information about the Applied Social Research Certificate, please click HERE.
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.
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- Sociology 5040 Classical Theory (3 credits)
- Sociology 5270 Social Research Methods (3 credits)
- Sociology 5290 Social Research Statistics (3 credits)
B. Core (9 hours)
Required of all students:
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- Sociology 6270 Advanced Social Research Methods (3 credits)
- Sociology 6290 Advanced Social Research Statistics (3 credits)and
- Sociology 6040 Advanced Sociological Theory (3 credits) or
- Sociology 6050 Social Theory and Political Economy (3 credits)
C. Electives (minimum 6 hours)
Students must complete at least 6 hours of 6000 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 6 hours taken outside of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology may be applied towards completion of the M.A. degree in Sociology.
Sociology M.A. Program Options
Students have three options for completing the 30 required hours in the M.A. program.
Option I Courses + Project
|
Option II Courses + Thesis |
Option III Courses + Internship |
|
Required Background (9 credits) |
Required Background (9 credits) |
Required Background (9 credits) |
|
Required Core (9 credits) |
Required Core (9 credits) |
Required Core (9 credits) |
|
Electives (6 credits) |
Electives (6 credits) |
Electives (6 credits) |
|
Project (6 credits) |
Thesis (6 credits) |
Internship (6 credits) |
|
Total (30 credits) |
Total (30 credits) |
Total (30 credits) |
Option I: Courses + Project
The purpose of the project option is to allow students the opportunity to explore their interests in an applied sociological process. Students, who decide to fulfill the project requirement, will be expected to produce a sociological final product that integrates the knowledge and skills that they have developed in the program. Project options include, but are not limited to, one of the following:
- a publishable quality manuscript
- a grant written for an organization
- a sociological endeavor in collaboration with a community partner
Projects are graded on an A-F scale.
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 student 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:
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- Community Organizing
- Health and Gerontology
- Probation
- Human Resources
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.
Program Deadlines:
Applications for the Fall Semester must be submitted by March 31st to ensure full consideration for funding opportunities.
Note: Applications for the Fall semester will be accepted after the March deadline, but
must be submitted by June 30th for full consideration for admission into the program.
Link to Graduate Application Requirements
Link to College of Graduate Studies Website
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Karie Peralta, Graduate Program Director
419.530.4659 or 419.530.2791(main office)
E-mail: Karie.Peralta@utoledo.edu
Download a .pdf document of program information here.