Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Cary S. Kart, Chairperson
Barbara K. Chesney, Associate Chairperson
Elias T. Nigem, Graduate Adviser
Requirements for the Master's Program
Regular admission to the Master of Arts and Master of Arts and Education degree programs in Sociology requires meeting the admission requirements of the Graduate School, including presentation of scores on the aptitude sections of the Graduate Record Examination.
The Master of Arts in Sociology requires a minimum of 37 credit hours of study. These hours are made up of (1) required courses in theory, methods, and statistics (see B below); (2) elective course work (see C below); and (3) completion of a thesis, an internship, or additional coursework (see D below).
The program requirements are:
A. Required background courses (0-9 hours)
(For students who have not completed these or equivalent undergraduate courses): SOC 5040 Classical Theory 3 hours SOC 5270 Social Research Methods 3 hours SOC 5290 Social Research Statistics 3 hours
B. Core courses (10 hours) required of all students: SOC 6000 Introduction to Graduate Studies in Sociology 1 hour SOC 6040 Advanced Sociological Theory or SOC 6050 Social Theory and Political Economy 3 hours SOC 6270 Advanced Social Research Methods 3 hours SOC 6290 Advanced Social Research Statistics 3 hours
C. Program electives (21 hours) may be completed by choosing from among 5000 and 6000 level courses offered in Sociology. Students must take a minimum of two of these courses at the 6000 level.
Students in the M.A. degree program may choose to use their elective hours to focus on a substantive area of the discipline. Currently, the faculty offers four areas of concentration: Health and Aging; Class, Race, and Gender; Law and Society; and Social Change.
D. Thesis/Internship/Coursework. Students may choose to complete either a thesis (6 hours), an internship (6 hours), or 6 additional hours of coursework with adviser approval. Organized and presented in a fashion consistent with Graduate School guidelines, the Master's thesis is an original piece of research developed in collaboration with a full-time member of the departmental faculty who serves as thesis committee chairperson. Two additional full-time faculty members (at least one of whom is a member of the departmental faculty) may also serve as advisers to the student and are members of the thesis committee. Students should enroll in SOC 6960 for thesis credit; these hours will be graded on a P/NC basis.
Students selecting the internship must develop this option in concert with two members of the full-time faculty, one of whom will serve as chair. A third member of the committee will come from the field in which the internship is located. Examples of internship settings include community organizations, health facilities, criminal justice facilities, and government offices. Internships must place students in a position to make sociological observations about the setting. These observations will be the basis for an internship report to be filed with the graduate adviser, after approval by the internship committee. Students should enroll in SOC 6940 to receive credit for the internship; these hours will be graded on a P/NC basis.
E. Independent Research. Generally, students may take no more than 3 hours of independent study or research (5990, 6900, 6990) to complete their degree requirements. Exceptions may be approved by the Graduate Adviser.
Typically, students may apply no more than 3 hours taken outside the department toward completion of the degree requirements. Exceptions may be approved by the Graduate Adviser.
Students should consult with the Graduate Adviser for additional information about program requirements and options.
Anthropology Courses
The department does not offer a graduate degree in Anthropology. However, an array of graduate courses is offered in Anthropology for students participating in Master of Arts programs in social science, the Master of Arts and Education degree program, and the Master of Science and Education in Public Health degree program. The latter two programs allow for a concentration in Anthropology.