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Program at a Glance

Program
Doctorate
College(s)
College of Sciences
Department(s)
Sociology
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The Sociology PhD program provides training in the skills necessary to secure research careers in both academic and non-academic professions and emphasizes applied research in community-based settings.

The Sociology PhD program is organized around a curriculum that combines grounding in theoretical perspectives and methodological skills of the discipline with advanced study in the department's four primary areas of specialization.

Students will develop a Primary Area of Specialization from the four primary areas in the department: Crime and Deviance; Medical Sociology; Social Inequalities; Spatial Sociology and Geographic Information Systems. Additional Primary Areas of Specialization can be assembled by students based on course offerings pending approval by the graduate committee.

The four primary areas of specialization are organized around the themes mentioned below.

Crime and Deviance: The Crime and Deviance area of specialization comprises a broad analysis of criminal and deviant behavior including the locations of crime, fluctuations in crime rates, and the experiences of crime victims. This area of specialization encompasses the program’s strength in the study of intimate partner violence and other types of gender-based violence. This research promotes a deeper understanding of the power dynamics involved in the labeling and definition of crime and the social factors that make some people more likely than others to commit different crimes, experience victimization, and have differential experiences with the criminal justice/legal system. The study of crime and deviance is multidisciplinary, and the department's contribution includes a focus on the profound impact social location has on criminal behavior and victimization. Faculty in this area emphasize critical approaches and applied research that contributes to policy and practice.

Medical Sociology: The Medical Sociology area of specialization examines the ways connecting social statuses relate to health, illness, and medical care. This area includes analysis of social, political, economic, and environmental factors that impact health and illness; societal structures and forces that constrain medical care; people’s subjective experiences of health, illness, and healthcare; and social movements related to health and healthcare. Areas of emphasis include reproductive health, environment, substance use, and health and healthcare among minoritized populations.

Social Inequalities: The Social Inequalities area of specialization examines how power, social, and spatial inequalities are manifested, reinforced, and contested in contemporary society. It seeks to understand how inequalities are structured within social institutions; how and why power relationships have shifted over time; how they manifest in contemporary institutions, groups, and interactions; how social inequalities vary across space and place; and how social forces perpetuate and challenge social inequalities. While all major systems of inequality are explored, particular focus is placed on how race, gender, and social class converged within institutions, and the resulting consequences of such inequalities for individuals, groups, and communities.

Spatial Sociology and Geographic Information Systems: The Spatial Sociology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) area of specialization examines the convergence of GIS and related geospatial technologies and society. The area considers how such technologies: interact with social groups and society; create space and place; and can be applied to examine social and environmental disparities, public health issues, and crime patterns. The area emphasizes theoretical, critical, community-based, and applied foundations of spatial sociology, GIS, and related geospatial technologies.

Secondary Area of Specialization. Students will also create a Secondary Area of Specialization. Secondary Areas can be created from the list of primary areas (e.g., the four areas listed above) or they can be assembled by the student, advisor, and graduate committee to reflect their particular interests. The Secondary Area may include 1 graduate course from outside the department. Such courses may include 1 6000 or 7000 level course from the related fields of Anthropology (ANG, ANT), Communications (COM), Criminal Justice (CCJ, CJE, CJJ, CJT), International Studies (INR), Political Science (POS, POT, CPO), Psychology (CLP, DEP, INP, PSY, SOP), or Women’s and Gender Studies (WST). Graduate courses from departments not included in this list may count with approval by the Graduate Director. More than 1 course from outside the Sociology department may count with approval by the Graduate Director. Courses that count toward the primary area of specialization may not also count towards the secondary area of specialization.

The program is one of only a few Sociology programs in the United States focusing on applied research. Students are trained in specific applied research skills such as data analysis, qualitative methods, quantitative methods, mixed methods, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and/or program evaluation. Combined with course work in one of the four primary areas of specialization and a secondary area of specialization, graduates will be trained for employment in the following settings: the academy, industry, business, government, and/or non-profit agencies. The program provides training in the skills necessary to secure advanced careers in academic and non-academic professions and emphasizes applied research in community-based settings.

The Sociology PhD requires a minimum of 90 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, which include the courses below. Those students with an

M.A. or M.S. degree in Sociology or a closely related field can transfer up to 30 graduate credit hours into their PhD program with consent of the Sociology graduate committee and UCF College of Graduate Studies.

After entering the PhD program and successfully completing all requirements for the Applied Sociology MA degree, the student will be awarded an MA degree and then continue on to complete remaining PhD program requirements. Requirements for the MA degree include successful completion of 30 credit hours, including 12 credit hours of required courses (SYA 5625 Proseminar, SYA 6126 Social Theory, and at least 2 of the following: SYA6305 Quantitative Social Research Methods, SYA6315 Qualitative Research Methods, SYA6356 Geographic Information Systems in Society) and SYA 6507 Academic Writing in Sociology (3 credit hours) and SYA 6909 Research Report (3 credit hours), as well as fulfilling the MA Final Product requirement where students will execute a research report to demonstrate their knowledge gained in a research topic agreed upon and approved by their advisory committee.

To fulfill the Final Product requirement, students must enroll in SYA 6507 and SYA 6909, and complete a final research report. The structure of the report will be determined by the student, their advisor, and their committee. Before students may begin the research report by enrolling in SYA 6507 or SYA 6909, they must earn a grade of "B" (3.0) or better in each of the four required courses (SYA 5625; SYA 6126; at least 2 of the following: SYA 6305, SYA 6315, SYA 6356). Typically, students will form a 3 member faculty committee prior to enrolling in SYA 6507 or SYA 6909. A research report must meet the following requirements and be evaluated by a three member committee of UCF Sociology faculty. Outside committee members may be approved in limited scenarios by the UCF Sociology Graduate Committee. The research report consists of: 1) a 2-3 page proposal describing what the project and the final product will entail, which must be approved by the committee and 2) a research report approved and evaluated by the committee. The grading system for the research report is Pass/No Pass. Students who receive a grade of Pass will be awarded the MA degree assuming all other requirements are met. At this juncture, students may also elect to discontinue their work toward the remaining PhD requirements and leave the program.

Completion of All Core Courses (24 credit hours):

  • SYA 5625: Proseminar
  • SYA 6126: Social Theory
  • SYA 6305: Quantitative Social Research Methods
  • SYA 6315: Qualitative Research Methods
  • SYA 6356: Geographic Information Systems in Society
  • SYA 6507: Academic Writing in Sociology
  • SYA 7019: Advanced Sociological Theory
  • SYA 7625: Advanced Proseminar

Select Any 2 of the Following Methods Courses (6 credit hours):

  • SYA 6425: Design and Conduct of Social Surveys
  • SYA 6455: Research Analysis
  • SYA 6657: Program Design and Evaluation
  • SYA 7318: Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis
  • SYA 7407: Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis
  • SYA 7457: Topics in Data Analysis
  • SYA 7658: Social Policy and Research Analysis

Select Any 1 Additional Theory Course (3 credit hours):

  • SYA 6128: Theoretical Criminology
  • SYA 6933: Topics in Sociological Theory

Required Research Credits (21 credit hours):

  • SYA 6909 Research Report (3 credit hours)
  • Doctoral Research (3 credit hours)
  • Dissertation Research (15 credit hours)

Primary Area of Specialization (12 hours):

  • SYA 7979: Advanced Readings in Sociology (3 credits)
  • Any 3 electives in primary area of specialization outlined below (9 credits)

Primary Areas of Specialization

Crime and Deviance

  • SYA 6128 Theoretical Criminology
  • SYO 6515 Issues in Social Disorganization
  • SYP 5566 Seminar on Domestic Violence
  • SYP 6515 Deviant Behavior Issues
  • SYP 6517 Topics in Crime and Deviance
  • SYP 6518 Guns, Crime, and Violence
  • SYP 6522 Sociological Perspectives on Victims
  • SYP 6524 Social Organization of Homicide
  • SYP 6525 Sexual Violence in Society
  • SYP 6546 Crime, Law, Inequality
  • SYP 6555 Sociology of Alcohol and Drugs
  • SYP 6560 Topics in Domestic Violence
  • SYP 6561 Child Abuse in Society

Medical Sociology

  • SYD 6363 Social Inequalities and Reproductive Health
  • SYO 6404 Food Insecurity and Health
  • SYO 6405 Sociology of Health and Illness
  • SYO 6406 Medical Sociology
  • SYO 6409 Social Inequalities in Health
  • SYP 6555 Sociology of Alcohol and Drugs
  • SYP 6735 Sociology of Health and Aging

Social Inequalities

  • SYD 6363 Social Inequalities and Reproductive Health
  • SYD 6405 Space, Place and Inequalities
  • SYD 6417 Contemporary Urban Sociology
  • SYD 6428 Poverty, Homelessness and the Cities
  • SYD 6538 Topics in Social Inequalities
  • SYD 6705 Seminar in Race and Ethnicity
  • SYD 6795 Class, Race, and Gender in American Society
  • SYD 6809 Seminar in Gender Issues
  • SYO 6256 Inequality and Education
  • SYO 6409 Social Inequalities in Health
  • SYO 6938 Topics in Social Inequalities
  • SYP 6546 Crime, Law, Inequality

Spatial Sociology & Geographic Information Systems

  • SYA 6358: Advanced Spatial Sociology: Geographic Information Systems with Communities
  • SYA 6359 GIS and Health in Society
  • SYA 6452 GIS Applications
  • SYA 6458 Advanced Topics in Geographic Information Systems in Society
  • SYD 6405 Space, Place and Inequalities
  • SYD 6417 Contemporary Urban Sociology
  • SYD 6428 Poverty, Homelessness, and the Cities
  • SYD 6795 Class, Race, and Gender in American Society

Secondary Area of Specialization (9 hours):

  • Students will create a Secondary Area of Specialization with 9 hours of Sociology graduate courses. A Secondary Area may be a substantive topic area from any of the 4 Areas of Specialization listed above, a research approach (e.g., Quantitative Methods), sociological theory/ies, or an approach to knowledge dissemination (e.g., Public Sociology, Applied Sociology).
  • Secondary Areas can be created from the list of primary areas (e.g., Crime and Deviance, Social Inequalities) or they can be assembled by the student and graduate committee to reflect the student's particular interests and career goals. They may include 1 6000 or 7000 level course from the related fields of Anthropology (ANG, ANT), Communications (COM), Criminal Justice (CCJ, CJE, CJJ, CJT), International Studies (INR), Political Science (POS, POT, CPO), Psychology (CLP, DEP, INP, PSY, SOP), or Women and Gender Studies (WST). Graduate courses from departments not included in this list may count with approval by the Graduate Director. More than 1 course from outside the Sociology department may count with approval by the Graduate Director.
  • Courses that count toward the primary area of specialization may not also count towards the secondary area of specialization.

Unrestricted Electives (15 hours):

  • Any graduate course inside the department. A student may also include one 6000 or 7000 level course from the related fields of Anthropology (ANG, ANT), Communications (COM), Criminal Justice (CCJ, CJE, CJJ, CJT), International Studies (INR), Political Science (POS, POT, CPO), Psychology (CLP, DEP, INP, PSY, SOP), or Women and Gender Studies (WST). Graduate courses from departments not included in this list may count with approval by the Graduate Director. More than 1 course from outside the Sociology department may count with approval by the Graduate Director.

Application Deadlines

Fall
January 1
Fall
January 1

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