Sociology (PhD)

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 combining grounding in the acquisition of theoretical and methodological skills with advanced study in one of the department's four areas of concentration: Crime and Deviance; Domestic Violence; Health, Families, and Communities; and Social Inequalities.
The program is one of only a few 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 substantive areas, graduates will be trained for employment in the following settings: the academy, industry, business, government, and nonprofit 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 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree, with 15 credit hours coming from required core courses, three credit hours from a restricted elective in theory, and three credit hours from a restricted elective in research methods and data analysis. Students select a minimum of 12 elective credit hours in one of the department's four areas of concentration: Crime and Deviance; Domestic Violence; Health, Families and Communities; or Social Inequalities.
Total Credit Hours Required: 60 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree