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Home > Graduate Program : Program Requirements

Program Requirements

Ph.D. students are required to take five basic courses, or their equivalents:

• 8701: Sociological Theory
• 8801: Sociological Research Methods
• 8811: Advanced Social Statistics
• 8001: Sociology as a Profession (I and II)

In addition, Ph.D. students complete at least one semester of advanced methodological training (through an advanced statistics course, or an independent research training experience), take 12 credits in sociology, and at least 12 credits of coursework in related fields. Interdisciplinary work is fostered through related coursework and through graduate minors (e.g. Minor in Population Studies, Multidisciplinary Minor in Family Studies, Feminist Studies Minor).

The Graduate School requires that all Ph.D. students pass written and oral preliminary examinations. Preliminary examinations cover specific subfields (e.g. stratification, gender, deviance) to orient the dissertation research. These examinations are usually held in the third year of study. Students also defend their doctoral dissertations in a final oral examination.