The Sociology graduate program offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Plan A or B are both options for the Master’s degree. Graduate students choose an area of specialization related to the following faculty areas of expertise: Crime, Law, and Deviance; Environment and Society; Health and Medical Sociology, and Social Inequalities. Additionally, students must demonstrate competence in sociological theory and social science methods.
To aid in financing graduate education, a number of teaching or research assistantships are available to qualified students. Outstanding students may compete for fellowships.
Opportunities for multidisciplinary work exist in conjunction with centers and programs at the University of Kentucky including the Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies, Center for Health Equity Transformation, Center for Research on Violence Against Women, Prevention Research Center, Center on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Center for Poverty Research, Committee on Social Theory, Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, Cooperative for Humanities and Social Sciences, Gender and Women’s Studies, Quantitative Initiative for Policy and Social Research, and the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Assistantships and traineeships are also available to qualified sociology graduate students through these centers and programs.
Admission Requirements
The following materials are required to apply for admission to the graduate program in Sociology and should be sent directly to the Graduate School’s application system’s website. Any inquiry on the program requirements and the admission process should be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies of the Department of Sociology.
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The percentile rankings of the three components of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must average (mean) at least 50 percent.
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A statement of goals and reasons for pursuing an advanced degree in sociology. It is helpful if applicants also address the field(s) of interest within sociology they may wish to pursue in their graduate studies.
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A sample of writing, preferably in the form of a term paper, an extensive essay, or a draft of a senior thesis. If the applicant has completed a master’s degree, she or he may submit one or two chapters from the master’s thesis. Please do not submit a copy of the entire master’s thesis.
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Three letters of recommendation.
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Undergraduate and graduate transcripts, if applicable.
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TOEFL/IELTS scores, if applicable.
Degree Requirements
36 total credit hours pre-residency
Core requirements
Students are also required to take an addition 6 credit hours of social science research methods from a wide selection of approved courses.
Of the 15 hours of electives, 12 must be sociology courses and 12 must be in the student’s area of specialization.
MA students must also pass a comprehensive exam and a “Plan B” second-year paper defense.
https://soc.as.uky.edu/sociology-graduate-program
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