The faculty in the Department of Sociology offer graduate programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology.
MASTER OF ARTS
This degree program provides advanced training for those preparing for teaching, research, or applied careers in sociology, and may be taken either as a terminal program or as a step toward eventual fulfillment of requirements for the Ph.D. A detailed description of the graduate program (including opportunities in teaching and research assistantships) may be obtained from the department chair.
Admission. Admission to the program is determined by the following criteria: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical), three letters of appraisal from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic background, valid transcripts of the student’s academic record, and a biographical narrative provided by the applicant. Application deadline is February 15.
Program of Study. A master’s degree in Sociology requires the successful completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours, including a 12-hour core curriculum, six hours of theory (SOC 585 and 586), and six hours of research methods (SOC 500 and 505), two hours of Sociology as a Profession (SOC 503, 504), with the balance to be drawn from substantive courses and six hours earned through the M.A. thesis (SOC 599).
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Thesis Requirements. A thesis is required.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the thesis is required. This oral examination also tests the student’s comprehension of the area of sociology exemplified by the thesis.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
This degree provides advanced training in theory, research methodology, and substantive fields to prepare sociologists for teaching and research with special emphasis on urbanism, urbanization, and related issues. A detailed description of this program (including opportunities in teaching and research assistantships) may be obtained from the department chair.
See “Doctor of Philosophy” for general requirements.
Admission. Admission to the program is determined by the following criteria: GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical), three letters of appraisal from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic background, valid transcripts of the student’s academic record, and a biographical narrative provided by each applicant. Applicants should have an M.A. or its equivalent in Sociology or a related field. Application deadline is February 15.
Program of Study. The Ph.D. requires 54 semester hours beyond the master’s degree. Three hours each of theory, methods, and statistics are required, and 24 hours are earned through dissertation and research. The remaining 21 hours are in substantive courses reflecting the student’s specialization. First-year Ph.D. students are required to take Sociology as a Profession (503, 504). A minimum of 30 semester hours of the approved Ph.D. program, exclusive of dissertation and research hours, must be completed after admission to the Ph.D. at ASU.
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Comprehensive Examinations. Written comprehensive examinations focusing on two areas chosen by the student, and an oral defense of the dissertation proposal are required. After passing the comprehensive examinations and obtaining a formal approval of the dissertation proposal, the student is eligible to apply for candidacy.
Dissertation Requirements. A dissertation based on original work demonstrating creativity in research and scholarly proficiency in the subject area is required.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The Department of Sociology is committed to teaching and research in the following six areas reflecting faculty expertise. Recent research is listed under each area heading.
Demography/Urban Ecology. Family and household demography; Hispanic fertility; Jewish populations; demographic determinants of adoptions; growth of Sunbelt retirement communities; mass media formats and urban life.
Family. Courtship; dating violence; dual earner families; families with handicapped children; kinship; family structure; marital stability; adolescence; parent-child bonds in later life; the Chicano family; religious ethnic intermarriage; support networks of the poor.
Medical. Social psychological effects of AIDS; AIDS and high risk behavior; stigmatization of illness; alternative health care practitioners; technology and public health; medicalization in the media; mortality/morbidity of parents with handicapped children; stress and well-being.
Political. Nation-state expansion, authority, and expenditures; world polity/culture; comparative historical analyses; large-scale change and religious/political movements; the university and the state; race riots; environmental and nuclear power issues.
Race/Ethnicity. Sociology of Hispanics; minority communities; comparative historical analyses of ethnic/race relations; Mexican female immigrants; Cubans and minority traders; Asian American issues; Mexican-Americans; public policy; minority housing; ethnicity and health.
Stratification. Incorporation of women and minorities into academia; affirmative action issues; women and work; sexual harassment; work and personality; organizations; black student collegiate success; educational environments; learning and academic success; rise of the university; sexual minorities.
Research Facilities. Research facilities in the department consist of a survey research laboratory, small groups research laboratory, computer terminals and linkages to mainframe and the supercomputer, computational laboratory, and Gould Memorial Research Archive. The survey research laboratory conducts campus and community surveys. Among the topics studied are transportation, citizen attitudes, recreation, judicial evaluation, occupational destinies of graduate students, academic advisement, student, staff and faculty attitudes, student living arrangements, changing sex roles, and student activism and political involvement.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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