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Department of Sociology

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree program in sociology offers advanced training in the application of theory, research methodology, and data analyses. Our students receive individualized attention at every stage in the program from faculty members who represent a broad spectrum of teaching and research interests - health disparities, demography, family, deviance, and aging. Our students are prepared for employment in the community college system, in industry, and in private and public agencies. The program also provides a very solid foundation for students to pursue doctoral degrees. We offer a thesis option and non-thesis option. Thesis candidates must complete 30 semester hours of course credits and six semester hours of thesis credits. An oral defense of the thesis is required for students who choose the thesis option. Non-thesis candidates must earn a total of 30 semester hours of course credits and six semester hours of practicum, including a practicum report.  Students are required to complete the core curriculum courses (SOCI 500, SOCI 503, SOCI 505, SOCI 560, and SOCI 590) before they take 600-level courses. All students must pass a written comprehensive examination before graduation.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Students will comprehend advanced sociological concepts that are used in micro and macro-level analyses of society.
  2. Students will become familiar with sociological theories and theoretical perspectives and their historical and contextual development and will be able to critique them in terms of their saliency in analysis of social life, social processes, and social policy.
  3. Students will gain mastery of a variety of advanced research methods in sociology and can appropriately apply them to the study of specific social phenomenon.
  4. Students will be able to use relevant quantitative and qualitative techniques to organize and reduce data in advanced sociological analyses.
  5. Students will acquire intellectual insights and capabilities that will enable them to effectively analyze concepts, theories and empirical research findings to produce comprehensive sociological essays, class presentations, practicum reports, and theses.
Course Descriptions
Offered Degrees
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