Mar 28, 2024  
2015-2016 Graduate Catalog 
    
2015-2016 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Sociology, PhD


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PhD Requirements


Post-master’s students are required to successfully complete 36 credits, complete their dissertation, and successfully defend their dissertation. Students who apply for admission to the PhD program without an MA from a nationally accredited college or university or its international equivalent must first complete requirements for UMass Boston’s 30-36 credit MA degree in applied sociology.

Please note: Courses taken to fulfill MA requirements may not be counted toward completion of the additional PhD program requirements. MA students must take the comprehensive exam and receive a passing grade in order to be admitted to the PhD program.

Required Courses (12 credits):


2 Courses from a Substantive Concentration (6 credits):


Dissertation Seminar and Candidacy


All students must take and receive passing grades in both a Theory/Methods Comprehensive Exam and a Substantive Area Comprehensive Exam prior to advancing to PhD candidacy.

Admission Requirements


Applicants for the 36-credit post-MA PhD program must have an MA degree in sociology or a related field from a nationally accredited college or university or its international equivalent. Note: Students who apply for admission to the PhD program without an MA from a nationally accredited college or university or its international equivalent must first complete requirements for UMass Boston’s 30-36 credit MA degree in applied sociology. The review committee will admit applicants with degrees in other disciplines at their discretion. The program directors will review coursework from other graduate programs on a case-by-case basis to determine transferability of credits.

Preference will be given to all applicants whose transcripts show completion of these courses with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.25 and graduate GPA of 3.50, taken within the past seven years. Applicants are required to submit GRE Verbal and Quantitative scores to be considered for admission. Admission standards are similar for those who have not yet completed an MA degree.

Applicants should submit a completed application and related materials by January 31.

A completed application package includes these materials:

  • Completed application form and required fee
  • Official transcripts for all undergraduate and/or graduate programs attended
  • GRE general test scores and, when applicable, TOEFL scores
  • Three letters of recommendation from persons with whom the applicant has had extensive academic and/or professional contact

PhD applicants must submit an essay of no more than 1,500 words addressing the following:

  • Specific interest in a PhD in sociology and rationale for pursuing the PhD
  • Current major research and interests in the field of sociology
  • Description of professional post-PhD goals
  • Academic writing sample

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