Sociology

Faculty

Sofya Aptekar, PhD, Princeton University

Immigration
Race and Ethnicity
Sociology of Culture
Stratification and Inequality
Mixed Methods

Paul Benson, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Sociology of Mental Health
Medical Sociology
Public Policy

Keith Bentele, PhD, University of Arizona

Stratification
Inequality
Political Sociology
Public Policy

Bianca Bersani, PhD, University of Maryland

Crime Over the Life Course
Criminological Theories
Immigration and Crime
Quantitative Methodology

Philip Brenner, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Survey Methodology
Measurement
Quantitative Methods
Sociology of Religion
Social Psychology
Self and Identity

Elizabeth K. Brown, PhD, SUNY at Albany

Law and Society
Incarceration Policy
State-level Criminal Justice
Public Opinion

Jorge Capetillo-Ponce, PhD, New School for Social Research

Social Theory
Race and Ethnic Relations
Media Studies
Latino Studies

Mathew J. Creighton, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Immigration
Health Inequality
Educational Stratification
Intolerance and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
Social Demography

Xiaogang Deng, PhD, SUNY Buffalo

Research Methods
Recidivism Study
Comparative Criminology
Official Corruption in China

Stephanie Hartwell, PhD, Yale University

Drugs and Society
Mental Health
Criminality
Applied Sociology
Environmental Justice and Disasters

Megan Klein Hattori, PhD, University of Maryland

Medical Sociology
Global Health and Fertility
Transition Age Youth and Decisions Surrounding Reproductive Health

Janice Iwama, PhD, Northeastern University

Communities and Crime
Immigration
Race/Ethnicity

Philip Kretsedemas, PhD, University of Minnesota

Immigration
Critical Race Theory
Globalization and Social Change
Social Welfare Policy
Contemporary Theory

Andrea Leverentz, PhD, University of Chicago

Communities and Crime
Prisoner Re-entry
Gender and Crime
Urban and Community Sociology
Qualitative Research Methods

Sarah Mayorga-Gallo, PhD, Duke University

Race and Ethnic Stratification
Urban Sociology
Latino/a Migration
Media Representation

Siamak Movahedi, PhD, Washington State University

Social Psychology
Social Psychiatry
Research Methods and Statistics

Jason Rodriquez, PhD, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Medical Sociology
Health Services Organizations
Qualitative Methodology
Health and Aging
Health Services Organizations

Russell Schutt, PhD, University of Illinois, Chicago

Research Methods
Sociology of Organizations
Homelessness and Mental Health Services
Sociology of Law

Cinzia Solari, PhD, University of California Berkeley

Gender and Migration
Work and Globalization
Social Theory
Global Ethnography

Lakshmi Srinivas, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

Media and Popular Culture
Media Reception
Spectatorship
Public Culture
Consumption
Globalization
Ethnography
Bollywood Cinema

Leslie Wang, PhD, University of California Berkeley

Family
Gender
Globalization/Transnationalization
Asia
Qualitative Methods

Kevin Wozniak, PhD, American University

Justice
Law and Society
Politics and Policy

Reef Youngreen, PhD, University of Iowa

Social Psychology
Status Processes
Deviance

Heather Zaykowski, PhD, University of Delaware

Victimization
Youth Violence
Communities and Crime
Law and Society

The Program

The Master of Arts Program in Applied Sociology

The Master of Arts Program in Applied Sociology, is designed to help students understand the social forces that shape their world with practical training in research methods, statistics, and evaluation research. The program’s applied focus integrates research approaches and coursework that emphasize the core strengths of the faculty’s research in medical sociology, criminal justice and criminology, and immigration research. A solid foundation in theory, developed through courses and internships, provides students with that they bring to work in criminal justice agencies, human service organizations, health care institutions, alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs, and applied research firms, as well as laying a foundation for doctoral study. Coursework provides students a broad understanding of the relevance of sociology in examining and treating complex social problems, as well as specific job skills useful in applied settings and in advanced studies. The program offers concentrations in criminology, health and mental health, immigration and globalization, and survey methods. This range of possibilities enables students to pursue specialized study according to their interests and career objectives. An important feature of the program is its field work option—an internship that reflects the academic and professional interests of the student. Internship placements are generally in public and private agencies and may be either service- or research-oriented.

The program seeks applicants whose career and academic interests are oriented toward either applied areas or future doctoral study. Graduate seminars are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening hours to accommodate those with employment and other obligations. Full-time students can complete requirements for the MA in two years. All students admitted into the program must complete degree requirements within five years. Non-matriculated students who hold a BA degree may enroll in selected program courses provided they demonstrate suitable qualifications for graduate study to the program director and instructor; upon admission and matriculation, a maximum of two of these may be transferred into the MA program.

Accelerated Combined BA/MA Program

An accelerated BA/MA program is also available for eligible UMass Boston undergraduate students interested in applied sociology. By entering this program students can earn both a bachelor’s degree in their field of interest and a master’s degree in applied sociology in less time than earning these degrees separately would require. Students are accepted into the full-time master’s degree program in their junior year, begin taking graduate courses in their senior year, and then complete the MA requirements. On completion of all requirements, students will be awarded both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Students who do not complete the entire program, or do not have the required GPA to be awarded an MA degree, may choose to apply appropriate earned credits toward the bachelor’s degree. This program consists of a minimum of 140 credits (104 undergraduate and 36 graduate-level credits or their equivalents) which can be completed in as few as five years. Students, however, may carry less than a full course load and complete the program at a slower rate.

The PhD Program in Sociology

The PhD Program in Sociology builds on the success of our MA Program in Applied Sociology and the research and scholarly accomplishments of our dynamic faculty. PhD students will complete a core set of courses in social theory and research methods and then concentrate in one of three areas:

health, mental health, and health care services
communities and crime
immigration and globalization

Doctoral students may also complete requirements for a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Services or a Graduate Certificate in Survey Research. Graduate assistantships will provide doctoral students with opportunities to conduct research in collaboration with faculty and to teach classes under faculty supervision. Training and research opportunities will be enriched through partnerships with the Departments of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and at the Harvard Medical School, with the Hannover Medical School in Germany, with UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, and with faculty in human services at Salem State University and in criminology at UMass Lowell.

Certificate in Survey Research

This 15-credit graduate certificate program is designed for survey research professionals working in the academic, governmental, nonprofit, and commercial research sectors. The program’s focus is balanced to give students an appreciation of the theoretical foundations of survey methodology and proficiency in practical aspects of survey design. Students can enroll in either the concentration within the graduate program in sociology or in the freestanding post-baccalaureate certificate program.

Graduate Certificate in Forensic Services

The Graduate Program in Applied Sociology and the College of Advancing and Professional Studies at UMass Boston are partners in a 16-credit Graduate Certificate Program in Forensic Services, designed for criminal justice and mental health professionals. Note: Only two graduate courses can be transferred into the program.