ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants with Master's degrees in Sociology (or related fields) must:

Although a Master's degree in sociology is not required, only applicants who have accredited (non-online) Master's degrees, or who have nearly completed their Master's degrees, will be considered for the Ph.D.-Only program. Applicants should have completed Master's level course work in social research methods, social statistics, and sociological theory. If they have not had these courses, they must complete them as additional courses prior to enrolling in Ph.D. courses in these areas.

1. Submit scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination
2. Complete the supplementary application form.
3. Submit three (3) letters of recommendation from faculty personally acquainted with the applicant's academic achievements.
4. Submit a sample of written scholarly work (e.g., a Master's thesis, a term/research paper, or scholarly publication).
   
   
   Students accepted into the Ph.D.-Only Program must have completed their Masters degrees prior to matriculating at Georgia State. If a student’s Masters degree is incomplete, that student may petition the Graduate Committee for a one-semester extension. Students requesting this extension must supply all necessary documentation to support the request (for example, a letter from the student’s thesis chair or Masters program advisor). Students with incomplete Masters degrees are ineligible for graduate assistantships from the Sociology department. Students who request and receive one-semester extensions must have completed their Masters degrees before the start of the Spring semester. (Supporting documentation of completion is required.) Students failing to complete their Masters degree by the start of the Spring semester become eligible for “scholastic termination” from the Sociology graduate program.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The Ph.D.-Only Program is a 63 credit hour degree program beyond the Master's degree (31 credit hours of course work and 32 credit hours of non-course work. If a student needs to take Soci 8010: Intermediate Social Statistics, Soci 8020: Research Methods, and/or Soci 8030: Sociological Theory I (or their equivalents, as determined by the Director of Graduate Studies), these courses must be taken as non-credit prerequisites for Soci 9010, Soci 9020, Soci 9030, and Soci 8342. The Ph.D.-Only Program consists of a Doctoral Core (A), Doctoral Specialty Core (B, C, or D), Doctoral Electives (E), and Other Doctoral Requirements (F).

Ph.D. Graduation Requirements

A. Doctoral Core Course Work (16 hours):
Soci 8000: Proseminar in Sociology (3)
Soci 8342: Qualitative Methods (3)
Soci 9010: Multivariate Data Analysis (4)
Soci 9020: Advanced Research Methodology (3)
Soci 9030: Sociological Theory II (3)

B. Family, Health and Life Course (FLC) Specialty Core Course Work (6 hours):
Soci 8101: Family Sociology (3)
Soci 8102: Life Course Sociology (3)
Soci 9230: Sociology of Health & Illness (3)

C. Gender and Sexuality (GS) Specialty Core Course Work (6 hours):
Soci 8216: Gender and Society (3)
Soci 8156: Sexuality and Society (3)

D. Race and Urban Studies (RUS) Specialty Core Course Work (6 hours):
Soci 8212: Race and Ethnic Relations (3)
Soci 8226: Urban Sociology (3)

E. Doctoral Elective Course Work (9 hours or 3 courses):
With the approval of the departmental Director of Graduate Studies, up to 3 hours (one course) may be taken in a related field or fields and/or up to 3 hours of Soci 8970: Directed Readings may be taken.

F. Other Doctoral Requirements (32 hours of non-course work):
Written doctoral examinations
Dissertation proposal
Soci 9999: Dissertation Research
Dissertation and oral defense.