The purpose of the Ph.D. program is to train students as scholars and specialists in the field of Sociology. In addition to mastering a broad knowledge of Sociology, Ph.D. students should acquire expertise in particular areas of research. In the first two years of the program, students are expected to complete the course requirements, develop a proposal for dissertation research, and satisfy the doctoral candidacy assessment. The last years of the program are devoted to original research by the student under the guidance of the supervisor and the Advisory Committee. Students who graduate from the program must develop an intellectual maturity that is demonstrated in the ability to conduct independent research that results in a defensible doctoral dissertation that meets the approval of the Examining Committee.

Degree Requirements

Students must maintain continuous registration in the 996 course.

  • GPS 960.0
  • GPS 961.0, if research involves human subjects
  • GPS 962.0, if research involves animal subjects
  • doctoral candidacy assessment
  • oral dissertation defense

A minimum of 27 credit units, including the following:

  • SOC 840.6
  • SOC 841.6
  • SOC 891.3
  • SOC 990.0
  • SOC 996.0