Sociology Graduate Program Admissions Requirements

Applicants to the Master of Arts in Sociology (M.A.) program must submit the following items.

1. A personal statement of approximately 2-3 typed, double-spaced pages which addresses the applicant’s (a) interest in pursuing a graduate degree in sociology and (b) future career plans.
2. Three letters of recommendation. Ideally these will be from college faculty who can speak to the candidate’s ability to do graduate work. For candidates who are returning to academics after a substantial time, letters may also be considered from others who can speak to the following skills: (a) verbal and written communication skills, (b) critical thinking skills, and (c) other scholarly evidence which suggest ability to successfully pursue graduate work.
3. A score report from the General Section of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) taken within the last 5 years or evidence of successful completion of a previous graduate program.
4. Official transcripts from all universities or colleges at which courses have been taken. The transcripts must provide evidence of:
1. The completion of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college. Students lacking core courses in sociology (social statistics and research methods) will be required to remedy these deficiencies with undergraduate courses before being admitted to the program. Students with degrees from fields other than sociology will be required to complete SOCI 500: Sociological Concepts.
2. A minimum GPA of 3.0 in either (1) all undergraduate coursework or (2) the last 60 hours of coursework that may include no more than 6 hours of postgraduate work. Applicants who do not have the minimum 3.0 GPA may be offered conditional admission on the basis of high GRE scores, very strong letters of recommendation, and a well written and informative personal statement.

For consideration for admission, completed files should be submitted by April 15 for graduate work beginning the following fall semester and October 15 for graduate work beginning in the spring semester.

The completed files for students who meet these minimum requirements will be considered for admission. The final decision to admit or not admit a student will be based on the overall strength of the admission file.

Students may be granted full admission to the department or granted conditional admission. Students who are admitted conditionally will be given specific steps that must be taken to receive full admission.