The sociology doctoral degree provides rigorous training in public and applied social research, including skills in research design, data analysis, and substantive areas that are pertinent to various sectors in the Washington, D.C. area. Graduates have the theoretical, analytical, and professional skills that prepare them for academic positions in teaching or research. They are also well-qualified for nonacademic positions in the many settings that rely on the expertise of sociologists including human service agencies, marketing research firms, educational systems, nonprofit foundations, and law enforcement agencies.
Admissions
Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in Graduate Admissions. For specific information, see Application Requirements and Deadlines on the departmental web site.
Policies
For policies governing all graduate degrees, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.
Reduction of Credit
Students who enter the program with a previously conferred graduate degree may be allowed a reduction of credit up to 30 credits subject to the approval of the graduate director and the dean.
Satisfactory Progress
According to university policy, students may be terminated if they fail to achieve satisfactory progress toward their degree. In addition to the graduate policies on academic termination (see AP.6.6.2), students in the program are judged as having failed to achieve satisfactory progress if they have a plagiarism finding by the Office of Academic Integrity.
Degree Requirements
Total credits: 72
For policies governing all graduate degrees, see AP.6 Graduate Policies. Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Following completion of all required coursework and passing a comprehensive exam, students are advanced to candidacy by the dean and complete a dissertation, an original and independent research project.
Foundation Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Public Sociology | ||
| SOCI 601 | Proseminar in Public and Applied Sociology | 3 |
| Social Theory | ||
| SOCI 711 | Classical Sociological Theory | 3 |
| SOCI 712 | Contemporary Sociological Theory | 3 |
| Required Methodology and Analysis Courses | ||
| SOCI 620 | Methods and Logic of Social Inquiry | 3 |
| SOCI 636 | Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| Elective Methodology and Analysis Courses | ||
| Select three courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Survey Research | ||
| Evaluation Research for Social Programs | ||
| Special Topics in Sociology (when topic is Critical Theory, Critical Ethnography, or another course with written approval of the graduate director.) | ||
| Qualitative Research Methods | ||
| Feminist Theory | ||
| Ethnography | ||
| Historical and Comparative Sociology | ||
or SOCI 860 | Historical and Comparative Sociology | |
| Analytic Techniques of Social Research | ||
| Methods in Anthropology | ||
| Feminist Research Methods | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
Concentrations
Concentration in Institutions and Inequalities (INI)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Two Proseminars | ||
| SOCI 803 | Institutions and Inequalities | 3 |
| SOCI 804 | Sociology of Globalization | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select three courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Gender and Social Structure | ||
| Sociology of Culture | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Relations: American and Selected Global Perspectives | ||
| International Migration in the Age of Globalization | ||
| Environment and Society | ||
| Political Sociology | ||
| Feminist Theory | ||
| Urban Inequality: From Watts to #Blacklivesmatter | ||
| Micro Sociology: Inequality and Everyday Life | ||
| Social Networks, New Media, and Inequality | ||
| Work Organizations and Social Inequality | ||
| Society and Education | ||
| Cities in a Global Society | ||
| Sociology of Human Rights | ||
| Special Topics in Sociology (with prior written approval of graduate director) | ||
| Special Topics in Sociology (with prior written approval of graduate director) | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Concentration in Sociology of Globalization (SGL)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Two Proseminars | ||
| SOCI 803 | Institutions and Inequalities | 3 |
| SOCI 804 | Sociology of Globalization | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select three courses from the following: | 9 | |
| Sociology of Culture | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Relations: American and Selected Global Perspectives | ||
| International Migration in the Age of Globalization | ||
| Environment and Society | ||
| Political Sociology | ||
| Social Networks, New Media, and Inequality | ||
| Sociology of Development | ||
| Globalization and Social Movements | ||
| Cities in a Global Society | ||
| Sociology of Human Rights | ||
| Refugees in the Contemporary World | ||
| Special Topics in Sociology (with prior written approval of graduate director) | ||
| Special Topics in Sociology (with prior written approval of graduate director) | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Elective Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select seven elective courses from advanced courses (500-800 level) in sociology. 1 | 21 | |
| Total Credits | 21 | |
- 1
With prior written approval of the graduate director, up to two courses from outside the sociology program that are not currently listed as approved courses (inclusive of consortium courses) may count toward degree requirements.
Advancement to Candidacy
To advance to candidacy, students must complete all coursework required on their approved program of study. Students must also successfully pass one written comprehensive examination. The comprehensive exam tests students' mastery of the foundations of sociological inquiry, linking research methods and sociological theory to public concerns, as well as material in the student's area of concentration. It is administered by a faculty committee appointed by the graduate program director. Additionally, students must defend their dissertation proposal. Evidence of completed requirements must be on file in the Dean's Office before a student can advance to candidacy.
Dissertation
Once enrolled in SOCI 999 Doctoral Dissertation, students must maintain continuous registration each semester (excluding summers) until the dissertation is submitted to and accepted by the University Libraries. Once enrolled in SOCI 999 Doctoral Dissertation, students must follow the university's continuous registration policy as specified in AP.6.10.6 Dissertation Research. Students who defend in the summer must be registered for at least 1 credit of SOCI 999 Doctoral Dissertation.
Students complete a minimum of 3 credits of SOCI 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal and 3 credits of SOCI 999 Doctoral Dissertation. They may apply a maximum of 12 dissertation credits (SOCI 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal and SOCI 999 Doctoral Dissertation combined) to the degree. Because of the continuous registration policy, students may be required to register for additional credits of SOCI 999 Doctoral Dissertation. Because students cannot register for credits of SOCI 999 Doctoral Dissertation until they have advanced to PhD candidacy, they may choose (but are not required) to register for additional credits of SOCI 998 Doctoral Dissertation Proposal.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 12 credits from the following: | 12 | |
| Doctoral Dissertation Proposal | ||
| Doctoral Dissertation | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Program Outcomes
- Demonstrate depth of understanding of core theoretical and methodological debates and arguments shaping an existing literature within the discipline and the ability to accurately apply, analyze, and synthesize them to frame a research question or problem.
- Formulate a research question or problem of sociological importance that is clearly formulated as a puzzle, paradox, contradiction or other intellectual tension and identify its relationship to an existing sociological literature.
- Demonstrate understanding of appropriate sociological methods for data collection and apply them to an analysis of a research question or problem.
- Demonstrate understanding of current theoretical debates related to a given area of study in sociology and situate own work within the context of those debates.
- Effectively communicate in writing the findings and interpretations of their research.
- Apply and analyze sociological concepts to understand a social issue/problem of contemporary relevance.