Program Requirements

Course Requirements

Total Credit Hours Required: 18 credit hours

Core Courses (3 credit hours)

SOSA 5600.03 PhD Seminar in Sociology and Social Anthropology
SOSA 9405.00 Language Requirement
SOSA 9413.00 Comprehensive Examination
SOSA 9417.00 Doctoral Thesis Proposal
SOSA 9530.00 PhD Thesis

General Electives (15 credit hours)

Students must complete 15 credit hours of electives courses, which normally consists of a combination of formal classes and of reading classes.

Additional Requirements

A student may also be required to complete any additional graduate courses, internal or external to the Department, that the student's Committee deems necessary.

By the end of the second academic year a student must have written two comprehensive exams (SOSA 9413.00): one in theory, and one in either methods or a substantive area. During this year, or the following, the student is required to make a presentation to a departmental colloquium on a topic that normally will be related to the research proposal. A research proposal must also be completed and approved by the Advisory Committee by the end of the second year (SOSA 9417.00).

By the end of the third year, the student must demonstrate a working knowledge of a language other than English which is relevant to the student's studies and research (SOSA 9405.00).

In accordance with Faculty regulations, an oral defense of the thesis is required.

Program-level Policies

The following program-level policies apply. For more information, please contact the program directly.

The PhD program has a two-year residency requirement.

Students are required to pass all three comprehensive exams in order to continue in the PhD program.

If a student does not have an approved doctoral thesis proposal (SOSA 9417.00) within three calendar years after acceptance into the program, the student will not be permitted to continue in the program.