The graduate program in sociology at the University of Georgia is directed primarily toward students seeking the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.  Although we offer a Master of Arts Degree, we do not have separate M.A. and Ph.D. curricula.  Instead, students receive the M.A. on the way to the Ph.D. 

A favorable faculty-to-student ratio allows for individualized instruction and student–faculty collaboration in research. Students are trained and mentored in research and scholarship and are expected to share their work with the department. They are also encouraged to present at professional meetings and to publish.

The doctoral program is built on a rigorous curriculum. All entering students receive strong foundational training in sociological theory, research methods, and analytic techniques, along with grounding in several major substantive areas. More concentrated study is then pursued within one or more broadly defined specialty areas.

Coursework in the first year concentrates on the fundamentals of the discipline: the required research design and theory courses, two required courses in the statistical analysis of sociological data, a professionalization seminar, and electives in major substantive areas. Electives normally include one or more of the “foundations” courses, which introduce the theoretical and research literature of the department’s specialty areas. All students also complete the proseminar sequence in the first year, which includes the one-hour GradFirst seminar the Graduate School requires of all first-year graduate students.

In the fall of Year 2, students complete the required coursework for the master’s degree. In the spring, they begin advanced seminars in one or more substantive areas and complete a second-year paper that serves as a qualifying project for continuation in the Ph.D. program. The paper is due no later than April 1 of Year 2, and its evaluation figures prominently in the graduate faculty’s decision on the student’s continuation into Year 3. (The requirements are detailed under Additional Doctoral Requirements.)

Students continuing toward the doctorate pursue an advanced program of study in their chosen areas of specialization, focusing more intensively on particular substantive problems and research questions. Advanced study involves additional coursework, independent reading, and research directed toward the doctoral comprehensive examinations, which include a written and an oral component and are taken in the summer following Year 3. After passing these examinations and meeting all coursework and residency requirements, the student may be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. In Year 4, attention turns to the dissertation. Appendix D of the Graduate Student Handbook presents a sample schedule of student progress. 

Note that the structure of our program requires students to begin their studies in the Fall Semester.