Sociology (PhD)

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Program Description
Dual Degree
Admissions

Program Description

The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree. It signifies that the recipient can conduct independent research, has a broad basic knowledge of sociology, and has a comprehensive knowledge of at least one chosen area of specialization. The PhD degree requires 72 credits of graduate work (at least 32 in residence at New York University). At least 48 of the credits required for the PhD degree must be in Sociology courses. Students must achieve a B or better in all required courses. Up to 16 credits may be reading or dissertation courses that involve individual work with a member of the faculty. The acceptability of courses outside sociology depends on the relevance of the work to sociology as judged by the Director of Graduate Studies. Credit for course work done at other universities requires the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. Students who have done graduate work before entering the doctoral program should see the Director of Graduate Studies when first registering in order to determine what courses may be required of them.

Dual Degree

The Sociology Department offers a dual degree with the NYU School of Law: Sociology PhD/Law JD.

See Sociology for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

Academic Transcripts
Test Scores (if required)
Applicant Statements
Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
Letters of Recommendation, and
A non-refundable application fee.

See Sociology for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

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Program Requirements
Additional Program Requirements

Program Requirements

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
Major Requirements
SOC-GA 3925	Professional Seminar	4
SOC-GA 2332	Intro to Statistics	4
SOC-GA 2330	Intro to Methods of Sociological Research	4
SOC-GA 2111	Classical Theory	4
SOC-GA 3112	Research and Writing Seminar (4-credit course taken twice, for a total of 8 credits)	8
Additional Methods Course ¹		4
Electives
Select two of the following:
SOC-GA 3901	Doctoral Dissertation I
SOC-GA 3902	Doctoral Dissertation II
SOC-GA 3903	Doctoral Dissertation III
SOC-GA 3904	Doctoral Dissertation IV
Other Elective Credits ²		44
Total Credits		72

¹: Students must complete one 4-credit additional methods course of their choosing (i.e, SOC-GA 2303, SOC-GA 3306, SOC-GA 2314, SOC-GA 2308, SOC-GA 2312, SOC-GA 2315 or SOC-GA 2316.) Methods courses taken outside the sociology department must be approved by Director of Graduate Studies.
²: Students can opt to take Reading courses (SOC-GA 3915-3919) as well.

Additional Program Requirements

Comprehensive Examination

Students select one of the broad areas of Sociology in which to take the written comprehensive examination, given by the end of the second year. Each student selects two Sociology faculty readers. The readers aid the student in preparing a reading list and studying for the exam, compose the exam, and determine whether the student has passed the exam.

For more details on the comprehensive exam, please visit the Sociology Department website.

Research Paper

All students will complete a pre-dissertation research paper during the two-semesters Research & Writing seminar course. This requirement aims to ensure that all students gain research experience early in their graduate student career. The paper will be written under the guidance of a faculty supervisor and must be approved as well by a second reader.

Dissertation

The proposal for the dissertation and the dissertation itself are researched and written in consultation with a committee of at least three advisors. Students defend their proposal before their advisors who decide if they may proceed. Upon approval of the dissertation by the advisors, the dissertation is defended before an examining committee of five faculty members (including at least three dissertation advisors). At least four affirmative votes are required to pass.

Departmental Approval

All Graduate School of Arts & Science doctoral candidates must be approved for graduation by their department for the degree to be awarded.

Sample Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
1st Semester/Term		Credits
SOC-GA 2332	Intro to Statistics	4
SOC-GA 2111	Classical Theory	4
SOC-GA 3925	Professional Seminar	4
	Credits	12
2nd Semester/Term
SOC-GA 2330	Intro to Methods of Sociological Research	4
Elective Course		4
Elective Course		4
	Credits	12
3rd Semester/Term
Elective Course ¹		4
Elective Course ²		4
Elective Course		4
	Credits	12
4th Semester/Term
SOC-GA 3112	Research and Writing Seminar	4
Elective Course		4
Elective Course		4
	Credits	12
5th Semester/Term
SOC-GA 3112	Research and Writing Seminar	4
SOC-GA 3901	Doctoral Dissertation I	4
Elective Course		4
	Credits	12
6th Semester/Term
SOC-GA 3902	Doctoral Dissertation II	4
Elective Course		4
Elective Course		4
	Credits	12
	Total Credits	72

¹: Additional Methods Course (i.e, SOC-GA 2303, SOC-GA 3306, SOC-GA 2314, SOC-GA 2308, SOC-GA 2312, SOC-GA 2315 or SOC-GA 2316. Methods courses taken outside the sociology department must be approved by Director of Graduate Studies.)
²: Students may elect to take Reading courses (SOC-GA 3915-3919).

Following completion of the required coursework for the PhD, students are expected to maintain active status at New York University by enrolling in a Maintaining Matriculation (MAINT-GA 4747) course. All non-course requirements must be fulfilled prior to degree conferral, although the specific timing of completion may vary from student-to-student.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:

Develop knowledge of fundamental concepts and theoretical perspectives in Sociology. They should also gain familiarity with several subfields in the discipline and achieve mastery of the central debates and research findings in at least one such active area of research.
Draw on and engage in dialogue with existing scholarship in their own research efforts in order to contribute to the creation of new knowledge, as well as to critically assess the contributions of others. In so doing, students should develop the ability to ask clear, theoretically driven, and substantively important research questions and to explore them with appropriate empirical research designs.
Have a general understanding of the major empirical research strategies used in sociology, including, but not limited to, qualitative field observations and interviews, statistical analyses of survey data, experimental methods, computational analyses of digital text corpora, and comparative and historical methods. Students should become expert at the application of at least one of these approaches for designing and executing their own empirical research, and in evaluating the empirical strategies used in published research.
Effectively communicate their research to others in the form of articles published in sociological journals, books published by academic presses, and reports issued for government agencies or non-profit research centers. They should also be adept at sharing their research findings through verbal presentations at professional meetings and other academic venues.
Gain teaching experience and develop pedagogical skills that enable them to effectively design and teach lecture and seminar courses on core sociological topics, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.