PhD Program FAQs

Requirements are listed here.

• Economic Sociology
• Gender
• Historical and Comparative Sociology
• Organizations
• Political Sociology
• Population, Family, Demography, and Marriage
• Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
• Social Inequality
• Social Psychology

The PhD program is designed to be completed in five to seven years of full-time study. The actual time depends on students' prior background, progress, and research requirements. The minimum residency requirement for the Ph.D. degree is 135 units of completed coursework, which takes approximately three years. The fourth through sixth years are typically spent working on the dissertation.

Students must complete three quarters of teaching apprenticeship, working as either a teaching assistant (TA) under the supervision of a faculty member or as a teaching fellow. Students are required to take a TA training workshop in their first year. In addition, students are encouraged to take advantage of department and University teacher training programs. Students for whom English is a second language are expected to acquire sufficient facility in English to be an effective teacher.

No, we do not offer a terminal Master’s degree in Sociology. Current doctoral students from within the Department or in another Stanford graduate program may apply for a Master of Arts in Sociology during the course of their Ph.D. program. Master's candidates must take 45 units of course work, and 25 of those units must be in graduate seminars. There is no examination or thesis requirement.

Most students who receive a Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford go on to do research and teach at colleges or universities. In recent years, graduates have obtained positions at Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Columbia, University of Chicago, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, INSEAD, Tsinghua University. Other graduates have found positions at research organizations, private firms or in government. For a list of recent placements, click here.

The department offers a standard package, consisting of a stipend and the payment of tuition and fees, to incoming students. Both domestic and international students are eligible for this standard package. Although the Department cannot formally guarantee support beyond the first year, it expects to continue to provide an additional five years of support, including summer quarters for five years, to students making satisfactory academic progress. This assistance normally covers the full cost of tuition and an additional amount for living expenses during the academic year. The latter amount is usually in the form of a stipend, teaching assistantship, or research assistantship. Students are encouraged to pursue prestigious fellowships offered by the University and by national organizations such as the National Science Foundation.

Additional information on sources of graduate funding can be found here.

The department currently offers financial support for all five summers during a student's tenure in the form of research assistantships with department faculty. The terms of research assistantship appointments may vary from case to case but usually provide a stipend that covers summer living expenses.

In addition to providing the standard package described above, the Department will provide each student with a stipend that can be used to fund professional development expenses, faculty-guided research, and fieldwork.

The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program develops a community of future global leaders. Each year, up to 100 students are awarded with funding to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford and participate in an experiential leadership development program that emphasizes collaboration and innovation. Citizens of any country may apply. Two applications must be submitted separately; one to Knight-Hennessy Scholars , and separately apply to the Sociology Ph.D. program for consideration. Visit khs.stanford.edu to learn more.

The department faculty and their research interests are listed online at Sociology Faculty while current graduate student's interests can be found under Sociology Doctoral Students.