PhD program

• Proseminar: Students take SOC 305 Graduate Proseminar in the Autumn Quarter of their first year. The course provides an introduction and orientation to the field of sociology, the department, and its faculty.
• Colloquium: The sociology colloquium is a semi-monthly seminar held throughout the academic year, in which distinguished scholars lecture about their cutting-edge research. This course, SOC 396, is required for all first and second years.
• Minimum sociology units in years 1 and 2: Students are required to complete 45 units of coursework in sociology in the first academic year, then 15 units of sociology coursework in the second academic year.
• Theory: Students are required to take two courses in sociological theory. The first course is macro-sociological theory: SOC 370A Sociological Theory: Social Structure, Inequality, and Conflict, and the second course, SOC 372 Theoretical Analysis and Design, should be taken during the first year of the program.
• Methodology: Students are required to complete a four-course series in methodology. The required methods sequence is: SOC 380 Qualitative Methods, SOC 381 Sociological Methodology I: Introduction, SOC 382 Sociological Methodology II: Multivariate Regression, SOC 383 Sociological Methodology III.
• Survey Courses: Students must complete four broad survey courses to demonstrate command of a range of sociological literature.
• Workshops: Beginning in year two, doctoral students are required to enroll in at least one workshop each quarter. 

• Qualifying Exam #1: The first comprehensive examination is designed to ensure that students enter their second year with a firm reading knowledge of two substantive subfields. Students write two essays in response to questions provided by the examining committee. Students choose one of two questions to write on for each subfield. Examinations are offered in a variety of subject areas, and are based on comprehensive readings lists that are available at the beginning of each academic year.
• Qualifying Exam #2: In their second year of residence, students must pass qualifying exam #2, which is a research paper that is intended to provide students with a more focused engagement in a specialized subfield or research area, and tests the student’s ability to work and think independently. Second year students are required to enroll in SOC 385A Research Practicum 1 and SOC 385B Research Practicum II  (both workshops assist in developing the front end of the research paper). Students must submit a one-page proposal to the reading committee that includes a brief statement of the problem; a preliminary research design; a data source and proof of reasonable access to it; and a short reading list. Students should produce a paper that makes an original contribution to sociological knowledge and that is ultimately publishable. That generally means writing a paper that includes data analysis; a full and focused analytic discussion of relevant theory and research; and frame the findings as a contribution to the literature. Students may also produce a paper with a primarily theoretical contribution so long as the prospects for eventual publication are clear to the committee. This paper may not also be employed to meet the Third Year Paper requirement, even in revised form.

In preparation for a career of writing scholarly papers, each student must complete a research paper in the third year of residency. This third year paper may be on any sociological topic, and may address theoretical, empirical, or methodological issues. The paper is expected to reflect original work and be of publishable quality. Students select a committee of at least two Department of Sociology faculty members to serve as third year paper readers.  

Students are required to present at least two papers at a major professional meeting (e.g., ASA), department workshops, or a combination of the two in their first five years of graduate study. 

Students must complete a minimum of three quarters of teaching apprenticeship in departmental courses, or in other courses by approval. Students working as either a teaching assistant (TA) under the supervision of a faculty member or as a teaching fellow (TF) fulfill this requirement. 

Students are required to take SOC 300, Workshop: The Art & Joy of Teaching, in the 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.  

It is recommended that students complete their teaching requirements early in their graduate program; the requirement must be completed by the end of the fourth year of residency.

As partial preparation for becoming an accomplished researcher, each student must complete three quarters of research experience, working under the supervision of one or more faculty members, including regular, emeritus, and affiliated faculty. Students are encouraged to work with and take classes from a range of faculty members before selecting a primary advisor and forming their dissertation committee.

The experience may involve paid (or unpaid) work as a Research Assistant (RA). With the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, research experience may be acquired by involvement in research projects outside the department. 

It is recommended that students complete their research requirements early in their graduate program; the requirement must be completed by the end of the fourth year of residency.

At any point during the degree program, evidence that a student is performing at a less than satisfactory level may be cause for a formal academic review of that student.

In order to demonstrate the ability to conduct independent scholarly work, each student must prepare and defend their dissertation prospectus by the end of May during the fourth year in residence.

Each student must complete and defend a doctoral dissertation. At the choice of the student (and in consultation with his/her adviser), the dissertation requirement may be met either by (1) submitting a book-length document, or (2) submitting three independent papers. The papers may address the same topic, but should be written as stand-alone, single-authored papers in standard journal format (i.e., AJS or ASR). None of these papers may overlap substantially with one another, and none of them may be co-authored. (The main criterion in judging substantial overlap is whether any standard journal, such as AJS, would regard the papers as too similar to publish both.) The dissertation must be submitted to all committee members at least 30 days in advance of the defense date. The dissertation defense serves as the Oral Examination required by the University. Assessment of satisfactory completion is determined by the student's doctoral committee members. All students are invited to present their dissertation findings at an informal department colloquium.