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Would you benefit from advanced training in sociology?
MA overview
Whether your path leads you to law or medical school, a career in the non-profit or business sector, or if you are interested in advancing social change, a master’s degree in sociology gives you the tools to follow your passions while building the theoretical and methodological expertise that can be directly applied to real-world challenges.
Please note: The Department of Sociology does not offer a master’s program for external applicants. Only currently enrolled Stanford students may apply.
Our programs
Coterminal MA program
Current Stanford undergrads are welcome to apply for a coterminal MA degree. Students can choose a general self-designed plan or a research-focused degree.
MA in sociology
The MA degree in sociology is available to current PhD candidates in the Department of Sociology and to students in advanced degree programs (PhD, JD, MD) from other Stanford departments and schools.
Career options for sociology MA graduates:
Business and nonprofit
Sociologists enter the corporate and nonprofit worlds as research analysts, consultants, human resource managers, and program managers.
Education
If you are contemplating becoming a teacher or working in the school system, sociology can help you to understand how the educational system as an institution can affect students’ career and lifestyle choices. You can also study the extent to which factors other than school play a part in an individual’s likelihood of graduating from high school or going to college.
Law
An MA in sociology offers the chance to study the structure and consequences of the criminal justice system with a critical eye. How does a conviction affect an individual’s life chances? How does an individual’s race or ethnicity affect their likelihood for conviction? These are just a few questions you might want to investigate as you embark on your legal career.
Medicine
An MA degree in sociology is also helpful when applying to medical school. Central topics include the social determinants of health and health disparities; the subjective experience of health and illness; and the organization of medical care.
Public policy
Sociology can help you better understand how institutional inertia affects public policy initiatives, how government organizations are effectively suited for certain tasks and not others, and how businesses in the free market interface with government institutions.
PhD in sociology
Considering a sociology PhD? An MA in sociology offers opportunities to learn more about the discipline through coursework, engage with department faculty, and gain research experience - which can be especially helpful if your undergraduate major was in a different field.