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.
Core requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 45 units of sociology coursework with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or better. Of the 45 units:
- At least 30 units must be taken in courses taught by faculty members appointed in the Department of Sociology.
- Students may petition to use the remaining 15 units as “flex units” for courses not offered by faculty appointed in the Department of Sociology, but that are highly relevant to the discipline.
- Five of these flex units can be taken as an independent study or directed reading with a faculty member appointed in the Department of Sociology.
- All flex units applied to courses not taught by faculty appointed in the Department of Sociology must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
- Required units must be in courses at the 100-level or above, and 50% of those units must be in graduate-level courses (at the 200-level or above).
- All courses must be taken for a letter grade when possible.
- Workshops and colloquia do not count towards the MA.
Students who wish to engage in a more in-depth study of a specific topic may do so by focusing on coursework within an area of study, such as poverty and inequality, social psychology, organizations and the economy, or race, ethnicity, and immigration.
A thesis is not required, but many students work closely with a sociology faculty advisor to develop a publishable paper. Note that there is no teaching requirement for the MA in sociology.