Sociology Program- Graduate Studies

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Marshall University offers a supportive environment for Masters level students who wish to pursue training in sociology. Our accomplished faculty place a strong emphasis on teaching and mentoring while also striving to maintain an active research agenda.  The curriculum is designed to provide our students with a wide range of options in pursuit of their academic and professional goals and interests, while also providing solid training in core foundations of  the two disciplines. Students learn both qualitative and quantitative research methods and are exposed to a variety of subfields and theoretical perspectives.

Faculty core strengths include: social movements and social change, inequality, stratification, deviance, cultural diversity, social interaction and group processes, migration, world systems/globalization, social institutions (religion, family, work and occupations, health care, politics and the economy), criminology, gerontology, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and advanced statistical analysis. 

 

boxRequirements for a Masters of Arts in Sociology

Applicants for admission are expected to present a minimum of twelve hours of undergraduate sociology courses and the Graduate Record Examination.  A student must file a plan of study with the advisor and the Graduate College office no later than the completion of 12 credit hours including Sociology 503 and 545.  To complete the requirements for the master’s degree, students must select either the thesis (32 hours) or the non-thesis option (36 hours).   Social Research II (Soc 503), Sociological Theory (Soc 521), Social Statistics II (Soc 545), and Advanced Sociological Theory (Soc 601) are required for both options.

Courses listings can be found in the appropriate catalog:

GRADUATE COURSE CATALOG

MASTERS PROGRAM ADMISSION DETAILS

Admission to the program is offered to a limited number of qualified students demonstrating academic excellence and professional promise. Admission is granted on a full-time or part-time basis, with preferred entrance in the fall semester of each year. Consideration for admission is based on a complete application which consists of:

  • Graduate College application form
  • Official transcripts from all academic institutions attended
  • Standardized test scores (GRE)
  • International students must provide evidence of English language proficiency such as the TOEFL
  • A minimum of 12 credit hours of undergraduate sociology course work
  • Undergraduate grade point average (GPA), overall and in sociology
  • Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic or professional competence.

To receive full consideration all application materials must be received by April 15 for the Fall semester. Late applications will be considered for conditional or provisional enrollment. Students should plan to take the GRE tests as early in the year as possible.

Please visit the “Welcome Page” of the Graduate College for information and links to assist you as you begin your graduate study. http://www.marshall.edu/mugc/welcome/. General Graduate College information and application forms are available here and on the Graduate College website at http://www.marshall.edu/mugc/index.html

FINANCIAL AID for Graduate Studies

The Fall 2008 tuition rate per semester for graduate students was $2430 in-state; $4374 Metro; and $6502 out-of-state. This rate does not include fees, books, other supplies, or housing and related living expenses. The cost of living in Huntington and the Tri-States area of West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, is generally much lower than that of comparable cities, and the climate is milder too. In the past, the vast majority of full-time graduate students received some form of financial support, and we hope to continue that tradition absent any further budget cuts.

The most common forms of financial support are graduate assistantships, federal work/study and student loans. Graduate Assistants are assigned to work with faculty members on research projects or as teaching assistants for undergraduate courses in exchange for a small stipend and tuition waiver. Graduate Assistantships not only provide financial support, but are also a valuable part of the student’s professional training and development. The university offers modest competitive grants for summer research for graduate students working on the thesis, and limited travel assistance to graduate students who are presenting papers at professional meetings.

The link to the Financial Aid office is here where you will find application materials, costs of attendance, loan information and scholarship opportunities. The link to the Office of the Bursar is here where you will find tuition and fee rates and links for payment options.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology accepts applications for Graduate Assistantships in the Spring for the following academic year.

 

MASTERS PROGRAM PLAN OF STUDY

The Sociology Master of Art degree requires the completion of 32 hours of coursework for the Thesis Option, or completion of 36 hours of coursework for the Non-Thesis Option. The curriculum is structured around a set of core requirements that provide a strong foundation in sociological theory, research methods and social statistics.
 
All students are required to complete 12 hours of core courses:

SOC 600 Classical Sociological Theory

SOC 601 Contemporary Sociological Theory

SOC 605 Qualitative Research Methods & Analysis
SOC 606 Quantitative Research Methods & Analysis
 
SOC 605 Qualitative Research Methods & Analysis and SOC 606 Quantitative Research Methods & Analysis are a two-course sequence that should be completed by all students during the first academic year in the graduate program if possible (or within the first 12 graduate credit hours for part-time students). Exceptions are made for students who must take prerequisite courses before enrolling in this sequence. All students must successfully pass comprehensive exams based on core requirements.
 
Students, in consultation with their advisor, must complete an official “Plan of Study” during their second semester or after completion of 12 credit hours, and no later than completion of 18 credit hours. The Plan of study must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies before submission to the Office of the Graduate College. In addition to the core courses, student may select elective courses from the sociology and anthropology department offerings to complete the 32 credit hours (Thesis Option) or 36 credit hours (Non-thesis Option). Graduate level courses from other departments may be taken with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies and the course instructor. At least one half of all graduate credit hours must be at the 600 level.
 
Students are encouraged to experience the broad range of subfields, research methods and theoretical perspectives. Courses are offered in social movements and social change, inequality and conflict, diversity, social institutions, social groups, and special topic seminars, as well as fields such as anthropology, criminology and gerontology. The Department of Sociology and Anthropology maintains a “one C rule” whereby students will be placed on academic probation if they earn more than one grade of C or lower in any graduate courses.
 
For more information on course offerings see the latest Graduate Catalog available in PDF format here.

Information on graduation requirements can be found in the Graduate Handbook available in PDF format here.

Sociology Faculty              

Elena Ermolaeva, Associate Professor

PhD Johns Hopkins

Comparative ethnic relations; Stratification;  Gender

 

Richard Garnett, Associate Professor

PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Social Movements; Holocaust; Genocide; Social Theory

 

Markus Hadler, Associate Professor

PhD University of Graz, Austria

Political sociology, inequality,  research methods

Director of Graduate Studies

 

Marty Laubach, Associate Professor

PhD Indiana University

Religion; Social Psychology; Science & Knowledge; Work & Organizations

Director of Undergraduate Studies

 

Frederick Roth, Associate Professor

PhD University of Connecticut

Criminology; Deviance; Juvenile Delinquency

 

Donna Sullivan, Associate Professor

PhD University of Massachusetts Boston

Social Gerontology; Family; Media; Social Problems

Director of the Older & Wiser Letter Project (OWL)

 

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