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. 

Information below regarding the Sociology Graduate Program (MA) reflects current requirements and processes.  Previously admitted students will follow requirements outlined in the Graduate College catalog for the year of their admission to the University.

MASTERS PROGRAM ADMISSIONs

Interested students may seek admission to the program for full-time or part-time studies, with preferred entrance in the fall semester of each year. To receive full consideration all application materials must be received by the Graduate Admissions Office by April 15 for the Fall semester and by November 15 for the Spring semester. Students should plan to take the GRE as early in the year as possible.

Applicants should follow the admission process outlined in the Graduate Catalog or at the Graduate College website.

In addition to the materials described in the Catalog and on the website, applicants for regular admission to the Master of Arts in Sociology must submit to the Graduate Admissions Office:

  • A personal statement describing interests in the program and future plans;

  • Standardized test scores (GRE);

  • International students must provide evidence of English language proficiency such as the TOEFL;

  • Evidence of a minimum of 12 credit hours of undergraduate sociology course work;

  • Undergraduate grade point average (GPA), overall and in sociology;

  • A writing sample: a copy of one paper (10-25 pages) from an undergraduate course, preferably a sociology or anthropology course; and

  • Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic or professional competence.

Admission to the program is offered to a limited number of qualified students demonstrating academic excellence and professional promise. Applicants who have submitted a complete application, who fulfill the requirements stated above, and who have achieved a combined GRE score of 651 will be considered for Full Admission. Students who do not fulfill all requirements stated above (including the minimum GRE score) may be considered for admission on a provisional or conditional basis.

AREA of Emphasis (ANTHROPOLOGY)

Anthropology Area of Emphasis (12 credit hours)

The requirements for the Area of Emphasis include:

ANT 600 Ethnographic Methods

ANT 567 Culture through Ethnography or ANT 591 Theory in Ethnology

An additional two classes (6 credit hours) of courses at the 500- or 600-level in Anthropology as approved by the student's advisor and the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and included in the Plan of Study mentioned above.

 Students who opt for the Anthropology Area of Emphasis have to choose courses from two out of the four sociology focus areas if they write a thesis or from three out of the four sociology focus areas if they write a problem report to comply with the breadth requirements discussed above.

GRADUATE MINORS

Sociology Minor

A minor in sociology is earned by taking at least 6 credit hours in courses at the 500- or 600- level in Sociology as approved by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Anthropology Minor

A minor in anthropology is earned by taking at least 6 credit hours in courses at the 500- or 600- level in Anthropology as approved by the student’s advisor and the Graduate Program Director in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

FINANCIAL AID for Graduate Studies

Tuition rates per semester for graduate students are determined by the students residency status as in-state, Metro, or out-of-state. The most current tuition figures are available at the Office of the Bursar.  Note that the quoted rates do 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. See the Financial Aid Office for application materials, costs of attendance, loan information and scholarship opportunities.

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

 

MASTERS PROGRAM PLAN OF STUDY

In addition to regular courses and seminars, students are expected to contribute to their professional growth through interaction with the faculty and other graduate students as well as from independent study and reading. A student must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in all Sociology and Anthropology classes as a requirement for graduation. A student who receives a second grade of C or below while pursuing the MA in Sociology must review her/his academic plans with the department’s Director of Graduate Programs; this review may result in the student being dismissed from the program.

 The Sociology Master of Arts degree requires the completion of 33 hours of coursework plus SOC 681 thesis hours for the Thesis Option, or completion of 36 hours of coursework plus SOC 679 for the Non-Thesis Option. The curriculum is structured around a set of core requirements and a set of disciplinary focus areas that together provide a strong foundation in sociological theory, research methods and data analysis. At least half of the minimum required hours for the student’s master’s degree must be earned in classes numbered 600 or above. Students, in consultation with their advisor, must complete an official “Plan of Study” during their first semester or before completion of 12 credit hours. The Plan of Study must be approved by the Director of Graduate Programs in the department before submission for approval to the Office of the Graduate College. All students must successfully pass comprehensive exams to demonstrate broad comprehension and synthesis of sociology (and, in case the Anthropology Area of Emphasis is chosen, also anthropology); the comprehensive exam will be in conjunction with the defense of the thesis for students choosing that option or will be an examination in an appropriate form after the approval of a problem report.

Core Requirements

All students are required to complete 15 hours of core courses:

SOC 600 Classical Sociological Theory

SOC 601 Contemporary Sociological Theory

SOC 605 Qualitative Research Methods and Analysis

SOC 606 Quantitative Research Methods and Analysis

SOC 609 Professional Development

SOC 605 and SOC 606, is a two-course research methods 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.

Electives (18 hours for thesis option and 21 hours for non-thesis option; for the specific requirements for the Anthropology Area of Emphasis see below)

The department offers a variety of electives which are bundled in four disciplinary focus areas and an area of emphasis in anthropology. Graduate level courses from other departments may be taken with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies and the course instructor.

To guarantee breadth of education, courses from more than one focus area have to be taken. Note that some classes contribute to more than one focus area; a student can count such classes in more than one focus area for this requirement, but must of course still meet the requirement for the total number of credit hours. To guarantee depth, students also have to take more courses of a particular focus area, declare a minor, or opt for the area of emphasis in anthropology as described below:

Breadth:

Non-thesis option: One course from each focus area 1 thru 4 (12hrs)

Thesis option: Thesis related to one focus, one course from each of the three remaining focus areas (9hrs)

Depth: 

Additional courses from one focus area or a Minor (9hrs). 

Focus Area 1: Organizations and Institutions

SOC 508

The Family

SOC 533

Sociology of Work

SOC 550

Sociology of Religion

SOC 564

Complex Organizations

SOC 580

Special Topic (dependent on content)

SOC 668

Seminar (dependent on content)

Focus Area 2: Stratification and diversity

SOC 523

Social Class, Power and Conflict

SOC 525

Race and Ethnicity

SOC 532

Sociology of Appalachia

SOC 555

Sociology of Sex and Gender

SOC 655

Feminist Social Theory

SOC 580

Special Topic (dependent on content)

SOC 668

Seminar (dependent on content)

Focus Area 3: Demography, health, and human environments

SOC 501

Population and Human Ecology

SOC 528

Medical Sociology

SOC 532

Sociology of Appalachia

SOC 540

Introduction to Sociology of Aging

SOC 542

Urban Sociology

SOC 552

Sociology of Death and Dying

SOC 640

Problems and Prospects for an Aging Society

SOC 580

Special Topic (dependent on content)

SOC 668

Seminar (dependent on content)

Focus Area 4: Social problems and collective behavior

SOC 513

Social Movements and Social Change

SOC 520

Criminology

SOC 535

Juvenile Delinquency

SOC 560

The Holocaust and Genocide

SOC 602

Contemporary Social Change

SOC 620

Criminology

SOC 640

Problems and Prospects for an Aging Society

SOC 580

Special Topic (dependent on content)

SOC 668

Seminar (dependent on content)

 

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.

 

We Are Marshall