Marshall University, located in West Virginia, is accredited as an institution of higher learning by The Higher Learning Commission. Marshall’s Masters of Sociology program offers excellent preparation for professional careers and advanced degrees in sociology. Our program seeks to ensure that our students develop a solid foundation in the principles, theories, and techniques of analysis in sociology.
While allowing for flexibility to accommodate students’ diverse interests, the curriculum ensures our students are introduced to social theory, learn to employ the basic research methods of the discipline and take courses that provide a good orientation in the discipline both in breadth and depth. Marshall’s sociology program offers diverse faculty, research or applied sociology options, small class sizes and various opportunities for interaction with faculty.
Sociology is also offered as a graduate minor for student who are interested in sociology but are not earning an M.A. in Sociology. A minor in sociology is earned by taking a minimum of six 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 at Marshall.
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Our M.A. in sociology allows Marshall University students to learn how to negotiate the collaboratively constructed institutions through which our social world works, how social stratification affects opportunities for individuals and groups, how to critically analyze problems inherent in the way we construct society and how to empirically determine the facts we construct into truths.
The program offers students the opportunity to study the intricacies of social life. The social and analytical skills developed through the sociology program are essential for any job dealing with people and organizations—especially those involving multiethnic and global environments and those requiring breadth and adaptability.
Humans are social beings and we live in a social environment. Sociology is the scientific discipline that studies that social environment, focusing on human behavior and social interactions of individuals, groups, organizations and whole societies. Sociology is a major that allows students to study her or his interests in the workings of society with minimal disciplinary limits.
Although it isn’t common to see jobs with “sociologist” in the title, a sociology M.A. is recognized as an excellent credential for a wide variety of occupations. A recent study by CareerCast.com ranked sociology as the eighth most appealing job in its analysis of 200 occupations based on job characteristics such as perceived work environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands, security, and stress.
- Social Policy
- Education
- Nonprofit Agencies
- Social Activism
- Health Care
- Criminology
- Industrical or Public Relations
- Marketing
Admission Requirements
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. Please note that while the GRE is not required for admission into the program, students are strongly encouraged to take the exam.
Applicants should follow the admission process outlined in the Graduate Catalog or at the Graduate Admissions website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission.
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;
- international students must provide evidence of English language proficiency such as the TOEFL;
- evidence of a minimum of 12 credit hours of undergraduate sociology coursework;
- 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 and fulfill the requirements stated above will be considered for full admission. The Sociology program may admit applicants provisionally, on a limited basis, at the discretion of the program. The Sociology program may admit applicants on a conditional basis.