Department of Sociology

Admission Requirements

1. The applicant must apply for and be granted admission to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies through the office of the graduate dean and also must apply separately to and be accepted by the sociology program (see departmental handbook for details).

2. An acceptable score on the aptitude (verbal and quantitative) section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required of all applicants. This score must be filed before final approval of an application can be given.

3. For unconditional admission to the master's program, the applicant must have completed a minimum of 18 hours of sociology; have a grade point average of 3.0 on the last 60 hours of courses for the bachelor's degree and a GPA of 3.0 on all sociology courses; and have a minimum total score of 900 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE.

4. The applicant who does not meet some of these requirements may be considered for conditional admission provided substantial alternative evidence of ability to do graduate work is submitted to the program's graduate admissions committee. For conditional admission, the applicant must have a grade point average of 2.8 on the last 60 hours of courses for the bachelor's degree (or a GPA of 2.8 on all undergraduate work); a GPA of 2.8 on all sociology courses; and a minimum total score of 800 on the verbal and quantitative sections on the GRE. Additional course work may be required when the applicant has fewer than the 18 hours of sociology (or their equivalent) required for unconditional admission. The committee may also request additional evidence of the applicant's ability to do graduate work.

5. The graduate admissions committee of the program is responsible for recommending acceptance or rejection of applicants to graduate programs in sociology. Applicants are expected to submit all pertinent materials well in advance of the anticipated date of entering the School of Graduate Studies.

Requirements for Master's Degrees

1. All master's candidates in sociology are required to take SOCI 5200, Seminar on Research Methods and Design; SOCI 5150, Contemporary Sociological Theory; and SOCI 5210, Introduction to Social Statistics; or their equivalents.

2. Students must establish an advisory committee and prepare a degree plan approved by the committee. The candidate's committee is composed of three faculty members with at least two from sociology, one of whom serves as the major professor, and one faculty member from the minor department, which can be sociology. The major and minor professors are appointed before the student prepares the degree plan, and the third member is added at the time of the comprehensive examination. The degree plan and major and minor professors must be approved by the dean of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies upon recommendation of the student, department chair and graduate adviser.

Thesis Option

1. Of the required minimum of 30 hours for the master's degree, 18 must be in courses numbered 5000 or above, excluding the thesis.

2. A graduate major in sociology consists of a minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate work in sociology, including a 6-hour thesis.

3. A minor of 6 hours in a related field must be approved by the chair of the sociology department and the student's major professor.

4. Candidates for the Master of Arts degree must present evidence of a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language.

5. Successful completion of a thesis and satisfactory performance on the comprehensive examination complete the requirements for the master's degree. The comprehensive exam is principally the candidate's oral defense of his or her thesis but may include related questions on theories, research methods, and social statistics used in the discipline. Candidates are eligible to complete the exam after they have established an advisory/thesis committee, had their degree plan approved, and completed 21 semester hours of graduate credit toward the degree. The examining board consists of the candidate's three member advisory/thesis committee.

Non-Thesis Option

1. Of the required minimum of 36 hours for the master's degree, 30 must be in courses numbered 5000 or above.

2. The non-thesis master's degree usually includes a minimum of 30 hours of graduate work in sociology.

3. A minor usually consists of 6 hours, but up to 12 hours may be taken in courses outside of sociology with consent of the department chair and the student's major professor.

4. A total of 6 hours may be earned in SOCI 5940, Internship.

5. Candidates for the Master of Arts degree must present evidence of a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language.

6. Satisfactory performance on the comprehensive examination completes the requirements for the master's degree. The comprehensive exam, as determined by the candidate's advisory committee, is usually oral but may be written or both. The oral exams normally last one and one-half hours and the written exams four hours. The candidate answers the questions without access to books, journals or other written material. The exams are principally over, but not limited to, completed course work with an emphasis upon theories, research methods and social statistics used in the discipline. Candidates are eligible to complete the exam(s) after they have established an advisory committee, had a degree plan approved and completed 27 semester hours of graduate credit toward the degree. The examining board consists of the candidate's three member advisory committee.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in sociology is offered through a cooperative program of the Federation of North Texas Area Universities that includes Texas Woman's University, Texas A&M University­Commerce and the University of North Texas. The PhD in sociology is granted by both Texas Woman's University and the University of North Texas. Students apply for acceptance into the program through one of the two participating universities.

Together the two universities offer graduate training in various aspects of sociology along with opportunities in the area of sociological practice. All doctoral students are required to study core social theory and social research and must concentrate further in one of the following areas: family and the life cycle, social organization/disorganization or urban sociology.

The objective of the federation's sociology program is to produce intellectually well-rounded graduates capable of (1) functioning effectively in either an academic milieu or a sociological practice setting, (2) analyzing human social groups and relationships between groups and (3) evaluating the influence of social factors on social situations.

Graduate students enrolled at either UNT or TWU take courses at both universities, thus benefiting from the combined faculties and facilities of the two schools. Students graduating from the federation program will be granted the PhD from the university through which they entered the program.

Federation Program Faculty

The doctoral program is staffed by faculty from Texas Woman's University and the University of North Texas. The following faculty participate in the program:

• Texas Woman's University: Clark, Cowan, Garza, Johansen, Nickum-Marshell, Phillips, Sadri, J. E. Williams, J. L. Williams.
• University of North Texas: Esterchild, Eve, Fairchild, Holman, Ingman, Kitchens, Lawson, Lusky, Neal, Pillai, Quinn, Rodeheaver, Seward, Torrez, Williamson, Yeatts.

Federation Research

Faculty at participating universities pursue a variety of complementary research topics. In addition to the UNT faculty's research listed above, the TWU faculty has ongoing research in ethnicity, gender, inequality, international development, mental health, and teaching and advising effectiveness, with a strong emphasis upon qualitative methods.

Admission Requirements

Students initially must apply to and meet the general admission requirements of either the Graduate School at TWU or the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies at UNT. Students additionally must apply separately to the program (see departmental handbook or guidelines for details). Applications of students who satisfy the graduate school's admission standards are forwarded for review to the federation's sociology admissions committee, which is made up of faculty from each participating university. This committee is responsible for recommending acceptance into the federation doctoral program. The following requirements must be met for admission.

1. For unconditional admission to the PhD program in sociology, the applicant must have a master's degree; have completed a minimum of 18 hours of sociology, at least 3 graduate semester hours in social research methods and 3 graduate semester hours in social statistics; have at least a 3.5 (B+) GPA for master's courses; and have a minimum total score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (the minimum verbal score is 400 and the minimum quantitative score is 450).

2. For possible conditional admission, requiring an appeal to the graduate school, the applicant must have a master's degree, at least a 3.0 (B) GPA for all master's credit, a minimum total score of 900 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination, and substantial alternative evidence of potential success in graduate studies. Additional course work may be required when the applicant has less than the required hours and courses needed for unconditional admission. The admission committee may request additional evidence of the applicant's ability to do graduate work.

3. Outstanding undergraduates without the master's degree who meet all possible unconditional requirements may be considered for conditional admission into the doctoral program.

The dean of the appropriate graduate school will notify the applicant of admission to graduate studies and admission to the sociology program. Prior to enrolling for the first semester of doctoral work, the student should consult with the department's graduate adviser to schedule courses for that semester.

Degree Requirements

1. The minimum program for the PhD in sociology consists of 90 hours beyond the bachelor's degree or 60 hours beyond the master's degree, including 12 hours for the dissertation. All students are required to complete:

a. a minimum of 12 semester hours in research methods and statistics, including at least two 6000-level courses;

b. a minimum of 12 semester hours in sociological theory, including at least two 6000-level courses;

c. a minimum of 12 semester hours with a concentration in one of the following: family and the life cycle, social organization/disorganization or urban sociology, including at least two 6000-level courses;

d. a minimum of an additional 12 semester hours in either another sociology concentration area or a related minor field; and

e. a minimum of 12 semester hours of dissertation.

2. Students may earn limited credit in cooperative education at TWU or in an internship at UNT as part of their PhD course work.

3. Students must complete a research tool requirement. The student must complete course work in computer science or other research tool subjects (the tool courses must be recommended by the student's committee and approved by the chair of the department) or demonstrate language proficiency in French, German or Spanish. Substitution of another language may be approved by the graduate dean upon recommendation of the student's advisory committee. The advisory committee may require proficiency in a language when the dissertation research demands it.

4. A student must carry a full load of 9 hours for any two consecutive semesters to fulfill the residency requirement.

5. The student must establish an advisory committee and prepare a degree plan approved by this committee. The advisory committee is composed of four members. At least three, including the major professor or chair, must be from the sociology faculty. One of these should be from TWU faculty. The fourth faculty member serves as the minor professor, who must represent a second concentration within sociology or a minor outside the program (if a minor is declared). This committee is appointed by the dean of the appropriate graduate school upon recommendation of the student, department chair and graduate adviser. In conjunction with approval of the degree plan, the advisory committee may administer a diagnostic review to assist the student in completing the program. The degree plan of the individual student should be completed during the first semester of the second year of graduate work or after completion of 18 semester hours in the program.

6. Qualifying or comprehensive examinations are required of all students, normally at completion of course work and with approval of the student's advisory committee. Examinations are written in theory, methods and two areas of concentration. The first two exams are prepared and evaluated by federation committees composed of faculty from both universities. The concentration and minor exams are prepared and evaluated by the student's advisory committee, who also reviews the federation committees' evaluations and administers an oral examination upon successful completion of all written exams. Preparations for these exams includes, but is not limited to, course work, reading key literature and participation in study groups.

The successful completion of these examinations is a prerequisite for admission to candidacy for the degree. Admission to candidacy is granted by the appropriate graduate dean upon recommendation of the advisory committee and the chair, and also is based upon the student's academic record and successful completion of the tool requirement.

After admission to candidacy, the student must add an outside member to their advisory committee. This fifth member must be from outside the federated sociology department's faculty. This person must be approved by the student's major professor, the department's graduate adviser, and the appropriate graduate dean.

7. Under the direction of the advisory committee the candidate must write a dissertation representing original research. It must make a significant contribution to the discipline of sociology in the student's area of concentration.

The student must defend orally a written dissertation proposal that meets with the approval of the student's advisory committee before the dissertation is written. The final written dissertation must be defended orally before and approved by the committee.

Dual Degree in Sociology/Public Health

The Department of Sociology and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offer a dual degree program with a specialization in health services research. Students in the program complete either a master's or doctoral degree in sociology, and the Master of Public Health (MPH). The dual degree program is administered by the Department of Sociology.

Students must complete either a master's or doctoral degree in sociology, including designated electives in sociology as well as designated electives in the interdisciplinary field of health services research. The designated electives must include the track core requirements (Seminar in the Sociology of Health, Economics of Health Care, Medical Geography, and Seminar in Evaluation Research). The master's degree in sociology requires a minimum of 30 hours (thesis option) or 36 hours (non-thesis option); the doctoral degree requires a minimum of 90 hours beyond the bachelor's or 60 hours beyond the master's degree.

To receive the second master's degree in the field of public health, students must complete a minimum of 24 additional hours, including the required MPH core courses (Environmental Health, Principles of Epidemiology, Health Administration, Principles of Public Health, Biostatistics I and II, and Behavioral Epidemiology) and either a thesis or both the capstone course in public health and a special problems course.