Sociology

Graduate Degree Programs

Opportunities for graduate studies

The sociology graduate programs at the University of North Texas equip you for a career in academia and/or applied sociology (also known as sociological practice or clinical sociology).While pursuing a Master of Arts or Master of Science in Sociology, you will learn to apply social science perspectives and tools to social problems thereby improving the quality of life.

You will have the opportunity to work closely with faculty members in educational and research areas such as:

• comparative and global sociology
• demography
• environment
• family
• gender
• health and illness
• race and ethnicity
• social inequality and stratification
• sociology of aging
• sustainable societies
• work and organizations

Admission requirements

Enrolling in the master's degree programs is a two-step process. First, you will need to be admitted to the Toulouse Graduate School (see graduateschool.unt.edu for admission requirements). Second, you will need to complete the sociology departmental application, which requires a statement of purpose and four completed recommendation forms and/or letters of recommendation. Unconditional admission to the program requires:

• acceptable scores on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE (Scores must be on file before application review and final approval of an application can be given.)
• completion of 18 semester hours of sociology
• have a grade point average of 3.0 on the last 60 semester hours of courses for the bachelor’s degree and a GPA of 3.0 on all sociology courses

If the GPA requirement is not met, conditional admission may be granted based on either:

• having at least a 2.8 GPA or higher on the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses
• having at least a 2.8 GPA or higher on all undergraduate work plus a 2.8 GPA or higher on all sociology courses

Additional course work may be required if you have fewer than the 18 hours of sociology (or their equivalent).

Degree requirements

Master of Arts and Master of Science

Thesis option

• 9 semester hours of required core courses
• 15 semester hours of substantive sociology courses (6 semester hours may be in a minor in a related field)
• 6 semester hours of thesis and successful defense of thesis in lieu of comprehensive exam
• reading knowledge of a foreign language (Master of Arts degree only) This option is strongly encouraged if you plan to pursue a Ph.D.

Nonthesis option

• 9 semester hours of required core courses
• 27 semester hours of substantive sociology courses (up to 12 semester hours may be in a minor in a related field)
• reading knowledge of a foreign language (Master of Arts degree only)
• pass a comprehensive exam designed by the advisory committee

The graduate school will notify you of the admission decision to our program.We recommend completing the admission process by the last Monday in November in the year prior to the requested admission year to be eligible for all available financial assistance. Selected candidates will be invited to attend a retreat on the final weekend of January where they will learn more about the program and meet some of the professors. Accepted applicants should consult with our Director of Graduate Studies for recommended courses before their first term/semester.

Financial assistance available

The primary forms of financial support are assistantships in the Department of Sociology, scholarships or financial aid. To be considered for assistantships, you should submit all required admission materials to our department and the Toulouse Graduate School by the last Monday in November of the year prior to the requested admission year. Assistantships are announced at the January informational retreat.