Program Overview

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Introduction to the Sociology Graduate MA Program

The Graduate MA Program at the University of Houston is designed to offer career preparation for students who seek to use their sociological training in applied settings and students who plan to continue their studies through the Ph.D. Both career tracks provide students with conceptualization, communication, and quantification skills desired by employers and by doctoral programs.

Department of Sociology

The Department of Sociology has fifteen full-time sociology faculty who conduct research on topics including social inequality, education, immigration, religion, law, demography, sexuality, gender, race, health, the environment, disasters, body, food, art, organizations, non-profits, and work. Additionally, faculty provide a full complement of social science research methodologies—quantitative, demographic, qualitative, experimental, geographic information systems (GIS), and visual, as well as participating in mixed method studies.

General Requirements for M.A. Degree

The Department of Sociology considers the Master's degree to be: (1) training in preparation for a Ph.D. program, or (2) a professional degree in applied sociology. In order to accomplish these goals, the department offers both a thesis and an applied internship track for the Master of Arts degree. This program provides wide latitude for students aspiring to develop a sociological background. Students are strongly advised to discuss the selection of the thesis or internship program options with their Graduate Advisor and committee Chair to ensure that their selection is well aligned with their career goals.

Required Courses

• The Department of Sociology requires that students complete 15 hours of core courses, which include:
  • Sociological Theory (SOC 6300)
  • Research and Writing in the Social Sciences (SOC 6302)
  • Social Statistics (SOC 6304)
  • Quantitative Methods (SOC 6306)
  • Qualitative Research Methods (SOC 6311)
• It is recommended, although not required, that students have completed introductory undergraduate courses in statistics, theory, and research methods prior to applying to the program or enrolling in these required core courses.

Electives

• Students must complete 15 hours of elective courses for the M.A. degree.
• The elective hours may be chosen from any of the 6000-level courses offered in the Department of Sociology.
• Under certain circumstances, no more than three (3) hours of electives may be taken outside of the Department of Sociology.

Special Problems

• Three (3) credit hours of an independent readings course in sociology may be allowed toward the elective credits.
• The Special Problems course cannot be used to develop the literature review for the thesis or internship paper, but must produce a separate final work product.

4000 Level Courses

• No Department of Sociology undergraduate level courses (4000 or below) will apply toward a Master's degree.
• Courses in other departments at the 4000 level may apply only if the department in which the course is taken allows graduate credit for the specific course within its own department.

Transfer Credit

• Up to nine (9) hours of sociology graduate courses undertaken at other institutions may be considered for transfer credit toward the Master's degree.
• In order to obtain approval for transfer credit, students must petition the Sociology Graduate Committee and provide a syllabus and grade earned for the requested course/s.

Academic Standards

• In order to graduate, the University requires graduate students to maintain at least a B (3.0) grade point average.
• However, in the event that students receive four grades of C+ or below, they will automatically be dropped from the program.
• The Department of Sociology further requires that students must receive a grade of B- or better in each of the required graduate Sociology core courses.

Advisement

• Generally, during the first 18 hours taken as a graduate student in the Department of Sociology, the departmental Graduate Advisor will advise students.
• In addition, all graduate students are required to meet with the Graduate Advisor at least once during each semester that they are enrolled in the program.

Enrollment Requirements

• There is no continuous enrollment policy at UH or in the Department of Sociology.
• However, students who have not enrolled for two consecutive semesters will need to reactivate their status by submitting a general petition to the Sociology Graduate Committee.

M.A. Thesis Program

This program is specifically designed for students who wish to undertake individual research leading to the development of a thesis. The thesis track option is typically selected when a student intends to pursue a doctoral program and/or when a student wishes to develop their research skills through investigating an original research question with broad implications for policy or for the discipline.

Requirements for the Thesis Program

• 15 hours of required core courses
• 6 hours of thesis
• A minimum of 15 semester hours of electives at the graduate level

Thesis Committee

• In order to be enrolled in thesis hours and begin thesis work, students must have successfully completed all five core courses.
• All thesis committees will consist of a minimum of three (3) faculty members.
• Two of these faculty members must come from the Sociology faculty at the University of Houston, one of which will serve as the Thesis Committee Chair.
• The third member must be selected from faculty outside the Department of Sociology.

Thesis Process

• The student will work with the Chair to develop a thesis proposal.
• The student will submit a complete draft of the thesis proposal to the Chair for review.
• The student will then work with the Chair to develop and finalize the proposal that will be submitted to the full Committee.
• The student will submit the final approved draft of the thesis proposal to the full Committee and schedule an oral thesis proposal defense that includes all committee members.

M.A. Internship Program

This program is specifically designed for students who wish to develop their research and writing skills through conducting an applied project. An internship is often viewed as providing training for immediate entry into the labor force.

Requirements for the Internship Program

• 15 hours of core courses
• 6 hours of internship coursework
• A minimum of 15 semester hours of electives at the graduate level

Internship Location, Committee, and Agreement

• A student who wishes to complete an internship must first select an internship site, form a committee, and develop a tentative plan for the internship project.
• The process of completing these steps is as follows:
  • To select an internship location, the student should begin by reviewing the internship locations described in internship papers from former students.
  • The student will need to select an internship site within which they can complete approximately 300 hours of work.

Internship Process

• During the first internship semester, the student will complete 300 hours working for the internship organization.
• The student will develop and defend their internship project proposal no later than the middle of their first internship semester.
• After the student has received the Committee's approval on the submitted proposal, the student will begin work on the internship project.

Graduate Assistantships

The Department of Sociology offers a number of research and teaching assistantships each year. These positions are available to both returning and incoming graduate students.

Teaching Assistantships

• TAs are assigned to one or more faculty members who will direct and coordinate the TA's activities.
• These TAs can expect to monitor and grade exams, grade papers, and do assorted other work for the department and individual faculty.

Research Assistantships

• Students who are awarded research assistantships are assigned to one or more faculty members who are engaged in a particular research project.
• The research assistant will be familiarized with the project and be expected to partake in the ongoing work of the project.

Procedures for Graduation

Master's students must apply for graduation; Graduate degrees are not awarded automatically upon completion of scholastic work.

Application for Graduation

• Application should be filed early (no later than the date specified in the University's academic calendar) during the semester in which the student plans to graduate.
• Application for graduation is made online through the student's account.

Course Enrollment

• Students completing the program (either thesis or internship) must enroll in both Sociology 6399 and 7399 (thesis) or 7395 and 7396 (internship) in succession.

Department of Sociology Graduate Courses

The following is a complete list of the graduate courses offered by the Department of Sociology.

• SOC 6300: Seminar in Sociological Theory (3 credits)
• SOC 6302: Research and Writing in the Social Sciences (3 credits)
• SOC 6304: Social Statistics (3 credits)
• SOC 6306: Seminar in Quantitative Methods (3 credits)
• SOC 6311: Seminar in Qualitative Sociological Methods (3 credits)
• SOC 6312: Seminar in the Sociology of Work and Occupations (3 credits)
• SOC 6325: Seminar in Minority Groups (3 credits)
• SOC 6330: Seminar in Social Psychology (3 credits)
• SOC 6341: Seminar in Formal Organizations (3 credits)
• SOC 6350: Seminar in the Sociology of the Body (3 credits)
• SOC 6351: Seminar in Social Stratification (3 credits)
• SOC 6352: Seminar in Population (3 credits)
• SOC 6360: Seminar in the Sociology of Urban Education (3 credits)
• SOC 6362: Seminar in Social Change (3 credits)
• SOC 6363: Seminar Theories of Social Deviance (3 credits)
• SOC 6375: Seminar in the Sociology of Law (3 credits)
• SOC 6380: Seminar in Medical Care (3 credits)
• SOC 6385: Seminar in the Sociology of Religion (3 credits)
• SOC 6390: Seminar in the Sociology of Gender (3 credits)
• SOC 6391: Seminar in the Sexuality and Society
• SOC 6397: Selected Topics in Sociology and Social Psychology (3 credits)
• SOC 6398: Special Problems (3 credits) - A reading course supervised by approved faculty member
• SOC 6399: Thesis (3 credits each)
• SOC 7395: Sociological Internship (3 credits each)
• SOC 7396: Sociological Internship (3 credits each)
• SOC 7399: Thesis (3 credits each)