The Department of Sociology offers both a Master’s of Arts (M.A.) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. The M.A. degree can be earned under either Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis) options. Students in the Ph.D. program enroll concurrently in the Plan A M.A. program, which is available only to these students. The Plan B M.A. is available only to UConn students who are admitted to the Department’s accelerated (4+1) program (and to Ph.D. students who do not wish to continue in the Ph.D. program).

Requirements

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Required Core Courses
SOCI 5001	Proseminar	1.5
SOCI 5002	Proseminar	1.5
SOCI 5201	The Logic of Social Research	3
SOCI 5203	Quantitative Research I	3
or SOCI 5231	Qualitative Research I
SOCI 5251	Core Theorists	3
Required Elective Courses (chosen in consultation with the student’s major advisor)		9
SOCI 5421
SOCI 5501	Racism
SOCI 5505	Topics in Racism and Ethnic Group Relations
SOCI 5515	Sociology of Immigration
SOCI 5525	Race, Immigration, and Reproduction
SOCI 5601	Gender and Society
SOCI 5605
SOCI 5613	Theories of Intersectionality
SOCI 5614	Sexual Citizenship
SOCI 5651
SOCI 5701
SOCI 5805
SOCI 5821	Social Movements
SOCI 5825
SOCI 5833	Gender, Politics and the State
SOCI 5895	Investigation of Special Topics
SOCI 6203	Quantitative Research II
SOCI 6205
SOCI 6231	Qualitative Research II
Nine additional credits of graduate sociology courses. 1		9
Total Credits		30

¹

Students in their +1 year can substitute, if approved by their advisor, one course in another department for 3 credits of elective sociology work.

Master of Arts in Sociology

(with Concurrent Enrollment in Ph.D. program)

Most Ph.D. students enter with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and obtain the M.A. in Sociology in the first two years of the program, then proceed to the Ph.D. Students who are admitted with the M.A. in Sociology from another institution will typically finish the Ph.D. program in a shorter time. Students entering with the M.A. from other universities may have to take some required coursework in order to cover equivalent material as students who attained their degrees at the University of Connecticut. Students entering with graduate degrees in disciplines other than Sociology must fulfill the requirements of both the M.A. and Ph.D.

Requirements

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
SOCI 5001	Proseminar	1.5
SOCI 5002	Proseminar	1.5
SOCI 5201	The Logic of Social Research	3
SOCI 5203	Quantitative Research I	3
SOCI 5231	Qualitative Research I	3
SOCI 5251	Core Theorists	3
Sociology Electives		15
GRAD 5950	Master's Thesis Research	9
Total Credits		39

Plan A

Students complete a M.A. thesis, which includes submitting a written thesis and passing a formal M.A. thesis defense.

Plan B (Terminal)

Students who do not wish to continue in the program may submit a portfolio instead of a M.A. thesis, which constitutes a final examination for Plan B students, and do not have to complete the 9 credits of GRAD 5950. The portfolio consists of a minimum of three papers that together illustrate a command of sociological theory, research methods, and at least one substantive area. Students cannot move on to the Ph.D. phase of the program if they take the Plan B option.

Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology

The Ph.D. requires a total of 33 credits beyond the Master’s in Sociology degree. These credits include: six credits of required Sociology courses (SOCI 6203 Quantitative Research II, SOCI 6231 Qualitative Research II), 12 credits of Sociology electives, and 15 credits of GRAD 6950 Doctoral Dissertation Research. Students may also take up to six credits of seminars outside of the department, but these may not be used in place of the Sociology elective credits.

General Examination

Students must demonstrate mastery over a particular area of sociological expertise. The General Examination has both a written and oral component.

Dissertation Proposal

Students must also complete a dissertation proposal, which includes submitting a written proposal and passing a formal dissertation proposal defense.

Dissertation

The dissertation has both a written and oral component.

Accelerated (4+1) Master of Arts in Sociology

The accelerated (4+1) M.A. in Sociology is designed for UConn undergraduates who want to develop the training and skills needed to pursue careers focused on social justice. The program allows students to get graduate-level training in several general areas of specialization, including but not limited to: Gender, Sexuality, Racism, Social Inequality, Human Rights, Politics; and Research Methods. The program requires a total of 30 graduate credits. Up to 12 credits of the required graduate coursework taken while the student is an undergraduate may be used toward both the B.A. and M.A. Plans of Study. Students must also receive approval from a faculty member that will serve as their advisor.