Minor

Ph.D. and M.S. Minor Requirements

NOTE: All students must meet the requirements of the Graduate College in addition to the requirements of
the Sociology Program. Please familiarize yourself with the following:

Description of the M.S./Ph.D. Program

A sociology graduate degree provides advanced training for work in specialized public and private human
service programs, undergraduate teaching, applied research, work in the private sector, or preparation for
continued education (for master’s students). Students seeking the sociology graduate degree receive a broad
background in sociology, encompassing the major research and theoretical concerns of the discipline.
Departmental requirements for the degrees emphasize general competence in sociology as well as special
expertise within an area of concentration. In addition to formal class work and conducting research, students
work toward intellectual independence while developing an integrated grasp of the field through a thesis or
dissertation. Both M.S. and Ph.D. students develop the capacity for original and creative research.

M.S. MINOR REQUIREMENTS

Theory (3 cr)

  • 1 course in sociological theory:Soc 506 (3 cr) Classical Sociological Theory

    ORSoc 607 (3 cr) Contemporary Sociological Theory

Methods (3 cr)

  • Soc 511 (3 cr) Research Methodology for the Social Sciences

Electives (6 cr)

  • 2 three-credit graduate-level courses in Sociology

Thesis and Other Requirements

  • Sociology graduate faculty member on POS Committee
  • Final oral exam must test for sociological content

TOTAL = 12 semester credits minimum

PH.D. MINOR REQUIREMENTS

Theory (3 cr)

  • 1 course in sociological theory:Soc 506 (3 cr) Classical Sociological Theory

    OR

    Soc 607 (3 cr) Contemporary Sociological Theory

Methods (6 cr)

  •  Soc 511 (3 cr) Research Methodology for the Social Sciences
  • 1 course in advanced methods:Soc 512 (3 cr) Applied Multivariate Statistics

    OR

    Soc 513 (3 cr) Qualitative Research Methods

Electives (6 cr)

  •  2 three-credit graduate-level courses in Sociology

Dissertation and Other Requirements

  • Sociology graduate faculty member on POS Committee
  • Preliminary and Final oral exam must test for sociological content

TOTAL = 15 semester credits minimum

Sociology Graduate Program Policies for Minors

  • Take one preliminary oral exam (Ph.D.) and one final exam (M.S. and Ph.D.) that incorporates
    disciplinary questions from the minor.
  • A required course may be waived for students who have taken a similar course at the graduate level
    at ISU or elsewhere (B or better). Decisions about waiving a required course will be made on a
    case-by-case basis. Students must submit the syllabus for the course for review by the DOGE and
    faculty in that research area.
  • Graduate-level courses from other institutions (B or better) may be applied toward electives with
    permission of the POS committee and DOGE.
    Graduate College Policy on Courses on Program of Study (POS)
  • With POS-committee approval, graduate students will be permitted to use undergraduate classes
    from both within and outside of their majors toward the POS (B or better).
  • Up to 9 credits from 300- and 400-level courses at ISU (not undergraduate classes from other
    institutions) may applied toward their POS, with a maximum of 3 credits at the 300 level (must
    receive B or better).
  • If a 300-level class is used, it must be from outside of the student’s major (psych, econ, etc.).
  • Expired courses (over 7 years old) must be approved by the Graduate College (see expired courses
    petition form).

Sociology Graduate Student Evaluation

All graduate students in sociology will be reviewed yearly by the faculty. After the review, the student
will receive a letter as to whether his or her progress and performance in the program is satisfactory or
not. If not, the student will receive specific information from the faculty as to how to remediate the
issue(s). If a problem is not rectified in accordance with the faculty’s recommendation, the student may
be dismissed from the program.

Petitioning Procedures

Students may request a waiver of any of the procedures, rules, and regulations described in this
document and appeal decisions based on these procedures, rules, and regulations. Such requests are to
be submitted to the DOGE and Department Chair and should take the form of a written document that
presents the student’s rationale for requesting the waiver or appealing a decision, accompanied by an
evaluation of the request by the student’s advisor or major professor. The DOGE and Chair will examine
the issue, seek advice from departmental committees as necessary, and make the final decision. These
petitions will be approved only under highly extenuating circumstances.