Doctor of Philosophy
The Department of Sociology, in the College of Arts and Sciences, offers a nationally ranked graduate program leading to the Ph.D. degree. It also grants an M.A. degreeas a sign of progress toward the doctorate.
The sociology program grants the doctorate to three to six students per year. Most of these go on to university or college teaching positions or postdoctoral programs at otheruniversities. A few enter government service or business.
Admission
Degree Requirements
The Graduate School
Admission to the Ph.D. Program in Sociology
For admission to graduate study in sociology, the following, in addition to the minimum Graduate School requirements,are normally required:
A bachelor's degree or its equivalent, as attested to by transcripts of previousacademic work.Undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above.
Satisfactory results on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.
International students, in addition to taking the GRE, must take the TOEFL exam andreceive a score of 550 or better to be considered for admission.
Satisfactory recommendations from former instructors.
Acceptance by both the Department of Sociology and the Graduate School.
Applications must be submitted to the Department by January 15th of each year. Admissions are for the Fall semester only. There are no Spring Admissions. Applications should be submitted online through the graduate school website: The Graduate School
Supplementary materials can be mailed directly to:Sociology Department - Graduate Program Applications
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-4356
Writing Samples and CVs are optional, but must be MAILED directly to the department. Please do not e-mail them to the Graduate Program Coordinator
Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree in Sociology
In addition to the minimum Graduate School requirements, the following are required:
Residence:
Minimum residence is one year of full-time study. Students may be admitted to the Ph.D.program on a part-time basis, but these arrangements usually require that the students appear on campus during certain periods of the normal working day. Full-time study entails 12 or more graduate credit hours per semester for those students entering without prior graduate study or fewer than 24 graduate credit hours, and nine or more graduate credit hours per semester for those students entering with more than 24 graduate credit hours or with advanced standing provided by prior graduate work. Since a graduate traineeship is considered part of the academic program, credit hours will be given for teaching or research assistantships as well as supervised teaching. Under specific conditions credit may be given for individual research work outside formal courses but under the supervision of faculty members.Courses:
Course requirements for a Ph.D. in sociology include four designated courses, two in sociological theory and two in research methods, all taken in the first year of graduatestudy. Of an additional ten required courses, one must provide additional methodological training and can be chosen by the student from a variety of suitable offerings specifiedby the department. Three of the remaining nine required courses may be taken outside the department, upon written approval from the department's graduate committee. These three courses must be completed with at least a B average. During the first year of study full-time students who have fewer than 24 graduatecredit hours take eight courses; full-time students who have 24 or more graduate credit hours from prior graduate study take six courses. These must include two two-course sequences, one in sociological theory (SOC 505 and 506) and one in statistics and research methods (SOC 501 and 502)-- and two elective courses. For those holding graduate traineeships, a teaching assistantship under the supervision of a faculty member would consist of two of the eight courses (one each semester).Professional Competence Options:
Continuing doctoral students have two options for completing the first half of the doctoral program before moving on to work in a special field and on their dissertation.Option 1--Comprehensive Examination and M.A. Research Report:
In this rather traditional option, the adequacy of a student's general preparation is evaluated by means of a written comprehensive examination. This examination, to be taken between the beginning of the fifth semester and the beginning of the sixth semester of graduate study, must be passed at the standard set by the department for doctoral-level work. A student who fails to pass this examination at the required level, but whose performance is satisfactory in all other aspects, may be permitted to take a terminal M.A. by completing 30 credits of graduate coursework and submitting an acceptable research report. Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student must submit a research report that demonstrates ability to analyze empirical data and to present findings clearly and systematically. Upon successful completion of all of the above requirements, along with completion of a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit, the department will recommend to the vice provost for graduate studies that the student be awarded the M.A. degree as a sign of progress toward the Ph.D.Option 2--The Three Papers:
In this option, a student can meet M.A. requirements and proceed to the second half of doctoral work through the submission of three papers written under faculty supervision. These should normally be completed by the beginning of the fourth academic year; each of the three papers is designed to allow students to demonstrate a different competence. Each paper should be more substantial than a seminar paper and less substantial than an M.A.thesis; two substantive areas must be represented in the three papers. The three papers are designed to demonstrate three kinds of skills:Theory paper:
An attempt to say something original, focused on theoretical questions, i.e., how they should be addressed or refined. Evaluating alternative theoretical positions in light of available evidence or data is an acceptable possibility for such a paper.Empirical paper:
Should include some justification for why this particular manipulation of data is necessary or desirable. Of the three papers, this is the one that is intended to look most like a research report. A wide variety of methods is permitted.One of the following two options:
- Analytic review of the state of the art in some substantive area in sociology. This paper can take one of two forms: a review essay (see Journal of Economic Literature, Psychological Review, or Annual Review of Sociology), or an essay that outlines a field for use in teaching a graduate seminar.
- Research proposal: This is to be a major research proposal. It should include a review of the relevant literature and statements concerning the theoretical framework used, hypotheses to be tested, and methodology to be employed in the project. The proposal must be submitted to a funding agency (but not necessarily accepted) before it can be approved as a paper.
Upon successful completion of all the above requirements, along with completion of 30 hours of graduate credit, the student may proceed to the advanced stage of his or her doctoral work.
Teaching Requirement:
Graduate training includes supervised teaching experience. In the fall semester of their third year, students enroll in a teaching practicum to prepare them to teach their own course, under supervision, the following semester or in the fall semester of their fourth year.Preliminary Examination:
This takes the form of an oral examination in the student's specialty to be given only after all the above requirements have been met. It is designed to appraise the depth of knowledge in the broad area from which the student has selected a dissertation topic. The content of this area is to be defined individually for each student. It consists of a generally recognized, broad subfield and must deal with related materials from other subfields.Advancement to Candidacy:
The department's recommendation that a student be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. is based on passing the preliminary examination and approval of a dissertation proposal.Doctoral Dissertation:
This must be an independent piece of research and scholarship representing an original contribution, the results of which are worthy of publication. Upon oral defense and acceptance of the dissertation, the department will recommend to the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies that the student be awarded the Ph.D. degree.
The progress of every student will be evaluated by the department at the end of the first full year of graduate study. Those whose performance and ability are clearly below the standard established by the department for the Ph.D. will be asked to withdraw before they have made a costly investment of time. If more than seven years have elapsed since the student completed 24 hours of graduate courses in the department, the student's Ph.D.candidacy will lapse. After the first year, a progressively larger proportion of a student's time will be spent as a participant in research activities, under the supervision of faculty members. Ordinarily, a student with adequate preparation and involved in full-time study should be able to earn a Ph.D. within five to six years from the start of graduate work.
Students who arrive with an M.A. degree in sociology or with three semesters of work in the discipline will be expected to complete some of the requirements above more quickly than indicated.
