Academic Programs Catalog

College of Social Science

Graduate Study

The MSU sociology graduate program seeks to develop professionals who will be creative and ethical researchers, teachers, and practitioners in knowledge production.  The department has three signature areas of excellence:

  1. Health and Medicine.  Faculty and students investigate the social context of health, illness, and health care within the USA and cross-nationally.  MSU health and medicine scholars analyze health disparities by race/ethnicity, social class, gender, and sexuality; the influence of family and social relationships on mental, physical, and cognitive health over the life course; political, economic, and environmental factors that threaten health; and societal forces that impact the health care system.  Several scholars are affiliated with MSU’s Consortium for Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Health.  In recent years, MSU health and medicine scholars have secured research funding from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Justice, and Department of Agriculture.
  2. Environment. Faculty and students examine human-environment interactions, analyzing how humans affect the biophysical environment and how the biophysical environment influences social phenomena.  MSU environmental sociologists investigate a range of topics including climate change, environmental inequality, energy justice, water rights, and agricultural and food systems.  Using an array of methods, these scholars analyze the environmental decision-making of individuals, the environmental mobilization and activism of communities, the power of organizations as environmental actors, and the structural and institutional drivers of nations’ ecological impacts.  In recent years, MSU environmental sociologists have secured research funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Department of Agriculture, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
  3. Migration. Faculty and students analyze the social, political, economic, and ecological forces that drive human movement; the diversity of the populations involved; and the impact they have on sending and receiving communities. MSU migration scholars apply the full range of sociological methods to examine such topics as refugees, statelessness, human trafficking, immigrant entrepreneurialism, assimilation processes, and the African Diaspora.  MSU’s Department of Sociology is a recognized center of expertise and excellence in research, teaching, and engagement on migration, transnationalism, and diasporic processes.  In recent years, MSU migration scholars have secured research funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Social Science Research Council, and Henry Luce Foundation.
Students who are enrolled in Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in the Department of Sociology may elect specializations in Infancy and Early Childhood. For additional information, refer to the statement on Interdepartmental Graduate Specializations in Infancy and Early Childhood.

For further information about graduate study in sociology, consult the department's Graduate Manual or visit www.sociology.msu.edu.

Sociology - Master of Arts

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Sociology 

The program is available only under Plan A (with thesis).  The student must meet the requirements specified below:

1. Complete 30 credits including:
a. All of the following courses (9 credits):
SOC 815 Classical Sociological Theory 3
SOC 881 Analysis of Social Data I 3
SOC 885 Methods of Sociological Inquiry 3
b. One of the following courses (3 credits):
SOC 883 Multi-Equation Quantitative Models 3
SOC 884 Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis 3
SOC 954 Techniques of Population Analysis 3
SOC 985 Qualitative Field Research 3
SOC 986 Survey Research Principles 3
c. At least 12 credits in four courses as approved by the student's guidance committee.
d. Complete 6 credits of SOC 899 Master's Thesis Research.
2. Successful completion of the departmental Graduate Teaching Assistant workshop
3. Successful completion of the departmental Professional Development Workshop Series.
4. Successful completion of the departmental Responsible Conduct of Research Requirements.
5. Successful completion and presentation of a qualifying paper.
6. Successfully pass an oral examination in defense of the thesis.

Sociology - Doctor of Philosophy

The doctoral degree program in sociology is designed to give the student a general background in sociological theory and methodology, as well as training in a major substantive area of the discipline.

While there is no language requirement, where acquaintance with a foreign language is necessary for advancing the special interest of the student, the student, in consultation with the guidance committee, may decide upon the study of a foreign language appropriate to their research and career development.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Social Science, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Sociology

Students must complete 60 credits from the following:
1. All of the following courses (15 credits):
SOC 815 Classical Sociological Theory 3
SOC 816 Contemporary Sociological Theory 3
SOC 881 Analysis of Social Data I 3
SOC 882 Analysis of Social Data II 3
SOC 885 Methods of Sociological Inquiry 3
2. Two of the following courses (6 credits):
SOC 883 Multi-Equation Quantitative Models 3
SOC 884 Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis 3
SOC 985 Qualitative Field Research 3
SOC 986 Survey Research Principles 3
SOC 989 Topics in Sociological Methodology 3
3. Complete 15 credits from 5 additional courses approved by the student’s guidance committee.
4. Complete 24 credits of Sociology 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research.
5. Successful completion of the departmental Graduate Teaching Assistant workshop.
6. Successful completion of the departmental Professional Development Workshop series.
7. Successful completion and presentation of a qualifying paper.
8. Successful completion of the comprehensive examination.
9. Successful defense of the dissertation proposal.
10. Successful defense of the dissertation.

Animal Studies: Social Science and Humanities Perspectives - Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Animal Studies: Social Science and Humanities Perspectives, which is administered by the Department of Sociology, is an online program available to any individual with a bachelor’s degree. The certificate addresses society’s changing needs in providing individuals with a basic understanding of human relationships with other animals, including domestic and companion animals, liminal animals, and wildlife. The certificate is valuable as a complementary learning opportunity for individuals with, or who are planning careers in animal-related fields, including animal-assisted therapy, marine ecosystems, conservation criminology, animal shelters, sanctuaries, refuges, rehabilitation centers, and zoo management and education.
 
Requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Animal Studies: Social Science and Humanities Perspectives

Students must complete 9 credits from the following:
SOC 830 Animals and Environmental Sustainability 3
SOC 840 Animals and Social Transformations 3
SOC 850 Special Topics in Animal Studies 3