A&S—Sociology
The Department of Sociology offers the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy.
The faculty conduct research and offer courses within three broadly defined areas: social movements; global and comparative sociology; and gender, race, and class. Within each of these areas, graduate students are able to pursue a variety of theoretical, substantive, and methodological interests.
For descriptions of these areas, see:
- Politics and Culture
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- Social Movements
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Graduate students are encouraged to combine their work in sociology with multidisciplinary study in a particular area by enrolling in one of the following certificate programs: Latin American, Asian studies, West European studies, Russian and Eastern European studies, or women’s studies.
Contact Information
- Department Chair: Kathy Blee
- Main Office: 2400 Posvar Hall
- 412-648-7580
- Fax: 412-648-2799
- E-mail: socdept@pitt.edu
- www.sociology.pitt.edu/graduate/
Additional information concerning the department’s graduate program
may be obtained from the University of Pittsburgh,
Department of Sociology, Graduate Secretary,
2400 WWPH, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Phone: 412-648-7585.
E-mail: socdept@pitt.edu.
Qualified students from any discipline are considered for admission. Applicants must submit to the departmental director of graduate studies transcripts of all college-level work, three letters of recommendation, a career statement, and scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination. International applicants are also required to submit TOEFL scores. Two copies of the Application for Admission to Graduate Study form should be completed and submitted along with the application fee. Applications are accepted for fall term admission until March 15. To be considered for financial awards, applications must be completed by January 15. The department admits students only for the fall term.
Financial Assistance
Teaching assistantships and fellowships, Andrew W. Mellon Predoctoral Fellowships, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (administered by the University Center for International Studies), Provost Development Fellowships, and graduate student research assistantships are available.
For the MA, students must earn 36 credits in approved graduate courses. The 36 credits must include completion of the nine credit core course sequence: Social Theory, Qualitative Methods and Quantitative Methods electives with grades of B or better.
Students must then write and defend a master's thesis.
Admission: Prerequisite for admission is a Master of Arts degree or equivalent preparation (plus approval from the Admissions Committee). Students entering with an MA degree from another institution may petition the Admissions Committee for a waiver of the core courses and a transfer of credits.
Credit Requirement: The PhD program requires 72 credits earned from a combination of the required core course sequences, MA courses, additional graduate sociology seminars, and any suitable combination from course work, independent study, research, or dissertation work as detailed elsewhere in this bulletin.
Supervised Teaching Experience: Supervised teaching experience is an integral part of the doctoral program. Typically, teaching experience is gained by conducting recitation sections of an introductory course, by assisting a faculty member in an undergraduate course, or by teaching an undergraduate course.
Comprehensive Examination: The PhD comprehensive examination consists of two stages. The first stage is either a take-home or in-class written examination covering questions in the student’s major and minor fields. The second stage, contingent upon successful completion of the written examination, consists of an oral examination covering both fields.
Dissertation Overview: At this stage students will have selected, in consultation with their dissertation committee, a suitable dissertation topic. Students present a written prospectus to their committee describing the purpose, scope, and method of proposed study and the sources upon which it will be based. Students are encouraged to give careful thought early on in their graduate work to possible doctoral research topics and discuss their interests with related faculty.
Final Oral Examination: The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the dissertation committee and is open to the University community.
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