The Graduate Program

Requirements for the Master's Degree -
Please Note: The Graduate Group in Sociology does not have a distinct, terminal M.A. Program. Rather, students apply to the Ph.D. Program and earn the M.A. degree on the way to the Ph.D.

Requirements for Sociology Degrees

MA: 10 courses, 6 in sociology

PhD: 20 courses, 12 in sociology

[16 for grade B or above; 4 may be taken S credit, not requiring written work]

Transfer of credit: up to 8 graduate course units may be transferred from other institutions after 1 year at Penn, upon approval of Graduate Chair. At least 12 courses must be completed at UPenn, 10 of these in sociology.

Year 1:

1. SOCI 602 Classical Sociological Theory

2. SOCI 555-556 two semester proseminar taught in 4 modules

3. SOCI 536 statistics, with prerequisite (535) which may be given exemption based on past coursework at discretion of instructor.

4. Qualifying exam given at end of second semester, based on reading list and graded by instructors in SOCI 555-556 and 602.

Year 2:

1. Sociology 604, Research Methods in Sociology

2. Sociology 603, Research Workshop for Second Year Paper

3. satisfactory completion of Second Year Paper [equivalent to M.A. thesis; a publishable paper] [AKA Master’s Seminar]

Year 3:

1. Sociology 620, Dissertation Workshop [to develop dissertation proposal]

2. completion of GSAS 20 course CU requirement

[total of required courses listed above = 7 CU; remainder = 13 CU]

Years 3 through 5:

1. completion of two Comprehensive Exams in specialty areas

2. Completion of Dissertation Proposal; Completion of Formal Proposal Hearing

3. Completion of Dissertation

4. Oral Dissertation Defense

Updated 2007-08

Last Modified: 08-May-2008
For updates, comments please contact: saunderc@ssc.upenn.edu