Sociology - PhD

The PhD program in Sociology provides a combination of environmental, demographic, organizational, political-economic, and historical orientations to major domestic and global issues. Students have the opportunity to merge foundational coursework in sociological theory and research methods with focused training in a selected specialty area and apprenticeship roles in both basic and applied research projects. Sustained personal interaction between faculty and students is a hallmark and strength of the program.

PhD students are expected to concentrate in and pass a written comprehensive examination in one major specialty area, with additional depth coursework in a second area. The program is sufficiently flexible to permit students with a strong interest in an area other than the established specialty areas to develop their own secondary specialization area, with approval of the graduate director and the supervisory committee. The three established specialization areas are as follows:

• Demography

This specialization explores issues of population change, migration, and health outcomes. Graduate coursework is provided in social demography, techniques of demographic analysis, population health, migration, and various special topic seminars.

• Environment & Community

This specialization focuses on the sociology of natural resources, environmental sociology, community theory, and applied community development. Faculty and students in this specialization area engage in numerous cooperative research ventures with colleagues in natural resource sciences, water engineering, and other physical and social sciences.

• Social Inequality

The area specialization in social inequality allows graduate students to explore how states, policies, organizations and labor markets come together to create differing opportunities and outcomes for diverse groups within society, as well as across societies. Department faculty conduct research on gender, racial, and class inequalities within the United States and other countries, as well as comparative, cross-national research.