SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES REQUIREMENTS

Degree Verification: A bachelor’s and/or master's degree from an accredited U. S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of the PhD in Sociology.

Course Number Acceptability: All courses applied to a graduate degree should be 6000-level or higher, but the sociology program will accept up to 6 credits of 5000-level courses.

Overall Graduate GPA at least 3.0 and no grades of C- or lower: All PhD coursework must be completed with a grade of B or higher. Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree. Exceptions for grades below a B can be offered for a maximum of 6 credits, at the discretion of the supervisory committee.

Matriculation Start Semester: A doctoral degree must be completed within eight years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies for review.

Coursework Validity: Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated by the School of Graduate Studies.

Transfer Credits: We generally do not accept courses transferred from other graduate programs to count towards required credits in the PhD program. However, with approval of the supervisory committee and graduate program director, a maximum of 6 transfer credits may be accepted.

Dissertation Research Credits 7970: Students entering with a master's degree must complete a minimum of 12 credits of Dissertation Research. Students entering with a bachelor's degree must complete 15 hours of Dissertation Research. A maximum of 21 Dissertation Research credits may be applied to the PhD.

Academic Forms: Completion of the PhD requires the approval of the following forms by the School of Graduate Studies:

Supervisory Committee
Program of Study
Application for Candidacy
Appointment for Exam
Authorship & Copyright
Format and Style
Title Page
Graduation Application

Additionally, all graduate level students must complete Responsible Conduct of Research training prior to forming their supervisory committees.

PHD IN SOCIOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

All PhD students, regardless of track, will complete written comprehensive examinations in the student’s area of specialization, successfully defend a dissertation proposal, and defend and complete a PhD dissertation.

The PhD program has three separate tracks:

1.       For students who hold a master’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university. 51 credits
2.       For students who at the time of admission hold a master’s degree in Sociology from Utah State University. 48 credits
3.       For students who hold a bachelor’s degree but no master’s at the time of admission. 30 credits of MS coursework + 39 credits of PhD coursework.

Sociology - PhD

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Program Overview

Program Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes