Description Degree Offered Admission Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Contact Info

Description

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers a graduate program leading to the doctoral degree in Sociology. The program provides training in the skills necessary to secure research careers in academic and nonacademic professions and emphasizes applied research in community-based settings. The program is organized around a curriculum that combines strong grounding in the acquisition of methodological skills with advanced study in one of the department’s four areas of concentration: the Sociology of Crime/Deviance, Domestic Violence, Social Inequalities, and Urban/Environmental Sociology.

This program is one of only a few in the United States that focuses on applied research and has a strong research focus. Program graduates will be trained in specific applied research skills such as data analysis, program evaluation, data-driven decision making, and policy analysis. Combined with course work in one of the four substantive areas, graduates will be trained for employment in academic settings, industry, business, government and nonprofit agencies.

Degrees Offered

Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s). In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants must provide:

• An official transcript providing evidence of an earned master’s degree from an accredited institution;
• An official score of at least 1000 (verbal and quantitative combined) on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which must have been taken within the last five years;
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 for all master’s level work. (Please send an official transcript.)
• Three letters of recommendation assessing the applicants potential to do doctoral level work, of which, one must come from a member of the applicant’s graduate committee at the master’s level;
• A personal statement of 250-500 words identifying the area of research interest, describing the applicant’s academic and professional experiences and goals;
• A writing sample of the applicant’s work that is at least 2,500 words and demonstrates ability to complete advanced graduate work; and
• For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 220 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Applicant’s records will be reviewed on an individual basis for academic deficiencies and evaluated to assess their potential for success in the program. Supplemental course work may be recommended. Consult the graduate program director whenever questions arise.

Meeting minimum UCF admissions criteria does not guarantee program admission. Final admission is also based on evaluation of the applicant’s abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program to the applicant’s career/academic goals, and applicant’s potential for completing the degree.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology	Jan 15	Jan 15

International Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology	Jan 15	Jan 15

International Transfer Applicants

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology	Jan 15	Jan 15

Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology

Minimum Requirements—60 Credit Hours Beyond the Master’s Degree

Required Courses—21 Credit Hours

• SYA 7019 Advanced Sociological Theory (3 credit hours)
• SYA 7309 Advanced Research Methods (3 credit hours)
• SYA 7417 Advanced Data Analysis (3 credit hours)
• SYA 6657 Program Design and Evaluation (3 credit hours)
• SYA 7658 Social Policy and Research Analysis (3 credit hours)

3 Hours of Restricted Electives in Research Methods:

• SYA 6315 Qualitative Research Methods (3 credit hours)
• SYA 7308 Design and Conduct of Social Surveys (3 credit hours)

3 Hours of Restricted Electives in Data Analysis:

• SYA 5937 Advanced Population (3 credit hours)
• SYA 7457 Special Topics in Data Analysis (3 credit hours)

Students must earn a grade of "B" (3.0) or better in the program’s required courses. Courses may be retaken to achieve a better grade; however, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their program of study.

Major Area of Concentration Electives—12 Credit Hours

Students will select a minimum of 12 credit hours of nonrestricted electives in one of the department’s four areas of concentration.

• Sociology of Crime/Deviant Behavior
• Domestic Violence
• Social Inequalities
• Urban/Environmental Sociology

Additional courses may be used as well, but the student must obtain the approval of their adviser and the graduate director prior to enrolling in these courses.

Major Area Examination. After completing the program’s two qualifying examinations and 12 hours of course work in their major area of concentration, a student will sit for a major area examination. The student’s adviser and faculty who teach in the selected area will design and administer the examination, which will be based on course work completed in the student’s major area of concentration.

Unrestricted Electives (12 hours). The unrestricted electives provide students with an opportunity to expand their doctoral training beyond the program’s core courses and the restricted electives in the student’s major area of concentration. Unrestricted electives may include regularly scheduled graduate courses, graduate-level courses in programs outside the department, independent study courses with a highly focused student/faculty research component, and a research practicum, which enables students to gain valuable research experience in a nonacademic setting. Unrestricted electives may be taken at any point in the student’s program of study. In addition, 6 hours of graduate course work must be taken outside the department, through independent study courses, or in a research practicum. The research practicum and courses from other departments must be approved by the student’s adviser and the graduate program director.

Dissertation (15 hours). The dissertation will be completed through a minimum of 15 hours of dissertation credit, which students will use to accomplish original research on a topic approved by their adviser and three committee members (one of whom shall be from a relevant field outside the discipline of sociology). The dissertation must conform to standard disciplinary, institutional, and departmental practices. Students may not enroll for dissertation credit until they have completed all examinations in their program of study. A dissertation will be required for completion of the Ph.D. Oral defense of the dissertation proposal and the completed dissertation are required.

Applied Research Practicum (Optional). An important component of the Ph.D. program in Sociology will be the research practicum. The practicum will be a 6 semester-hour directed research experience in a nonacademic setting, which will provide a “hands-on” approach for advanced doctoral students. Although completion of a research practicum will not be required for all doctoral students, it is expected that some students, including most of those seeking employment in research positions in public and private agencies, will take advantage of this opportunity. Doctoral students must pass their qualifying examinations before being eligible for a research practicum. The student’s graduate adviser and the department’s graduate program director must approve the research practicum. Hours completed in a research practicum will count as unrestricted electives in the student’s program of study.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you're interested in financial assistance, apply early.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
• Assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) include tuition support. Students must be enrolled full-time and be in good academic standing to hold an assistantship.

Contact Info

Jana Jasinski, Ph.D. , Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-6568
jjasinsk@mail.ucf.edu