Doctoral Program

Admission Requirements

Formal admission to the Doctoral Program requires the approval of the Graduate Director, based on the recommendation of the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. Students with master's degrees from other institutions enter the doctoral program after they have completed the departmental core requirements and after their previous graduate work has been evaluated and approved by the faculty. Students officially become candidates for the Ph. D. degree upon successful completion of the major area preliminary exam.

Students in the doctoral program must complete the following:

1. Students must complete

(a) five courses in their major program area.
(b) three courses in their minor program area. Students select a major and minor substantive area from among four program areas: Demography; Health and Aging; Inequality and Social Justice; and Social Psychology. In addition, Research Methods and Statistics is offered as a minor area of concentration.
2. A written examination in their major program area

3. Completion of a doctoral review paper

4. Successful teaching of an undergraduate course

5. A doctoral dissertation

6. Required courses are as follows:
(a) 3 hours, SYA 5407, Advanced Quantitative Methods
(b) 3 hours, SYA 6660, Teaching at the College Level in Sociology
(c) 15 hours, five (5) Major Area courses
(d) 9 hours, three (3) Minor Area courses
(e) 3 hours, Proseminar in Fall term during five years of study
(f) 0 hours, Colloquium in Spring term during five years of study

Electives

Besides requirements noted above, students may take electives within the Department or, with permission of the Graduate Director, in an outside department. These electives may be additional courses in the student's declared area of specialization or in entirely different areas.

Methods Sequence

Doctoral students must complete, with a grade of B or higher, the three required methods courses in the master's program and the additional course required in the doctoral program. Students may not advance to the nxmethods course until the standard of a B grade is met.

Doctoral Preliminary Examinations

Ph. D. students must pass a preliminary examination in the student's major area. Preliminary means that passing the exam advances one to candidacy, which indicates that a student lacks only the dissertation research to complete the degree.

• Major Area Preliminary Examination. When students have completed their coursework, they take a Doctoral Preliminary Examination in their major area of study. Students sit in an eight-hour exam in their major field to address questions posed by the departmental committee in their area. Upon passing, they become a candidate for the doctoral degree. For additional information see the Guide to Graduate Study in Sociology.

Doctoral Review Paper

The Doctoral/Critical Review (DR) paper is a broad review of literature in an area of inquiry they select in consultation with their major professor and supervisory committee. The paper is comprehensive in that it encompasses multiple areas of content and is considered to be preparation for, but broader in focus, than the dissertation prospectus.

Dissertation Prospectus

The prospectus is a plan for the dissertation research that contains appropriate supporting materials, such as a review of literature, theory, framing of the research question, plans for data collection and analysis, and a timetable for completion of the study.

Dissertation

Departmental policy requires a student to have dissertation committee of at least three sociology faculty with doctoral directive status and one faculty member from another academic department with doctoral directive status. The student must defend and gain approval for, in a face-to-face meeting, the dissertation prospectus. At the end of the project, the student defends the dissertation to the same committee. When the committee approves the dissertation, the student turns in the mandatory number and quality of copies to the Office of Graduate Studies of Florida State University.

Policy on Exemption

Students who enter the Sociology graduate program with a Master's degree in sociology from an accredited graduate program may request exemption from some courses and/or requirements. These are specified in the Guide to Graduate Studies in Sociology.

				Sociology Department Graduate Program



	Home News Undergrad Grad - Applied Masters - Masters - Doctoral Program - Ph. D. Areas of Study: - Health & Aging - Stratification & Social Justice - Social Demography - Social Psychology - Admissions - Advisement Information - Financial Aid - Course Descriptions - Course Schedules - Guide to Graduate Studies in Sociology - Publications - Recent Dissertations - COGS Travel Support - Scholarship/Fellowship - Grad Student Kudos 07 - Inequality Working Group - Sociologists for Women in Society Prospective Students People Department Contact			Doctoral Program Admission Requirements Formal admission to the Doctoral Program requires the approval of the Graduate Director, based on the recommendation of the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. Students with master's degrees from other institutions enter the doctoral program after they have completed the departmental core requirements and after their previous graduate work has been evaluated and approved by the faculty. Students officially become candidates for the Ph. D. degree upon successful completion of the major area preliminary exam. Students in the doctoral program must complete the following: 1. Students must complete (a) five courses in their major program area. (b) three courses in their minor program area. Students select a major and minor substantive area from among four program areas: Demography; Health and Aging; Inequality and Social Justice; and Social Psychology. In addition, Research Methods and Statistics is offered as a minor area of concentration. 2. A written examination in their major program area 3. Completion of a doctoral review paper 4. Successful teaching of an undergraduate course 5. A doctoral dissertation 6. Required courses are as follows: (a) 3 hours, SYA 5407, Advanced Quantitative Methods (b) 3 hours, SYA 6660, Teaching at the College Level in Sociology (c) 15 hours, five (5) Major Area courses (d) 9 hours, three (3) Minor Area courses (e) 3 hours, Proseminar in Fall term during five years of study (f) 0 hours, Colloquium in Spring term during five years of study Electives Besides requirements noted above, students may take electives within the Department or, with permission of the Graduate Director, in an outside department. These electives may be additional courses in the student's declared area of specialization or in entirely different areas. Methods Sequence Doctoral students must complete, with a grade of B or higher, the three required methods courses in the master's program and the additional course required in the doctoral program. Students may not advance to the nxmethods course until the standard of a B grade is met. Doctoral Preliminary Examinations Ph. D. students must pass a preliminary examination in the student's major area. Preliminary means that passing the exam advances one to candidacy, which indicates that a student lacks only the dissertation research to complete the degree. • Major Area Preliminary Examination. When students have completed their coursework, they take a Doctoral Preliminary Examination in their major area of study. Students sit in an eight-hour exam in their major field to address questions posed by the departmental committee in their area. Upon passing, they become a candidate for the doctoral degree. For additional information see the Guide to Graduate Study in Sociology. Doctoral Review Paper The Doctoral/Critical Review (DR) paper is a broad review of literature in an area of inquiry they select in consultation with their major professor and supervisory committee. The paper is comprehensive in that it encompasses multiple areas of content and is considered to be preparation for, but broader in focus, than the dissertation prospectus. Dissertation Prospectus The prospectus is a plan for the dissertation research that contains appropriate supporting materials, such as a review of literature, theory, framing of the research question, plans for data collection and analysis, and a timetable for completion of the study. Dissertation Departmental policy requires a student to have dissertation committee of at least three sociology faculty with doctoral directive status and one faculty member from another academic department with doctoral directive status. The student must defend and gain approval for, in a face-to-face meeting, the dissertation prospectus. At the end of the project, the student defends the dissertation to the same committee. When the committee approves the dissertation, the student turns in the mandatory number and quality of copies to the Office of Graduate Studies of Florida State University. Policy on Exemption Students who enter the Sociology graduate program with a Master's degree in sociology from an accredited graduate program may request exemption from some courses and/or requirements. These are specified in the Guide to Graduate Studies in Sociology.