Sociology (Ph.D.)
Admission Requirements
Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. In addition, applicants must provide:
- Three (3) letters of recommendation (at least two should be from university or college faculty members). Preferably, one recommendation letter should come from the student's Master’s-level advisor.
- Statement of Interest (describing applicant’s reasons for graduate study in sociology, proposed areas of study, and career goals).
- Academic or professional writing sample.
Please note that the Sociology Department does not require GRE scores for applicants.
Program Requirements
The PhD degree requires a minimum of ninety (90) credits beyond the baccalaureate degree. Thirty (30) credits may be earned via a MA degree, thirty (30) credits are earned at WSU as part of the program of study in the PhD program and thirty (30) credits are earned by enrolling in dissertation credits. The thirty credit dissertation registration requirement is fulfilled by registering for the courses SOC 9991, 9992, 9993, and 9994 (Doctoral Dissertation Research and Direction I, II, III, and IV, respectively), in consecutive academic year semesters. If students have completed all dissertation credits, but still need to work on the dissertation, then they may register for SOC 9995 (doctoral maintenance credits in sociology). SOC 9995 is zero credits and students pay a set fee to be registered; the student will be considered full-time if registered in this course number. A total of six to nine credits of the thirty Ph.D. credits may be earned outside the Department of Sociology. Students with an M.A. degree from another university must file a transfer of credit form with their plan of work, in order to get credit for up to thirty credits from another master’s degree program outside of Wayne State.
In addition to the minimum of 30 credits earned during an M.A. program, Ph.D. students must complete the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 7050 | Comparative Schools of Sociological Theory | 3 |
| SOC 7290 | Advanced Social Statistics | 3 |
| SOC 7260 | Qualitative Sociology | 3 |
| SOC Methods: A third course in either quantitative or qualitative methods | 3 | |
| Electives: Four courses, preferably in the students' area of interest (see below) | 12 | |
| Cognates: Two courses (can be from a secondary area of sociology) | 6 | |
| SOC 9991 & SOC 9992 & SOC 9993 & SOC 9994 | Doctoral Candidate Status I: Dissertation Research and Direction and Doctoral Candidate Status II: Dissertation Research and Direction and Doctoral Candidate Status III: Dissertation Research and Direction and Doctoral Candidate Status IV: Dissertation Research and Direction | 30 |
Students choose four electives that best fits their area(s) of expertise. Students are encouraged to use their two cognate courses to build a secondary area of expertise.
Race, Ethnicity, and Gender (REG)
REG focuses on how race, ethnicity, and gender serve as principles of social organization that shape individual experiences and reproduce social inequalities. Faculty in these areas examine how structural and individual sexism and racism impact both objective (e.g., educational attainment, earnings, career advancement) and subjective (e.g., racial identity, political attitudes, work-family conflict) outcomes. Recent student projects in this area have explored a broad range of substantive topics such as race and gender disparities in health and school discipline, the experiences of women and racial and ethnic minorities in the workplace, and the role of sexuality in shaping experiences of criminal victimization.
Global, Transnational, and Comparative Sociology (GTC)
GTC prepares students to conduct theoretically grounded, methodologically sound, empirically rigorous research from a comparative perspective that addresses global and transnational social, political, economic, and cultural phenomena. GTC focuses on how fundamental macro-level structures and processes shape individual and group experiences, as well as relationships among nation-states. GTC research also evaluates micro- and meso-level processes across subnational and national units of analysis. Our GTC faculty conduct quantitative and qualitative research on a wide variety of topics such as international development, health disparities, migration, international political economy, and work and labor. Many of these substantive areas overlap with the department’s two other core areas, the Sociology of Health and Illness and Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. Students are encouraged to undertake research that engages two or more areas.
Sociology of Health and Illness (SOHI)
The sociology of health and illness examines the interaction between society and health. Sociologists within this specialty area examine how social factors impact health and illness and how health and illness impact society. This specialty also looks at health and illness in relation to social institutions such as the family, work, school, politics, and religion as well as the fundamental causes of disease and illness, the organization and operation of the health care system, behaviors of health care providers and patients, provider-patient relationships, access to care, etc. In all of these analyses, sociologists in this specialty area explore health disparities by race/ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, age, ability, and nationality.
Ph.D. Preliminary Examinations
Upon completion of all doctoral coursework, students take a written qualifying examination (“prelim”). The purpose of the preliminary examination is to certify that doctoral students have acquired the necessary expertise in an area of study and can integrate, apply, and discuss what has been learned to contribute to the knowledge in the field. Students should begin preparing for the preliminary examination well in advance (e.g., 6 months) of the examination.
Students are allowed two attempts to pass the Preliminary Examination. The second attempt is final and students who fail this attempt are dismissed from the program. The examination committee must remain the same for both attempts. Students should consult their advisers and the Graduate Director before taking the prelim to ensure that they are ready to take the prelim.
Refer to the full preliminary examination guidelines on the Department website for further information on procedures and evaluation criteria.
Students must pass prelims in full before they can file for Ph.D. candidacy and begin their dissertation.
If students are done with their required Ph.D. coursework but have not passed their prelims, they can enroll in SOC 9990 (pre-dissertation credits) in order to maintain active student status. Students are sometimes allowed to enroll early in SOC 9991 (the first set of dissertation credits) if they are taking those credits during the semester that they are taking prelims. Students should contact the Director of Graduate Studies to discuss this possibility.
Ph.D. Candidacy Status
Following successful completion of the written preliminary examination, students work with their advisor to establish the Dissertation Committee, which is composed of four faculty members. The Dissertation Committee oversees student’s work on a dissertation prospectus and oral defense, as well as student’s work on the final dissertation and final defense. Refer to the Sociology Graduate Student Ph.D. Handbook for full details.
Dissertation Proposal
Prior to initiating doctoral research, Ph.D. Candidates must prepare a prospectus of the proposed dissertation research. The Graduate School requires Ph.D. students to complete an oral qualifying examination as part of their degree requirements. In Sociology, the oral qualifying examination is the Dissertation Prospectus Defense. It shall be conducted by the doctoral committee after a defendable draft of the dissertation prospectus has been completed. Students receive only one chance to complete their oral qualifying examination (dissertation proposal defense). Students who fail their oral qualifying examination may be terminated from the graduate program. Proposals include a short introductory chapter, literature review, a chapter detailing students' theoretical or conceptual framework (although sometimes this is combined with the literature review), and a methods chapter that proposes how they will engage in their dissertation research.