Master of Science in Sociology

Overview

The MS in Sociology is focused on foundational courses in sociological theory, research methods and statistics, and a set of electives consistent with the student's career goals. The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, at least half of which are taken in Sociology. Successful defense of a research-based master's thesis is required for graduation. The MS degree requires 2 years to complete as a full time student. Funded MS positions (as a teaching or research asistant) are available. Unlike the PhD program, the MS degree does not require a formally declared specialization area, but the most successful master's students are those whose research and professional interests align with core department specializations: Environment & Community, Demography, and Social Inequality. Students can expand their graduate training opportunities by taking courses outside the program in areas such as statistics, geography, and climate science.

Career Application

About half of our MS students go on to pursue a PhD, either at USU or elsewhere. Our graduates have gone on to become community planners, statisticians, analysts, monitoring and evaluation specialists, program directors, teachers, researchers, counselors, and professors. Recent graduates have secured jobs at New York City Department of Health, Utah and Idaho Departments of Fisheries and Wildlife, Colorado State University, Tennessee State University, Oregon State University, US Census Bureau, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, private industry, and numerous governmental agencies in Europe, South America, and Africa.

Admission Information

Applications open on September 1st. Applications and all supporting materials are due by December 20th. Late applications will not be considered. 

The supplemental materials required by the sociology program are as follows:

1. Official transcripts from all previous institutions of higher education that you have attended
2. A statement of purpose
3. Letters of Reference
4. Writing sample. This should be something you have already written (for example a course paper), not a new piece of writing that you produce just for the application. 
5. GRE scores are not required

Start an Application with the school of graduate studies. View more information on application procedures and faq's. 

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