Graduate Bulletin

Sociology, Ph.D.

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: January 15

Applications are evaluated together after the deadline has passed.

Letters of Reference:

Number Required: 3

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members familiar with academic competence wherever possible.

Coursework Required for Admission Consideration:

TBA

Master's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline:

No.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline:

Yes. Sociology, Economics, History, Criminal Justice, Urban Studies, Political Science, Psychology, among others.

Statement of Goals:

The statement of goals should give the reasons behind why the student wishes to attend graduate school and should describe their career goals.

Standardized Test Scores:

The GRE is required. GRE: QUANTITATIVE and VERBAL combined: 1000

Minimum TOEFL score or range of scores needed to be accepted: 600 on the paper-based test or 250 on the computer-based test.

Writing Sample:

The writing sample should be a paper on a sociological topic and demonstrate your ability to conduct research and write a scholarly paper.

Program Requirements

Campus Location:

Main Campus, Center City

Full-Time/Part-Time Status:

Students are required to complete the degree program through classes offered before and after 4:30 p.m.

General Program Requirements:

Number of Didactic Credits Required Beyond the Master's: 54

Required Courses:

Three classes in social theory (510, 512, 543) four classes in methods of inquiry ( 511, 513, 564 and 810), two classes in statistics (first year 433 & 563) Students must also complete three research electives and additional electives. A course in proposal writing (Soc. 890)is required as well as one credit course in computing resources and the departmental symposium.

Internship: No internship is required.

Language Examination: No language examination is required.

Culminating Events:

Preliminary Examination:

The department has identified a small number of broadly defined areas that are consistent with its mission and self-defined areas of strength.

Subject Areas/Major Components of the Preliminary Examination The areas are: Organizations and Work, Urban, Education, Race and Ethnicity, Medical, Gender, Family, and Political Sociology.

At what point in the program is the student expected to take the preliminary examination Each doctoral student, at the end of the third year of graduate study, will select two of these areas and will be examined on them by an appointed faculty committee (a "Preliminary Examination Committee"). The preliminary exam is typically taken in the Fall of the fourth year.

Writing the Questions for the Preliminary Examination Faculty committees have developed bibliographies of important books and articles in each of these areas. These bibliographies form the basis for the preliminary examinations.

Evaluating the Preliminary Examination A faculty committee evaluates the student's competency in the preliminary areas.

Criterion for Passing the Preliminary Examination. Grading of the exam will result in the following rankings: 1. Pass with Distinction (Ready to form a Dissertation Committee, "Distinction" will be recorded in the student's record). 2. Pass (Ready to form a Dissertation Committee). 3. No Pass (Student will be allowed to take the examination one more time the following year). 4. Final No Pass (Student is no longer eligible to continue in the Ph.D. program).

Administering, Scheduling, and Proctoring the Preliminary Examination The exam will be held in late September or October of the year following the student's completion of course work (typically the beginning of the fourth year). A student who does not receive his/her doctoral degree within five years of passing the Preliminary Examination must retake and pass the Preliminary Examination in order to remain in good academic standing. The retake examination must be administered with the same testing procedure as is currently employed in the department.

Dissertation:

Dissertation Advising Committee Information Students seeking entry into the Ph.D. program must submit a Candidacy Research Paper in the Spring of their second year. Preliminary Exams are taken in the Fall of the fourth year in two areas of Sociology. Following the Preliminary Examination, the student will select the chairperson of his/her Doctoral Advisory Committee. The remaining three or more members of the committee will be selected by the student after consultation with his/her chairperson. A minimum of three members must be from Temple University's Graduate Faculty and a majority must be from the Department of Sociology.

Dissertation Examining Committee Information The Committee consists of all members of the Disertation Advising Committee and at least one outside person. This outside person may not be a faculty member from the Sociology Department at Temple University.

Advisor/Committee Information Changes in the membership of a Doctoral Advisory Committee must be approved by the Graduate Chair. If approved, the Graduate School must be notified.

Dissertation/Monograph Philosophy In keeping with the sharpened focus in the Preliminary Examinations, the department will make clear to students that dissertation topics must be confined to areas within which the faculty has expertise. This clarification will begin with the information sent to prospective applicants and it will be repeated regularly in advising sessions with students. The purpose of this clarification is to avoid situations where students feel compelled to look outside the department for their primary intellectual guidance in dissertation work. NOTE: This does not imply that students may not have outside faculty members on dissertation committees. It is intended only to assure that the department's faculty will, in all dissertation committees, be the primary focus of instruction.

Philosophy of the Proposal The dissertation proposal is a brief statement of the dissertation research. It should contain a review of the literature, a statement of the research problem, and a comprehensive description of the research strategy to be employed. Normally, proposal hearings will be held during the academic year. All members of the committee must be present at the proposal hearing. An alternate member may be requested, but prior approval must be secured from the chairperson of the Graduate Committee. The dissertation proposal will be accepted only when the members of the dissertation committee vote unanimously to accept it.

Criterion for Passing the Dissertation and the Defense. The dissertation committee must vote unanimously that the student has passed the Ph.D. Final Examination. Each member of the dissertation committee indicates his/her assessment of the examination and signs his/her name to Form II, Temple University Graduate Board, Ph.D. Final Examination. Normally, the dissertation defense will be held during the regular academic year. However, a summer defense may be scheduled if all members of the committee agree. The entire dissertation committee must attend the defense. If one or more committee members fail to attend the defense, the departmental Chairperson will not sign the form certifying the defense. All full-time faculty members and members of the university community are invited to participate.

Dissertation Defense Scheduling Students who are preparing to defend their dissertation should confirm a time and date with their Dissertation Advisory Committee and register with the Graduate Secretary at least 30 days before the defense is to be scheduled. The Graduate Secretary will arrange the time, date, and room, and forward to the student the appropriate forms.

Announcing the Dissertation Defense All dissertation oral defense examinations will be publicly announced by the department in writing at least 10 working days in advance of the examination. The written announcement must be sent to all members of the Doctoral Dissertation Examining Committee, all graduate faculty in the candidate's department, the Dean of the Graduate School, and posted in the college.

Contacts

Program Contact Information:

www.temple.edu/sociology

Department Information:

Dept. of Sociology
713 Gladfelter Hall

1115 West Berks Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
dhartm01@temple.edu
215-204-7763

Department Contacts:

Admissions:

Don Hartman
dhartm01@temple.edu
215-204-7750

Program Coordinator:

Dr. Kevin Delaney
Kevin.Delaney@temple.edu
215-204-7771

Graduate Chairperson:

Dr. Kevin Delaney
Kevin.Delaney@temple.edu
215-204-7771

Chairperson:

Dr. Julia Ericksen
Julia.Ericksen@temple.edu
215-204-7979

About the Program

The graduate program in Sociology is devoted to the training of research scholars and educators in this discipline. Students have a variety of career goals, ranging from academic research and teaching to research and administration in private or public agencies. The Department offers two distinct programs of study in sociology. The Masters program provides students with advanced training in policy-oriented research skills with a regional emphasis on the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is specially designed for those who already work in agencies where such skills are used and who wish to upgrade their qualifications. The doctoral program prepares students for research, teaching, and advanced work in applied settings. The program allows students some flexibility in developing additional specialties within the Department, in special cases incorporating studies in related disciplines.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 7 years

Campus Location:

Main Campus, Center City

Students are required to complete the degree program through classes offered before and after 4:30 p.m. Students are able to complete the degree program on a part-time basis (8 credit hours or less per semester).

Department Information:

Dept. of Sociology
713 Gladfelter Hall

1115 West Berks Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
dhartm01@temple.edu
215-204-7763

Ranking:

Not applicable.

Accreditation:

Not applicable.

Areas of Specialization:

Policy and Applied Sociology - Students with applied interests can increase their knowledge of research by taking courses in research design, data collection and data analysis. This can be supplemented by experience working in a variety of organizations.

International Development - Faculty interests include political and economic issues, racial formation, development in Latin America, migration, comparative family studies, and women in the Third World.

Race, Gender, and Ethnicity - These areas comprise both theoretical concerns (feminist theory, racial formation, masculinity, socialization) and applied research in infant mortality, divorce, women in the labor force, women in developing countries, and family-school relations.

Urban Studies - Underscored by considerations of race and ethnicity, the urban studies component includes research in industrial growth, census undercounting, and education.

Job Placement:

Graduates are typically employed as either teaching-research scholars in an academic setting or as applied researchers and administrators in private and public agencies.

Affiliation(s):

The program is affiliated with the American Sociological Association.

Interdisciplinary Study:

The program encourages students to participate in seminars in other social sciences including history, anthropology, psychology, political science, urban studies, criminal justice, and urban education.

Study Abroad:

No.

Licensure:

Not applicable.

Non-Degree Student Policy:

Non matriculated students may take up to 9 semester hours of credits prior to matriculation. Courses taken as a non-matriculated student must be approved by the graduate director. After being admitted into the graduate program, students may receive graduate credit for the courses taken as non-matriculated students.

Financing Opportunities

Teaching Assistantships: The principal duties of a Teaching Assistant include assisting faculty members in classroom and laboratory instruction, conducting tutorial and discussion sections, and grading quizzes.

Other Financial Opportunities