5 credits of electives chosen from any other SOC course. Minimum grade of 2.0 in any course applied toward the major. Minimum GPA in SOC classes of 2.50. Sociology seeks to explain social structure, social institutions, and social interaction. The department has graduate program specialization in demography and ecology, deviance and social control, race and ethnic relations, family systems, gender studies, macrosociology, organizations and occupations, quantitative research methodology, social psychology, sociological theory, and stratification.
Emphasis is on empirical research aimed at testing theories and generating new principles.
Students are trained in problem formulation, research design, data gathering and analysis, and bringing data to bear on significant questions. Students learn social research by participating in faculty projects or developing their own studies. Also available is an extensive program in training students to teach. The graduate program aims at completion of the Master of Arts degree in two calendar years and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in three years beyond the M.A. degree, although not all students finish in this time. A thesis is required for the M.A. degree.