Degree Requirements And Admissions

Program Requirements 

A minimum of 50 quarter hours of graduate credits is required for the master’s degree. Many students are able to complete the program in four quarters or a calendar year. Others may take longer, as provision must be made not only for course work but also for the master's thesis or examinations.

Students must take 25 hours of Sociology graduate only seminars (600-level) at O.U. and must include Soc 616 (Theory) and Soc 654 (Methods). An additional 10 hours of Sociology dual-listed courses and/or seminars are required and the other 15 hours can be additional work in dual-listed sociology graduate courses and/or seminars or readings. While sociology courses must comprise the majority of coursework, in some cases courses may be taken in related fields.

Candidates are expected to demonstrate competence at the master's level in sociological theory and research methods, and to show proficiency in their chosen areas of concentration through examinations or a thesis.

Admissions Requirements

The department is quite flexible in evaluating undergraduate experience. However, requirements include a minimum of 20 hours in sociology (with a g.p.a. of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) including courses in statistics, methods, and theory. Applicants must have earned an overall g.p.a. of at least 3.0. To apply, a completed application for admission and transcripts of all academic work must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Student Services. In addition, applicants must submit directly to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology a written statement describing areas of interest and reasons for wanting to study sociology, a writing sample such as a term paper, and letters of reference from three persons qualified to evaluate capability for graduate study in sociology (at least two letters should come from college instructors). International students whose native language is not English must also submit Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL) scores. Applications for financial awards must be completed by March 1. Deadlines for admission are as follows:

June 1 for Fall Quarter admission
October 1 for Winter Quarter admission
January 1 for Spring Quarter admission

Further information about admission requirements is available in the online graduate catalog.

Contact Information

Prospective students seeking application and other written materials should send an e-mail to Department Administrator Ann Bennett. Further questions about the program may be directed to Dr. Cynthia Anderson, Graduate Director.

Online Application

Apply online at the Graduate Studies admissions website.