Graduate
Ph.D. Degree in Sociology
The Ph.D. program is intended to provide a professional basis for careers in college/university teaching, research, or public service. At present, three primary areas of concentration are offered: criminology, medical sociology, and race/ethnic relations.
The Ph.D. in sociology is awarded for high achievement in advanced work in the discipline of sociology. The degree requires a mastery of specialized subject matter, the possession of critical analytic skills, and demonstrated competence in independent, scholarly research. Although a minimum of 42 credit hours of graduate credit beyond the M.A. is required, the admission to the Ph.D. candidacy and the granting of the Ph.D. degree are not based solely on the completion of course work. The granting of the Ph.D. degree requires comprehensive knowledge in substantive areas of sociology as demonstrated by passing two specialty examinations, and the ability to conduct independent research as demonstrated by the successful completion of a publishable quality academic paper as well as a dissertation.
Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
The Ph.D. degree in Sociology provides advanced training in sociological theory, research methods, statistics, and two substantive areas of concentration. All Ph.D. students must hold an M.A. or M.S. degree. Although previous graduate work in Sociology is preferable, applicants with graduate degrees from other disciplines will be considered. The Ph.D. has six requirements: (a) coursework, (b) two substantive area examinations, (c) a publishable-quality academic paper, (d) admission to candidacy, (e) a dissertation project, and (f) annual self-evaluations.
Coursework Requirements for Students
with M.A. degrees in Sociology from UM
The Ph.D. degree requires forty-two (42) hours of graduate credit (500 or 600 level),of which thirty six (36) must be in Sociology. Twelve (12) credit hours of dissertation work (SOC 730) will count toward the total forty-two (42) hours of graduate credit. All Ph.D. students are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 in core theory (601, 602, 615, and 616) and methods and statistics (610, 611, 612, and 613) courses. Any grade below B- is considered unsatisfactory for required graduate coursework and may result in dismissal from the program.
| SOC 612 | Sociological Statistics II | 3 credits |
| SOC 610 | Quantitative Research Methods | |
| or | ||
| SOC 613 | Qualitative Research Methods1 | 3 credits |
| SOC 615 | Class Structure and Social Stratification | |
| or | ||
| SOC 616 | Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives1 | 3 credits |
| SOC 622 | Teaching Seminar in Sociology | 3 credits |
| Three courses toward a substantive area of concentration | 9 credits | |
| Three courses toward a second substantive area of concentration | 9 credits | |
| SOC 730 |
Dissertation Work | 12 credits |
| TOTAL CREDITS: | 42 | |
1 The course taken for the Ph.D. must be different from the course taken for the M.A. degree.
Coursework Requirements for Students
without M.A. degrees in Sociology from UM
The Ph.D. degree requires sixty-four (64) hours of graduate credit (500 or 600 level), of which fifty-eight (58) must be in Sociology. Twelve (12) credit hours of dissertation work (SOC 730) will count toward the total sixty-four (64) hours of graduate credit. All Ph.D. students are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 in core theory (601, 602, 615, and 616) and methods and statistics (610, 611, 612, and 613) courses. Any grade below B- is considered unsatisfactory for required graduate coursework and may result in dismissal from the program.
| SOC 601 | Classical Sociological Theory | 3 credits |
| SOC 602 | Contemporary Sociological Theory | 3 credits |
| SOC 604 | Proseminar in Sociology | 1 credit |
| SOC 610 | Quantitative Research Methods | 3 credits |
| SOC 611 | Statistics I | 3 credits |
| SOC 612 | Statistics II | 3 credits |
| SOC 613 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 credits |
| SOC 615 | Class Structure and Social Stratification | 3 credits |
| SOC 616 | Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives | 3 credits |
| SOC 622 | Teaching Seminar in Sociology | 3 credits |
| Three courses toward a substantive area of concentration | 9 credits | |
| Three courses toward a second substantive area of concentration | 9 credits | |
| SOC 730 |
Dissertation Work | 12 credits |
| TOTAL CREDITS: | 58 credits | |
Substantive Area Coursework Requirements
All Ph.D. students are required to select two (2) substantive areas of concentration. Each substantive area of concentration requires the successful completion of nine (9) credits of relevant coursework. Although students are encouraged to select both substantive areas of concentration from the fields of Criminology, Medical Sociology, and Race and Ethnic Relations, they have the option of developing one (1) outside substantive area of concentration. If an option other than Criminology, Medical Sociology, or Race and Ethnic Relations is chosen, a detailed and persuasive proposal must be submitted to, and accepted by, the Graduate Committee before the student begins any coursework in this area. No more than three (3) credit hours of independent study (SOC 690) or out-of-department coursework will count toward the completion of a substantive area of concentration without prior approval from the Graduate Committee. In addition, no single course may count toward two specialty areas.
Criminology Courses
| SOC 672: Research in Crime and Delinquency | 3 credits |
| SOC 675: Theories in Criminology | 3 credits |
| SOC 692: Special Topics in Criminology | 3 credits |
Medical Sociology Courses
| SOC 620: Social Epidemiology | 3 credits |
| SOC 632: Social Psychology of Health and Illness | 3 credits |
| SOC 635: Medical Sociology: Issues in Research and Theory | 3 credits |
| SOC 691: Special Topics in Medical Sociology | 3 credits |
Race and Ethnic Relations Courses
| SOC 650: Social Analysis of Race Relations | 3 credits |
| SOC 651: Race Relations: Social-Psychological Perspectives | 3 credits |
| SOC 652: Theories of Race and Ethnic Relations | 3 credits |
| SOC 693: Special Topics in Race and Ethnic Relations | 3 credits |
Substantive Area Examinations
The Ph.D. requires the successful completion of two (2) substantive area examinations. Each substantive area examination corresponds to a single substantive area of concentration (e.g., Criminology, Medical Sociology, or Race and Ethnic Relations). Substantive area examinations require students to synthesize large bodies of information from relevant coursework and special reading lists. Preparation for substantive area examinations directly contributes to the intellectual growth of scholars by providing a unique opportunity for students to develop expert knowledge in their substantive areas of concentration. Both substantive area examinations must be completed before a student is permitted to register for dissertation hours (SOC 730) or to defend his or her dissertation proposal.
Substantive area examinations are taken following the completion of the required coursework for a given substantive area of concentration. Once students qualify to take a substantive area examination, they must form an examination committee. Examination committees are responsible for preparing and grading substantive area examinations. Examination committees consist of three faculty members. Students select two members of the examination committee, a chairperson and another member from the sociology faculty, no later than two weeks before the
end of the semester prior to the semester during which the examination will be administered. The Graduate Program Director will select the third member from a duty roster no later than two weeks after the student makes his or her selections or the last day of the semester prior to the semester during which the examination will be administered, whichever comes first.
Although substantive area examinations are typically offered during the fall and spring semesters, they may be administered during the summer term if examination committee members are available. Once an examination date is set and students are scheduled to take an examination, the chairperson of the substantive area examination committee will communicate this information to all faculty members at least two weeks prior to the administration of the examination.
To aid in preparation for the examination, a special reading list will be made available to students no later than ten weeks prior to the scheduled date of the examination. This reading list will include core readings in the substantive area, a list of readings based on the student’s coursework, and readings that reflect the student’s unique focus within the substantive area. Examination committees may also provide sample questions or previous examinations as study guides. The examination committee will meet with the student(s) to go over examination details, including examination date, location, format, and length in hours, no later than four weeks prior to the scheduled date of the examination. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with individual committee members to gain a clear understanding of examination procedures and policies and related expectations.
Students are required to pass each substantive area examination with three passing votes. If a student fails to obtain at least three passing votes, the Graduate Program Director or the Department Chairperson will appoint or serve as a fourth reader. Students will be awarded a grade of “Pass with Honors,” “Pass,” “Conditional Pass,” or “Fail” for each substantive area examination. If a student fails an examination, that student must petition the Graduate Committee in order to re-take the examination. Under no circumstances can an examination be re-taken during the semester of the original examination. In the event of a “Conditional Pass”, the examination committee will decide what the student must do to transition to a “Pass”. All “Conditional Pass” revisions must be successfully completed by the end of the semester following the semester of the original examination. Students are allowed one conditional pass or
one failure across both examinations. If a student is unable to pass at least one substantive area examination outright, that student may be dismissed from the program.
When an examination grade is determined, the chairperson of the examination committee will communicate these results to the student, his or her advisor, the Graduate Program Director, and Ms. Telma Estrada. The chairperson of the examination committee will also provide the student with a separate letter that summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of the examination and invites the student to meet with the chairperson of the examination committee to discuss the results.
Publishable-Quality Paper
All Ph.D. students are required to produce a sole-authored publishable-quality, academic paper. This requirement provides a unique and practical learning experience by introducing students to the professional peer-review process and by helping them to develop a sole-authored paper. All papers must be submitted to the Graduate Committee for review. The Graduate Committee will invite two sociology faculty members (excluding advisors) with appropriate theoretical and methodological expertise to formally review each paper. The Graduate Committee will use their best editorial judgment to select reviewers on the basis of faculty expertise. The graduate student will formally respond to reviews in writing and make revisions in accordance with reviewer comments and suggestions. The two reviewers will determine whether the revised paper is publishable. In the event of a mixed decision, a third reviewer will be selected by the Graduate Committee to review the paper. Once the graduate student passes faculty-review, the student must submit his or her paper to an established academic journal to obtain an actual peer review. When evidence that the paper has been submitted to a journal for peer review (e.g., an e-mail acknowledgement from a journal editor) is presented to the Graduate Committee, the graduate student has satisfied the paper requirement, regardless of the journal’s initial or final editorial decision. While actual publication of the paper is not required for the Ph.D. degree, students are strongly encouraged to respond to formal reviews, making every reasonable effort to publish their work.
Admission to Candidacy
When a graduate student has completed required coursework, both substantive area examinations, and the publishable-quality paper, that student must be approved for admission to candidacy. All students must apply for and be admitted to candidacy before the defense of the dissertation proposal. All candidacy applications must be reviewed by the Department Chairperson or Graduate Program Director and the Dean of the Graduate School. Students are not permitted to receive the Ph.D. degree in the same semester or summer session during which he or she was admitted to candidacy. The application for candidacy can be found at:
www6.miami.edu/grad/forms/2009/APPLICATION_FOR_CANDIDACY.pdf.
Dissertation Requirements
The Ph.D. degree also requires the completion of a dissertation project. The dissertation is a significant, independent research investigation that is completed by a student in the final phase of his or her doctoral work. The dissertation should represent an original contribution to sociological knowledge. All graduate students must recruit and enlist a Dissertation Committee. Dissertation Committees consist of four (4) faculty members. At least two faculty members (including the chairperson) must come from the Sociology Faculty. The fourth member is selected from an outside department. All Dissertation Committees must be approved by the Program Director or Department Chairperson. Once a committee is set, the student must complete and defend a written dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal introduces and describes the focus of the research project, reviews relevant scholarly research, and clearly states the importance of the research problem and/or research questions or hypotheses that define the specific aims of the project. Proposals for empirical projects must also describe the data and any relevant research designs and procedures. After the proposal has been formally defended and accepted by the Dissertation Committee, the student may begin the project. Once the dissertation has been completed, following the rules of the Department of Sociology and the Graduate School, the dissertation must be defended orally. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the defense and to clarify any relevant procedures. At least three weeks before the date of defense, the student must submit a complete and properly formatted copy of the dissertation to the Dissertation Committee chairperson. At least two weeks before the date of defense, all committee members must receive complete and properly formatted copies of the dissertation. The Dissertation Committee chairperson must formally announce the dates of the proposal defense and the final dissertation defense to the department at least two weeks in advance. All dissertation defenses are open to all members of the Department of Sociology. Once the dissertation is successfully defended and any required revisions are successfully completed, the Dissertation Committee will recommend to the Graduate School that the candidate be awarded the Ph.D. Degree.
Please review the following sites for information concerning deadlines and formatting:
