PhD in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University
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    PhD in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America
    United States of America, University Park
    University Rank:#82
    PhD in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University offers the PhD of Sociology as a full-time degree delivered on campus at its University Park campus in United States of America. Taught in English and completed over 4 years, the program equips students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required for sociology and related professional fields. The next available intake begins on June 1, 2027.

    About PhD in Sociology

    The graduate program in Sociology offers advanced education for students who intend to pursue academic careers in sociology or who aspire to nonacademic research positions.

    The M.A. and Ph.D. programs provide training in general social theory, research methodology, statistics, and a number of traditional and developing substantive specialties. In consultation with faculty advisers, students select specialties that are among the department's strengths, such as demography (including health and immigration); families, relationships and interpersonal networks; quantitative methods; social networks; social institutions and culture; social inequality; urban, community, and spatial sociology; immigration and incorporation; and health and life course.

    Alternate specialty areas not listed above may be selected with the approval of the Graduate Director and the student's dissertation committee. Students may also elect to pursue a dual-title M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology and Demography; a dual-title Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Data Analytics; and a minor in Social Thought. A separate Ph.D. program in  Criminology is also housed within the department.

    All students who intend to pursue doctoral work are expected to earn (or have earned) an M.A. degree in their normal progress to the Ph.D.

    Course work outside the department is encouraged. Areas of study related to sociology, such as rural sociology, geography, economics, business administration, statistics, anthropology, political science, labor and employment relations, women's studies, social thought, biobehavioral health, and human development and family studies are available at the University.

    Special department-related research and training facilities include on-site computer laboratories and the Population Research Institute, the Criminal Justice Research Center, and the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing.

    1. KNOW: Graduates will be able to demonstrate conceptual understanding of theoretical concepts, proficiency in quantitative analysis for continuous and discrete outcomes and predictors, and understanding of sociological approaches to a major substantive area at the level required to contribute to the discipline of sociology.
    2. KNOW: Graduates will be able to demonstrate conceptual understanding of the ethical practice of research and research protections.
    3. CRITICAL THINKING: Graduates will be able to critically conceptualize and define the sociological aspects of a problem as part of sociological research. 
    4. CRITICAL THINKING: Graduates will be able to critically analyze both strengths and weaknesses of competing sociological arguments at the level required to contribute to the discipline of sociology.
    5. RESEARCH: Graduates will demonstrate the ability to design and execute a research strategy appropriate to answering a significant question having real-world applications in the field of sociology.
    6. COMMUNICATE: Graduates will be able to effectively communicate a sociological argument, research design, analytic strategy, findings, and conclusions in formal presentations and in written works to scholars in the field as well as students at different levels.
    7. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Graduates will demonstrate a commitment to active citizenship in the discipline, including engagement in service to the profession and society at large.
    8. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Graduates will demonstrate a strict adherence to the ethical practice of research and professional honesty.

    1. Know: Students will demonstrate an understanding of major sociological theories, concepts, research designs, and analysis strategies appropriate to their MAJOR and MINOR areas of specialization.
    2. Apply/Create: Students will demonstrate an ability to evaluate and critique empirical research and theoretical approaches in their MAJOR area of specialization; identify questions and testable hypotheses that will make a contribution to the literature in their MAJOR area of specialization; and formulate their own arguments based on integrating the literature in their MAJOR area of specialization.
    3. Communication: Students will demonstrate an ability to communicate (in oral and written form) effectively to scholarly and student audiences; argue persuasively their positions; and contribute to the discipline through clearly written, well-organized manuscripts, proposals, and formal presentations. 
    4. Research Skills: Students will demonstrate an ability to devise a research design, conduct an analysis, and interpret results appropriate to the argument being made and the hypotheses being tested.
    5. Professional Practice. Students will demonstrate an awareness of professional norms and rules of civility in their personal interactions and communication; awareness of and compliance with the ethical practice of research; and awareness of and compliance with expectations of good citizenship in the organizations with which they are associated.

    Requirements and Admission Criteria for PhD in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University

    Entry Requirements

    Degree Requirements and Academic Credentials:
    4-6 year Bachelor's Degree.
    Official transcript; official certification of degree and date awarded; documents required in English only. Documents must be issued by the school with the official stamps and signature.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5
    • TOEFLMin 80

    Tuition and Fee Information for PhD in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University

    Application Fee 75

    How to Apply for PhD in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University

    Provide all information as it appears on your government-issued identification.

    To create a unique account for you, and to match you to any existing academic or employment records you may already have at Penn State, we need to know some information about you. This information is confidential and not made available to other systems at Penn State unless required by an official business process. Examples of government-issued identification include a driver's license, state-issued photo identification card, passport, etc.

    PhD in Sociology at Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America

    United States of America, University Park

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