My name is Emily Reel and I’m currently pursuing the 4+1 Bachelor's and Master's degree in sociology. This program is perfect for people that have their sights set on an advanced degree and it has given me ample opportunities to interact and get mentorship from all of my sociology professors at OU! The world has opened up and I will leave OU with more knowledge and professional experience at a younger age than without the BA/MA program. It has increased my confidence in my post-grad life and I encourage everyone to look into the opportunity!
Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Track
(BA/MA program)
The sociology department is excited to offer an accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Sociology. This program is designed to be completed in 5 years, with students leaving the program with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology or Criminology as well as a Master’s Degree in Sociology.
This track provides the same rigorous training in graduate level sociology/criminology, social scientific research methods, and producing publication quality sociological/criminological research as our terminal graduate Master’s Degree, but is designed to be completed co-currently with the final series of upper division undergraduate coursework. We believe this track provides our outstanding undergraduate students with a head start on their graduate careers as well as some of the job opportunities made available by completing an advanced social science research degree.
Requirements
To qualify for this track, students should:
1. Be in their junior year (or equivalent)
2. Have a 3.5 GPA in all undergraduate and graduate courses they have
completed.
3. Have completed (or be concurrently enrolled in) SOC 1113, 3123, and 3133.
Application
Students should apply no later than October 1st (fall application) or April 1st (spring application) during their junior year (or equivalent).
Application requirements:
- Personal Statement explaining your desire to pursue the BA/MA track (for advice and examples CLICK HERE).
- A formal academic writing sample that shows your critical/analytical thinking and writing skills.
- Three letters of recommendation from professors (or other professional) who can vouch for you ability for completed graduate level training.
Students should fill out the above application form and send to: Cyrus Schleifer by the above deadlines.
Once you have been admitted to the program by the Sociology department, you will fill out the following form from the graduate college:
Student Testimonial
Why complete a MA Degree in Sociology?
The MA degree in Sociology is centered on providing students with a wide variety of research tools to produce social scientific research. This degree will focus on the foundation necessary to complete high quality academic and real-world research. Students who have completed our MA degree have gone on to pursue PhD degrees in our department as well as other highly ranked sociology departments such as Duke, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Colorado and criminology departments such as the University of California, Irvine. Many of our MA graduates also go on to work as researchers inawide variety of public and private agencies including the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
Coursework
The main body of coursework while in the program consists of the hours required for the MA degree in Sociology, supplemented with whatever remaining undergraduate courses are required for graduation with the BA at the end of the senior year. Students can “double count” up to 19 hours of coursework (i.e., all graduate coursework taken in the “overlap” year is counted towards both the BA and the MA degrees).
Below are the courses required for the MA degree (34 hours):
| Sample Senior Year | |
| **FALL** | **SPRING** |
| Fundamentals of Social Statistics 5283 | Advanced Regression Anaylsis 5483 |
| Sociological Theory 5933 | Advanced Methods of Social Research 5293 |
| Professionalization Seminar 5821 | Graduate Elective |
| Graduate Elective | |
| **Graduate with you Bachelor's Degree** | |
| Sample Fifth Year | |
| **FALL** | **SPRING** |
| Cat, Panel, And Advanced Social Statistics 5683 | Research for Master's Thesis 5980 |
| Graduate Elective | Graduate Elective |
| Graduate Elective | |
| **Graduate with your Master's Degree** | |
| Note: Classes in bold are required. 5283, 5933, 5831, and 5683 are offered each fall. 5483 and 5293 are offered each spring. | |
MORE INFORMATION
If you are interested in learning more about the BA/MA track and whether this is a good fit for you, please contact Professor Cyrus Schleifer and set up a meeting to discuss.
