MA Degree

The University of Oklahoma Department of Sociology offers a Master’s Degree in Sociology. We designed this program to be completed in 2 years and to provide rigorous theoretical training in graduate level sociology/criminology, state-of-the-art approaches towards social scientific research methods, and a strong foundation in producing publication quality sociological/criminological research. Those who complete this degree will be well positioned to pursue a PhD in sociology, criminology, or related fields as well as be in a competitive position for a non-academic research jobs both at the local and national level. 

The MA degree in Sociology is centered on providing students with a wide variety of tools to produce high quality academic and non-academic social scientific research. This degree will focus on building a strong foundation for research, starting with a blank slate and moving students towards producing publication quality work. 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, and Colorado as well as criminology departments such as the University of California-Irvine and University of Maryland. Many of our MA graduates also go on to work as researchers in a wide variety of public and private agencies including the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

Curriculum:

• Complete 34 hours of graduate course work
  • Sociological Theory -  3 credit hours
  • Social Research Methods -  3 credit hours
  • Three Course Social Statistics Sequence - 9 credit hours
  • Professionalization Seminar - 1 credit hour
  • Master's Thesis Research -  3 credit hours
  • Elective Coursework - 15 credit hours

12 or more hours must be housed in the Department of Sociology at the 5000-level or above. The remaining 3 hours of electives may be Directed Readings (SOC 5960), a cross-listed course housed outside the department or another course outside the department.