Sociology, M.A. (General Concentration)

General Program Information

Martha Copp, Ph.D., Graduate Coordinator
223-H Rogers-Stout Hall
Box 70644
(423) 439-7056
e-mail: coppm@etsu.edu

William N. Duncan, Chair
223-B Rogers-Stout Hall
Box 70644
(423) 439-6650
e-mail: duncanwn@etsu.edu

Faculty: Joseph Baker; Scott Beck (Emeritus); Candace Forbes Bright; Anthony P. Cavender (Emeritus); Martha Copp; William Duncan; Kelly Foster; Paul Kamolnick; C. Lindsey King; Robert Leger; Leslie McCallister; Melissa Schrift.

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers two (2) Master of Arts degree concentrations. The general sociology concentration is primarily for students intending to continue graduate training leading to the Ph.D.; the applied sociology concentration is oriented toward students interested in gaining competency in applied social research skills relevant to a variety of private and public sector settings. Qualified undergraduate students may receive approval to pursue the ETSU Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Program. Graduates of the department have obtained jobs such as federal probation officers, director of residential treatment centers, research analysts, survey research specialists, superintendent of a juvenile correction facility, community college faculty members, as well as a variety of positions with departments of human services in Tennessee and neighboring states. Graduates have continued their studies in sociology by pursuing the Ph.D. at institutions such as University of Florida, North Carolina State University, Virginia Tech, Wayne State, Colorado State University, University of Louisville, and University of Tennessee. For more information contact the department’s graduate coordinator.

Program Admission Requirements

1. A 3.0 overall undergraduate grade point average on a 4.0 scale.
2. An undergraduate major or minor in sociology. In lieu of this requirement, students who majored and minored in related subjects (social work, psychology, criminal justice) and who complete at least three (3) courses in sociology may be admitted under the condition that they enroll in and complete, with at least a grade of “B”, two (2) upper-level undergraduate courses.
3. Three (3) letters of recommendation.

Submit scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Scores at or above the 50th percentile in verbal and quantitative reasoning and analytical writing are preferred.

Sociology, M.A. Degree Requirements: 30-36 credits

Sociology Core Requirements: 9 credits

• SOCI 5110 - Contemporary Social Theory (3 credits)
• SOCI 5210 - Sociological Research (3 credits)
• SOCI 5444 - Data Analysis (3 credits)

General Concentration: 15-18 credits

Focus courses are advisor-approved. 

• Focus Courses (15-18 credits)

Culminating Experience: 3-9 credits

• SOCI 5960 - Thesis (3-6 credits) (May take up to 9 credits)

Note:

Students may take no more than nine (9) credits outside the department. Those students who are deemed to have had insufficient coursework in sociology at the undergraduate-level may be required to take between one (1) and three (3) “5xx7” courses before enrolling in the required courses. Students, in consultation with the graduate coordinator, shall select an advisory committee for their thesis. The formation of the thesis committee should be done by the end of the second semester of study. Working closely with the chair of their thesis committee, students are to prepare and present to the graduate faculty of the department a prospectus for their thesis, which must be approved before they can proceed with their thesis research. A written comprehensive examination is required to successfully complete the degree program.