Sociology, M.A.

Are you curious about social problems? Do you have ideas about how to improve society? Are you interested in social policies and their effects? If so, sociology may be for you. A sociology degree prepares you for a wide range of careers in the following areas: business and industry, government, community and social services, the legal system, education and research. Our graduates work in nonprofit organizations, government, marketing, urban planning and human resources. They also work with at-risk youth, senior citizens and people struggling with substance abuse. Our faculty have areas of specialization in family sociology, medical sociology, immigration, religion, race and ethnic relations, social inequality, complex organizations and nonprofit organizations, and conflict resolution.

The Candidate Plan of Study (CPS) must include the following requirements:

1. A minimum of 12 undergraduate upper-level hours in the behavioral sciences (anthropology, psychology, and sociology). If this requirement has not been met prior to admission, then such courses should be completed before beginning work toward the Master of Arts degree.
2. If students are not taking the coursework option (30 hours; see details below), then a minimum of 6 hours is required in one of the following master’s options:
   1. Master’s thesis
   2. Graduate internship
3. Registering for a master’s thesis or internship should not be seen as a right. Students wishing to complete a master’s option must submit a master’s option proposal. For the thesis, the proposal should be 3-6 pages in length. It should include a literature review with references and a statement of the proposed methodology for carrying out the thesis. Before registering for a thesis, a student must have the approval of a faculty member who agrees to supervise the work. Before registering for a graduate internship, a student must apply through the internship coordinator and meet the required criteria, including a grade point average of 3.00 or better. The university reserves the right to deny admittance to or to remove a student from an internship.
4. Grades of B- or better must be earned for all coursework.
5. No more than 6 credit hours may be transferred toward the SOCI MA. Courses may be transferred if:
   1. The courses are pertinent to the degree.
   2. The courses were taken not more than five years prior to admission to graduate study at UHCL.
   3. Grades of B- or better were earned.
   4. The courses were not applied to a graduate degree already earned.
   5. The courses were not taken by correspondence or extension.
6. At least 24 credits of the degree plan must be earned at UHCL.

GRE completion is not required for applicants to this program. Applicants with a last 60-hour GPA of 3.0 or higher and those who have completed advanced degrees will be automatically admitted. Applicants with a last 60-hour GPA below 3.0 or without prior completion of advanced degrees will undergo individual review. To complete individual review, such applicants should submit a statement of purpose, not to exceed two single-spaced pages, describing the reasons for desiring this degree and how it fits into the applicant’s career goals. Personal statements should be emailed directly to the Director of the Sociology program, Dr. Jennifer Arney, at Arney@uhcl.edu.