Admissions Requirements
For regular admission, a student should have the following:
     • undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0;
     • combined verbal/quantitative GRE score of 900;
     • previous course work in statistics, methods, and theory*; and
     • international students should also have a quantitative GRE subscore of at least 450 and a TOEFL score of at least 550 (on the paper-based test) or 98 (on the internet-based test).

     *Students may be allowed to make up deficiencies regarding these undergraduate prerequisites; however, credit for such courses cannot be applied toward graduate degree requirements.

In exceptional cases, students not qualified for regular admission may be conditionally admitted by action of the Graduate Committee.

Application Deadline
The deadline for applications for admission to the fall semester is June 1 and November 1 for the spring semester. (Late applications may be considered on an individual basis.) The Department of Sociology does not admit students during the summer session.

Students interested in being considered for a graduate assistantship must submit their application materials (along with a letter of interest (a) indicating that they wish to be considered for an assistantship, and (b) elaborating why they feel they would be a good candidate for an assistantship) by February 1 for the fall semester and October 1 for the spring.

All applicants must submit to the Graduate Admissions Office:
     • a formal graduate application (may be submitted online)
     • official copies of transcripts from all colleges attended
     • two letters of recommendation (preferably from former instructors, and in sociology, if possible)
     • GRE scores (and, for international students, TOEFL scores)

Applicants must also submit to the Department of Sociology:
     • a Sociology Graduate Admissions Questionnaire*

Responding to the questions below is required as part of the application process to the MA program in sociology.  Your answers should be of sufficient length to give the Graduate Admissions Committee a basis for evaluating the student’s interest in and ability to complete the program, and provide a sample of the student’s writing.  Questions are as follows, and responses should be emailed to Dr. Jonetta Weber at jonettaweber@louisville.edu:

• Please explain your reasons for applying to the Graduate Program in Sociology.  What are your professional or occupational objectives (including any study beyond the M.A.)?  How does this department’s program fit into those objectives?
• What areas of sociology do you find especially interesting for study and/or research?
• What positions of responsibility, if any, have you had, and what, specifically, do you believe you have gained from such experience?  (Those positions include not only employment, but offices held in organizations, volunteer work, etc.)
• Please summarize what you believe to be your most important accomplishments to date, including those in the academic or occupational areas.
  

 Acceptance into the Program
The Department of Sociology will informally notify students of their recommendation regarding acceptance into the program. The School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies will send students a formal letter indicating whether they were accepted unconditionally, accepted with special conditions, or not accepted.

Students are asked to notify the Department if they do not plan to attend in the semester for which they were admitted, or if they do not plan to begin the program at all.

Advising
Once a student has been admitted to the program, he/she should contact Dr. Patricia Gagne, Graduate Coordinator, at (502) 852-8014 or gagne@louisville.edu to schedule an appointment for advising.