Graduate Studies in Sociology
Welcome to the Department of Sociology at the University of Louisville—an exciting place to study. Our programs in both traditional and applied sociology prepare students with a strong liberal arts education and careers in government, social services, and research. Our faculty and students are actively engaged in the city and region through various internship, volunteer, service-learning, and research activities. We choose to be part of the world - not just observers of it.
Research Opportunities
The department is a dynamic group of 13 full-time faculty who teach and conduct research in most of the major areas of the discipline, and students in both the MA and PhD programs have the opportunity to work with any one or more of them. We invite you to meet our faculty and learn about their areas of research, including publications which have included some of our graduate students. Several of our faculty and graduate students also attend sociology conferences each year, including meetings of the American Sociological Association, the Mid-South Sociological Association, the Midwest Sociological Society, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, the Southern Sociological Association, and the Anthropologists and Sociologists of Kentucky, as well as the National Communication Association, among others.
The MA in sociology
The master of arts in sociology is designed to provide a strong statistical and methodological foundation for students who wish to move directly into the workforce upon completion of their master's degree, as well as for those who plan to pursue a doctoral degree in sociology. The program requires 34 credit hours of coursework in research methods, qualitative methods, survey methods, statistics, social problems, and two topical seminars (one focused on a social institution and one on either race, class, or gender) before writing and defending a thesis (an approximately 30-page article-length paper based on original research). Full-time students can generally complete the degree in two years, but the program is not available as an online program. Students are only admitted in the fall semester (no spring semester admission is available).
Admissions and application requirements* are available here and information about funding opportunities** (graduate assistantships, fellowships, etc.) here.
*Students interested in pursuing both their MA and PhD in sociology at UofL can apply jointly to these programs; if admitted, they enter the MA program and, upon completion of their MA degree, move directly into the PhD program. Students admitted to the joint program who complete their MA degree but, ultimately, choose not to pursue their PhD are still awarded the MA in sociology. Students interested in applying jointly should select the Applied Sociology (PhD) option on their application form and complete the application requirements for the PhD program found here.
**Funding is generally available to PhD-only students or master's-level students admitted to the joint MA-PhD program. (MA-only students are not eligible.)
All inquires should be directed to Dr. Jonetta Weber, Graduate Advisor. (While students should discuss in their personal statement the faculty with whom they would like to work as they complete their thesis and/or dissertation, students do not need to seek approval from those faculty prior to admission.)
The PhD in applied sociology
The doctor of philosophy in applied sociology is designed to train professional researchers at the highest level to follow the discipline’s focus on bringing scientific understandings to the study of social issues and problems - and to meet the growing demand for applied sociologists prepared to assume the responsibility for leadership on research projects dealing with social problems and issues or enter academia. The program requires 36-37 hours of coursework in both classical and contemporary theory, social policy, two statistics courses, and several topical seminars (two in either in race and ethnicity, gender, and/or social inequality and stratification; and two regarding social institutions). As students near completion of their coursework, they take their comprehensive exams and then write and defend their dissertation. Full-time students can generally complete the degree in three years, but the program is not available as an online program. Students may be admitted in both the fall and spring semesters.
Admissions and application requirements are available here and information about funding opportunities (graduate assistantships, fellowships, etc.) here.
All inquires should be directed to Dr. Jonetta Weber, Graduate Advisor. (While students should discuss in their personal statement the faculty with whom they would like to work as they complete their thesis and/or dissertation, students do not need to seek approval from those faculty prior to admission.)
Career Opportunities
Our graduate students have pursued careers in a variety of areas, including academia (full- and part- time faculty) and other public and private organizations (Americana Community Center, Community Action Partnership, Greater Louisville Inc., Home of the Innocence, Humana, Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, Ronald McDonald House, Seven Counties Services, University of Kentucky's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, the U.S. Census Bureau...just to name a few). Visit our careers in sociology website for more information.
Learn More
You can learn more about us from our alumni by reading about their experiences in our programs and how they are using their degrees here. You can also find a list of completed theses and dissertations (since 2014) here. Additionally, you are welcome to schedule a visit to meet some of our faculty and graduate students and, if possible, attend a graduate course. If interested in scheduling a visit, please contact Dr. Jonetta Weber, Graduate Advisor in Sociology.
Students wanting to learn more about the University of Louisville and/or living in Louisville should click here; for information on housing, financial support for graduate students and diversity, click here; and for campus life, click here. The University's Graduate School website can be found here.