Sociology, MA
Purpose and Goals
The mission of the graduate program in Sociology at Prairie View A&M University is to develop professional sociologists who are broadly educated in substantive areas of sociology and well trained in theory and methods.
The Master of Arts degree program in sociology offers a curriculum that enables students to analyze, critically evaluate and engage in the planning of solutions to problems that evolve from patterns of human social interaction. The graduate program prepares students for advanced study (e.g., PhD) in sociology, criminology, law, and social welfare.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the regular application requirements of the university, applicants to the M.A. program must have the following:
- Applicants must have a BA or BS degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Applicants must present evidence that they are capable of successfully completing a rigorous graduate program. Such evidence must include completion of a department application and three letters of recommendation from persons in a position to evaluate the student’s academic potential.
Academic Standards
To successfully matriculate through the M.A. program, students must maintain an average GPA of 3.0. Only two courses with a “C” grade, regardless of credit hours, will be accepted toward credit for the Master’s degree.
Master of Arts in Sociology Degree Program
A total of 30 semester hours of graduate coursework must be completed in graduate status. For those opting to do a thesis, the requirements include 24 hours of course work and 6 hours devoted to the M.A. thesis. Upon the decision to undertake a thesis, the student will form a committee consisting of two sociology faculty, one of whom will serve as the principal advisor, and one additional faculty member from the Division of Social Sciences. The topic of the thesis will be determined by the student and the advisor. The format will follow American Sociological Association thesis guidelines in conjunction with established criteria by the Sociology Program. The thesis must be orally defended and approved by all members of the faculty thesis committee before the degree is conferred. The student must register for the thesis each semester until satisfactorily completed. No graduate credit will be given for undergraduate courses.
For students selecting the thesis option, 24 hours of course work must be completed and 6 hours of supervised thesis hours. Of the 24 hours of course work, 9 hours are core requirements and the remaining 15 are sociology support/elective requirements.
For students selecting the non-thesis option, 30 hours of course work must be completed: 9 hours of core courses, 15 hours of support area requirements, and 6 hours of related field electives, which may be any combination of sociology graduate courses or graduate-level courses outside of sociology.
Admission to candidacy will be granted upon completion of 12 semester hours of graduate work in sociology with an average grade of B or better. These hours must be completed in residence. The student must complete the Application for Admission to Candidacy form, through the Division of Social Sciences to the Dean of the Graduate School for approval.
Degree Program Requirements
| Non-Thesis Concentration | ||
| Major Requirements | 9 | |
| Classical Sociological Theory 1 | ||
| Research Methods | ||
| Graduate Capstone | ||
| Related Field Electives | 6 | |
| Students may take two additional SOCG courses (6 hours) or up to two courses (6 hours) from the following: | ||
| Fundamentals of School Administration | ||
| Educational Administration: Theory, Practice and Research | ||
| School-Community Relations | ||
| Introduction to Community Development Planning and Theory | ||
| Organization and Administration of School Counseling Programs | ||
| Theory and Practice of Counseling | ||
| Counseling Process | ||
| School Consultation | ||
| Orientation to Counseling and Development | ||
| Psychology of Abnormal Behavior | ||
| Career Development Counseling | ||
| Human Growth and Development | ||
| School Counseling in a Multicultural Society | ||
| Psychology of Learning and Development | ||
| Socio-Cultural Issues in Education | ||
| Human Behavior and Health Education | ||
| Epidemiology and Diseases | ||
| Medical Foundations for Health Professions | ||
| Nutrition and the Environment | ||
| Contemporary Health | ||
| Community Health | ||
| Research Problems | ||
| Human Development | ||
| Family Ethics and Issues | ||
| Foundations of Criminal Justice | ||
| Foundations of Juvenile Justice | ||
| Community Building and Organizing | ||
| Domestic and Family Violence | ||
| Correctional Programming | ||
| Management of Juvenile Justice Organizations | ||
| Theories of Delinquency | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Special Topics in Juvenile Justice | ||
| Policy Analysis and Progam Evaluation | ||
| Sociology Electives | 15 | |
| Contemporary Sociological Theory | ||
| Urban Sociology | ||
| Crime and Society | ||
| Seminar in Race Relations | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Complex Organizations | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Black Family | ||
| Sociology of Gender and Sex Roles | ||
| Black Sociology | ||
| Media Studies | ||
| Urban Field Research | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
| Thesis Concentration | ||
| Major Requirement | 6 | |
| Classical Sociological Theory 1 | ||
| Research Methods | ||
| Tools Course Requirements | 3 | |
| Select one course (3 hours) selected from the following | ||
| Educational Statistics | ||
| Community Analysis, Demography and GIS | ||
| Business Statistics | ||
| Social Statistics | ||
| Thesis | 6 | |
| Thesis | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Sociology Electives: | 15 | |
| Contemporary Sociological Theory | ||
| Urban Sociology | ||
| Sociology of Education | ||
| Crime and Society | ||
| Seminar in Race Relations | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Complex Organizations | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Black Family | ||
| Sociology of Gender and Sex Roles | ||
| Black Sociology | ||
| Graduate Capstone | ||
| Media Studies | ||
| Urban Field Research | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |