Graduate Program
MASTER OF ARTS IN SOCIOLOGY
The major in sociology is available on the thesis option only. A minimum of 31-39 semester hours, including 6 hours of SOC 6299 (980:299) Thesis Research, is required. A minimum of 15 hours of 6000-level course work is required, including no more than 3 hours of SOC 6285 (980:285) Individual Readings.
| Required Courses | ||
| SOC 6070 | Contemporary Sociological Theories (980:200) Prereq: SOC 3070/5070 (980:170g) | 3 hours |
| SOC 6020 | Advanced Research Methodology (980:201) Prereq: SOC 2010 (980:108) | 3 hours |
| SOC 6000 | Proseminar (980:211) | 1 hours |
| SOC 6026 | Quantitative Analysis (980:260) | 3 hours |
| SOC 6035 | Qualitative Research: Data Collection & Analysis (980:278) | 3 hours |
| SOC 6170 | Sociology Seminar (Topics may vary each year. May be repeated once.) (980:280) | 3 hours |
| SOC 6299 | Thesis Research (980:299) | 6 hours |
| Electives In Sociology | ||
| Courses must be 5000/6000-level | 9-15 hours | |
| Electives Outside Sociology | ||
| Courses must be 5000/6000-level and be approved by the graduate coordinator. Reading knowledge of a foreign language is recommended. | 0-6 hours | |
|
Total
|
31-39 hours | |
.
ADVISORY NOTES TO GRADUATE STUDENTS FOR MASTER OF ARTS IN SOCIOLOGY
These advisory notes highlight or supplement university regulations as found in the current Catalog of Courses. Consult that document for more details. In some instances graduate students in sociology must meet standards greater than those for the university.
ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM
1. To seek admission to the program, complete the DEPARTMENT ENTRANCE FORM and the University APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO GRADUATE STUDY form.
2. If an applicant’s undergraduate work was completed at an institution other than the University of Northern Iowa, he or she should request transcripts of all college or university credits be sent to the Office of the Register which will forward a copy to the graduate coordinator.
3. To be admitted to graduate program in sociology the applicant must be recommended by the Sociology Graduate Committee. The committee will consider the following in making its recommendation:
a. An overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 (B) or above.
b. Two letters of recommendation from previous instructors.
c. A written statement on planned emphasis in program and professional goals.
d. A combined verbal and quantitative score of 1100 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
4. As indicated, an applicant’s score on the GRE is one of several criteria considered when a decision on admission to the program is made. Therefore, the GRE is recommended but not required for admission to the graduate program in sociology.
5. Applicants receive one of three possible decisions: admission, provisional admission, or denial. A student given provisional admission must meet certain individual requirements prior to full admission to the program. See the current Catalog of Courses for details.
6. Students may begin the program during the fall or spring semester. Fall enrollment, however, is strongly recommended. All applications submitted by June 30 for fall admission and October 31 for spring admission will be given full consideration.
7. Students seeking financial aid must apply for fall admission and submit completed application materials by February 1. Students entering the program in the spring semester may apply for funding for the following academic year.
GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS AND TUTION SCHOLARSHIPS
8. A limited number of graduate assistantships are available on a competitive basis. To apply, the student must file an APPLICATION FOR GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP form with the graduate coordinator.
9. A limited number of tuition scholarships are also available on a competitive basis. To apply, the student must file an APPLICATION FOR TUITION SCHOLARSHIP form with the graduate coordinator.
10. Assistantships and tuition scholarships are awarded on a yearly basis. Applications must be reactivated each year the student seeks an award. A student must have a 3.00 GPA to be eligible for initial receipt of an assistantship and/or tuition scholarship and must maintain a 3.00 GPA in all graduate coursework to continue receiving the award from one semester to the next. The assistantship and tuition scholarship application deadline for both new and continuing students is February 1.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
12. Entering students who do not have undergraduate credit in the following courses (or their equivalents) are required to complete them. Of these courses, only SOC 5070 (980:170g) may be taken with credit applying to the M.A. requirements.
SOC 1000 Introduction to Sociology (980:001) 3 hours SOC 2020 Statistics for Social Research (980:080) 3 hours SOC 2010 Research Methods (980:108) 3 hours SOC 3070/5070 The Development of Social Theories (980:170g) 3 hours 13. Under certain circumstances, undergraduate seniors at the University of Northern Iowa may register for graduate credit with approval of the department head. See the current Catalog of Courses for details.
14. Upon admission, a standardized program of study is released online for the student to view at MyUniverse (see My Personal Records link). The program of study on the university's computer database is the official documentation of all master's degree requirements. If the student, in consultation with his or her advisor, chooses to make any changes in the program of study, the request must be made online through MyUniverse and is subject to approval at both the department and Graduate College levels.
15. As indicated above, student requests are used by students to seek appropriate approval(s) for a variety of reasons. Graduate students submit all student requests online through MyUniverse. Under the category My Personal Records, the first link on the list is Student Requests. Students click on that link and follow instructions to write, submit, and check the approval status of all their student requests.
16. A cumulative GPA of 3.00 must be earned in all courses within the program of study attempted as a graduate student. No more than six semester hours of C credit earned within the program of study may be applied toward graduation. Students who attain a cumulative GPA less than 3.00 after nine semester hours in a program of study may be placed on probation. Students who attain a cumulative GPA less than 3.00 after 18 semester hours may be suspended from the program.
17. Completion of the degree requires recency of credit. This means that courses taken more than seven years prior to the granting of the degree cannot be used to meet degree requirements.
18. Graduate students who have completed their coursework but have not finished their thesis must be continuously registered until the degree is completed. Once coursework is done, students are automatically registered in the course SOC 629C (Continuous Graduate Student) and assessed a $50 fee. This allows students access to university email accounts and library services through graduation.
THE MASTERS THESIS
19. The student should consult with the graduate coordinator as early as possible to determine a thesis topic. The student is strongly recommended to have at least a tentative thesis topic by the end of the first semester of study.
20. The graduate coordinator should also be consulted for the selection of a permanent thesis advisor (chairperson). Typically the coordinator will serve as an acting advisor for the first semester of study or until the student selects an advisor to supervise work on the thesis. Once the chairperson is determined, he or she becomes responsible for the student’s progress. This means that the chairperson will take responsibility for the academic aspects of the student’s program, while the graduate coordinator may continue in an advisory role for the administrative aspects of completing the degree.
21. The student must also establish a three-person thesis committee. This committee is comprised of the student’s permanent advisor and two other faculty members. Selection of committee members is made in consultation with the student’s advisor and should be determined by the end of the second semester in the program. Committee members must be on the graduate faculty at the University of Northern Iowa and at least one of the two other members must be a sociology faculty person. Once these members are determined, the student must submit a DEPARTMENT THESIS COMMITTEE FORM and a GRADUATE COLLEGE THESIS COMMITTEE FORM with appropriate signatures to the graduate coordinator, and then "declare" his or her thesis committee by filing a student request online through MyUniverse.
22. The thesis committee requires a prospectus before approving the thesis topic. The student will present that prospectus in an open forum and an oral defense is required. The thesis committee may accept the prospectus, accept the prospectus with revisions, require major revisions and another oral defense, or reject the prospectus. A defense may be repeated only once without approval of the graduate coordinator.
23. The prospectus itself should include an introduction, theory section, a literature review, research questions or focus, and a detailed plan on data collection and analysis. It also should include a cover page with the following information: date, time, and location of the defense, title of the presentation, name of the presenter, and the names of the thesis committee members with the chair identified. Further information for the completion of the prospectus is available from the thesis committee chairperson.
24. The graduate coordinator must be notified when the student schedules the prospectus defense. Hard copies of the prospectus must be distributed to the thesis committee at least two weeks before the date of the defense. A copy of the prospectus should also be placed in the department office (Baker 356) at least one week before the presentation.
25. Guidelines for writing the thesis are presented in the Graduate College Thesis Manual, which is available online at http://www.grad.uni.edu/thesis-dissertation. Students should consult this manual and carefully follow the guidelines when preparing the thesis.
26. During the semester in which students intend to graduate, they must make an appointment with the Graduate College for a thesis preview to have the format of the thesis reviewed. In order to schedule a preview meeting, the student's name and contact information must first be forwarded to the Graduate College by the coordinator.
27. An oral defense of the thesis is also required. The procedures for this requirement are similar to those of the prospectus. The graduate coordinator must be notified prior to scheduling the thesis defense. Hard copies of the thesis must be distributed to the thesis committee at least two weeks in advance of the defense. These copies should be typed, but unbound. A copy of the thesis should be placed in the department office (Baker 356) at least one week before the defense. The thesis should include a cover page with the following information: date, time, and location of the defense, title of the presentation, name of the presenter, and names of the committee members with the chair identified.
28. Following the oral defense, the thesis committee may accept the thesis, accept the thesis with revisions, require major revisions and another oral defense, or reject the thesis. A thesis defense may be repeated only once without the approval of the graduate coordinator.
29. Four bound copies of the thesis are required before the student is awarded the degree. Two (including the original) are deposited with the Graduate College. If approved, they are then forwarded to the library, which then has them hardback bound. This requires a nominal fee that is paid to the University Office of Business Operations. The second two copies must also be bound. Students may contact the department office (Baker 356) to arrange for this binding through the university. One of these copies is given to the thesis chairperson and the other to the graduate coordinator. Three copies of an abstract of the thesis are also required by the Graduate College.
APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
30. An APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION form must completed on paper or electronically on MyUniverse at the time students register for their last semester of classes or at any time up to the 12th week of classes during the spring and fall semesters or July 1 for all summer sessions.
* includes 6 credit hours of SOC 6299 (Thesis Research)
** must include 6 or more hours in one semester or summer session
*** up to one-third of the hours on the graduate program of study
**** includes no more than 6 hours of SOC 6299 (Thesis Research)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For general information about graduate study at UNI, please refer to the Graduate College website at http://www.grad.uni.edu/
Applicants with physical or mental disabilities, as defined by the American with Disabilities Act, who wish to request accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Services at 319-273-2676 (voice) or 319-273-3011 (TTY)
International students should request an application and instructions by contacting the International Services Director at 319-273-6421 or international.admissions@uni.edu. The minimum TOEFL score required for admission to graduate status is 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer based), or 79-80 (internet).
For more information about the M.A. in Sociology, contact Dr. Kristin Mack, Graduate Coordinator, at 319-273-7630 or kristin.mack@uni.edu