MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY
The Department of Sociology offers a full M.A. program with requirements of theory and methods and a broad range of electives. Two program tracks offer the student maximum flexibility in pursuing academic and career goals. The general M.A., which includes a thesis requirement, is designed for those who are interested in pursuing a general education in sociology as well as developing research skills. The M.A. with applied emphasis is designed for students who wish to relate a general graduate education in sociology with more specific skills or substantive interests. Rather than writing a thesis, an additional twelve hours of coursework is coordinated with the student's advisor to provide an individualized program of study. The coursework may include classes in other graduate programs such as public administration, education and criminal justice. All course work for the Master of Arts degree in sociology may be taken on the Colorado Springs campus, although students may, at their option, take appropriate and approved courses at the Denver or Boulder campuses. Admission to the M.A. program at Colorado Springs, however, does not relate to admission to the graduate programs at Denver and Boulder.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Application for admission is made directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, P.O. Box 7150, Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150. Application materials are available at the Office of Admissions and Records and the Sociology Department Office. Fall application deadline is Feb 1 for fellowship consideration and July 1 if not. Spring application deadline is December 1.
Admission as a Regular Degree Student: To be admitted as a regular degree student, an applicant must:
(1) hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university or have completed work equivalent for such a degree and equivalent to the degree given at this University;
(2) have an undergraduate grade-point average of at least 2.75
(3) have adequate preparation to begin graduate study in sociology
(4) Show promise for advanced study and research, as judged by the applicant's previous scholastic record
(5) three letters of recommendation
(6) have completed the Graduate Record Exam; and
(7) be recommended for admission to a regular degree status by the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Sociology.
Admission as a Provisional Degree Student: An applicant who does not meet the minimum requirements for admission as a regular degree student may be admitted to a provisional degree status. To convert to regular degree status from provisional degree status, the student may be required to complete courses to make up deficiencies and/or demonstrate the ability to successfully perform graduate work.
TRANSFER CREDIT
No more than eight (8) semester hours from other accredited institutions or in non-degree coursework may be transferred toward the master's degree in Sociology at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. All transfer credits must be approved by the Sociology Department and the Graduate School by the beginning of the semester prior to that in which the student will graduate.
GUARANTEED ADMISSION
Students who complete a major in Sociology at UCCS and achieve a minimum over-all grade point average of 3.0 and a 3.25 in sociology will be guaranteed admission to the Department's M.A. program. For students meeting these requirements the Graduate Record Exam will be waived. Students who do not meet these requirements will be guaranteed provision admission to the M.A. program if (a) they have at least a 2.75 GPA and (b) and acceptable score on the GRE.
FAST-TRACK ADMISSIONS
This admissions program is for former undergraduate students that have graduated from UCCS with a degree in the program for which they are applying, and no more than four years prior to the time of application to a graduate program. The requirements are the same as regular degree admission with the GRE requirement and letters or recommendations waived.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Course Requirements for the Degree
Required
Courses
Core Courses All students must complete the following courses in a satisfactory manner:
SOC 505-1 Proseminar in Sociology
SOC 507-4 Seminar in Research Methods
SOC 516-3 Seminar in Social Theory (Students that have not taken an undergraduate course in Social Theory are also required to take SOC 515-3 Seminar in Social Theory I.)
And one of these:
Soc 517-4 Seminar on Advanced Statistics and Research
OR SOC 518-3 Seminar: Community Organization and Analysis
Options
Plan I- Requirements
Plan I students
must complete a total of 24 hours of approved course work, including
the required courses, plus an acceptable thesis for 6
hours of credit.
Plan
II - Requirements
Five-Year Program
The
traditional M.A. program in Sociology is designed to
M.A.
degree with only a 5' year of study is enhanced for
Advisory Committee, Thesis Advisor, and Examination Committee
Each student must select a graduate faculty member within the Department as his or her Advisor. This should be done as early as possible during the first semester of graduate work. The Advisor serves as the Chairperson of the student's Advisory Committee, which consists of a minimum of three graduate faculty members (one of whom may be from outside the Department). The student, after consultation with his or her Advisor, selects the other members of his or her Advisory Committee. Providing that the Advisor is within the student's area of specialization, he or she will serve as Thesis Advisor if the student is presenting a thesis. In every case, the Thesis Advisor shall be a member of the student's Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee, with the approval of the UCCS Dean of the Graduate School, shall serve as the student's examination committee for the comprehensive final examination.
The Qualifying Examination
Students’ progress will be reviewed after completion of the first 6 hours of graduate level courses to ensure adequate qualifications to proceed in the program. Students found to be not well prepared in statistics will be required to take SOC 502 and those not well prepared in social theory will be required to take SOC 503. Students will be notified of the results of this review process and appropriate recommendations for further progress will be included.
The Preliminary Examination
After completing 18 graduate hours, including the required core sociology courses, students must prepare an admission to candidacy form (available from Shari Patterson, Graduate Program Coordinator). The student’s academic record will be reviewed and a plan for completing either a thesis (Plan I) or coursework (Plan II) must be approved to continue in the program. If problems are identified, appropriate steps will be specified in order to become a candidate for the degree.
Plan I: Thesis Defense
Upon completion of the master’s thesis and approval of the Chair of the thesis committee a defense is scheduled, The goal of the defense is to provide for a thorough discussion of the thesis project, and exploration of issues and implications for continued research in the thesis topic.
OR
Plan II: Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination is based on a discussion of the materials provided by the student in her/his graduate student portfolio. During the examination the student is asked to summarize her/his educational development in the program and relate this to further academic work and/or career plans. The graduate student portfolio should include: 1) a self statement detailing the student’s goals and what he/she has learned; 2) an academic resume; and, 3) copies of papers from each of the required sociology courses. Portfolios should be turned in to the Graduate Program Coordinator two weeks before the comprehensive examination. Portfolios are not returned to the student, but become part of the graduate archive in the sociology department.
TIME LIMIT All requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Sociology must be completed within five years or six successive summers. Effective Fall, 2005