We do not offer a terminal Master’s degree program, but students are able to obtain their Master’s degree on the way to obtaining their PhD in Sociology upon the successful completion and presentation of their Qualifying Paper. Students must complete all of the Master of Arts in Sociology Degree requirements and pay all required fees for degree processing.
Applications are submitted electronically through the Office of Admissions.
No. The Department is not able to waive application fees. Typically, the Graduate School does not offer graduate application fee waivers either. However, there are three scenarios that qualified students can use for fee waivers. Please review the Application Fee Waiver page to see if you qualify.
We typically receive 65-75 applications in any give year. The quality of the applicant pool determines the number of students we admit.
We are looking for students with strong analytic, critical thinking, and writing skills. Not all of our admitted students have undergraduate degrees in Sociology, but most have some background in social sciences. We are also looking for students with interests that strongly match our faculty expertise. We recommend applicants identify at least 1-2 faculty with whom they would like to work if admitted.
We currently offer all admitted students 5-year funding packages, unless they bring their own funding through their home governments or external fellowships. Within those five years, students receive Graduate Assistantship offers in Fall and Spring semesters, which consist of bi-weekly stipends, a 9-credit tuition waiver, and health insurance benefits which continue through the summer (assuming that the student accepts and holds a spring assistantship). Funding offers are guaranteed as long as the student remains in good standing. For more information surrounding financial assistance, you may refer to the MSU Office of Financial Aid website.
You can find information about on-campus graduate dorms and university apartments at liveon.msu.edu.
No. A Master's degree is not required.
No. The sociology PhD program is an extremely intense program requiring a large time investment.
We do not offer an online program. All PhD level Sociology courses (SOC) are taught in classroom settings.
No, we only accept applications in Fall Semesters. Admitted cohorts begin in the Fall Semester (August) of the following academic year.
The program is designed to be completed in five to six years to give students the best chance at authoring scholarly publications prior to the job market. Students completing extensive fieldwork or international work for their dissertations may take seven years but will need to obtain external funding.
We train students primarily for research and teaching careers. A large proportion of our students secure positions in colleges or universities, although a growing number enter careers in government, policy analysis, and other industry positions. Follow this link to see our recent placements.
Yes, we need official transcripts for all degrees listed on your application. You may submit an MSU Transcript Request to the Registrar's Office. Please note that requests are typically processed within 1-3 business days.
All credits and quality points earned throughout your undergraduate studies are combined to determine your overall undergraduate GPA.
Visit the MSU Office of Financial Aid for information about financial aid as well as a link to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
Many questions regarding international programs at MSU can be found at oiss.isp.msu.edu, the Office for International Students and Scholars
The Graduate School also has information on applying to Graduate School.
Admissions also has an international students page: https://admissions.msu.edu/apply/international.
It depends. If an applicant earns a Bachelor's degree in the U.S. (or another country where English is the first language), they will qualify for an automatic waiver. If an applicant earns a Master's degree at an AAU Institution on a U.S. campus, they will also qualify for an automatic waiver. All others will not qualify for an English Language Competency score waiver and will need to provide test scores. For more information, see the Graduate School's website on English Language Competency.
Yes. A TOEFL or IELTS is accepted.
No. Not typically and not without special conditions.
Yes. This is standard university procedure.