Requirements for the Ph.D. program are organized around a core curriculum, elective courses, research apprenticeship experience, a one-semester teaching assistantship, and a dissertation with a departmental and University defense. Additionally, students must satisfy the University residence requirement and demonstrate competence in a foreign language. Students are expected to complete all University and departmental requirements other than the dissertation by the end of the spring semester of their fourth year in the program (this includes the departmental defense of the dissertation proposal).

The Core Curriculum

Social Theory
A student must demonstrate competence in social theory. Ordinarily, such competence will be demonstrated by obtaining a grade of B- or higher in two courses: Social Theory I: Theories of Society (230.602), and Social Theory II: Social Interaction (230.603).

Sociological Analysis
This seminar (230.643) is designed to acquaint the student with how sociologists deal with important theoretical issues, using a variety of methods and sources of data. It must be passed with a grade of B- or higher.

Methods and Statistics
The student must pass an approved four-semester sequence in methods and statistics with a grade of B- or higher. The required courses are Introduction to Social Statistics (230.301), Regression Analysis (230.604), Research Design and Data Collection (230.601), and a fourth course selected from the following options:

	Macro-Comparative Research Methods (230.650);
	Categorical Data Analysis and Selected Topics (230.605);
	Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Linear Structural-Equations Modeling (230.631);
	Qualitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences (230.649)

Proseminar
This course is designed to acquaint new students with the sociology faculty and their research interests. It is taken Pass-Fail in the student's first semester.

Electives

In addition to the core curriculum, the student must enroll in nine additional graduate level courses, up to four of which may be taken outside of the department. All must be passed with a grade of B- or higher. While students are free to select these courses, the department strongly recommends that they be taken from diverse fields of specializations so as to maximize the breadth of exposure to core areas of sociology and other disciplines.

Research Apprenticeship

The student must serve as a research assistant on two research projects in the department. This requirement is satisfied by certification from two different faculty members of professional-level work in research projects under their direction for a period of no less than one semester.

Teaching Assistantship

As part of their preparation for future academic work, graduate students are required to serve as teaching assistants for at least one semester.

Foreign Language

Each student must demonstrate reading knowledge of a language other than English. For a language to be eligible the student must show that (1) a body of social scientific literature exists in the language, and the student needs to read this literature in connection with his or her research, or (2) the student must use this language to carry out dissertation field work or archival research for the dissertation. The language test will evaluate comprehension of a social science document.

Dissertation

The student must propose and conduct original research which is presented in a dissertation suitable for publication. The department administers an oral examination which must be passed before the student is allowed to defend before a university board. The dissertation must then be defended either at a University Graduate Board preliminary oral examination, based on the dissertation proposal, or at a Graduate Board final oral examination, based on the completed dissertation.

Residence

A minimum of two consecutive semesters of full-time residence is mandatory for all degrees. However, at least six semesters of full-time residence is recommended by the department for completion of the core curriculum, electives, and certifications in the two different research projects. By the end of the fourth year in the program, the student is expected to have written a dissertation proposal, and have defended it successfully before the appropriate examining committees.