Graduate Field
Sociology
Program Description
The graduate field in sociology enrolls approximately six or seven doctoral students each year. Forty to forty-five graduate students are in the program at any given time.
Graduate students are advised by the sociology graduate field faculty, which consists of more than 30 eminent sociologists from across Cornell. Most, but not all, of these sociologists’ primary appointments are in the Department of Sociology. Graduate students in sociology can be advised by any member of the sociology graduate field faculty, even if the advisor’s primary appointment is not in Sociology.
Applicants should review the list of faculty and their areas of research, and they are welcome to reach out to individual members of the faculty. However, applicants are admitted to the program as a whole, not to work with specific scholars or labs. We do not admit students for a terminal masters’ degree.
The doctoral program is designed to provide students with foundational training in the methods and theories of the discipline as well as ample opportunity to explore and research topics of particular interest. In their first year, doctoral students take a core sequence of course in theory and methods as well as topical seminars. Students select two concentration areas from the list below, either two major areas or one major and one minor area; these areas are described on the sociology department website. After developing expertise through coursework and independent study, students take a concentration exam in each area, completing the second one by the end of the fourth semester.
With the mentorship of their special committee, students will also write a qualifying paper, a solo-authored research paper that could be submitted to a journal for publication. By the end of the summer after their sixth semester, students orally defend the qualifying paper and the two concentration exams. This constitutes the A exam in sociology, after which students can advance to doctoral candidacy. Students also defend a dissertation prospectus, normally by the summer after their eighth semester, and their completed dissertation, normally by the end of their twelfth semester.
The program also requires one year of directed teaching experience at Cornell unless the student is specifically exempted.
Concentrations
- Community and urban sociology
- Computational social science
- Culture (minor)
- Economy and society
- Gender
- Inequality and social stratification
- Methodology (minor)
- Organizations, work, and occupations
- Policy analysis (minor)
- Political sociology/social movements
- Race, ethnicity, and immigration
- Science, technology, and medicine (minor)
- Social demography
- Social networks
- Social psychology (minor)
- Sociology of education
- Sociology of family
- Sociology of health and illness
Program Information
- Program Mode of Delivery: In Person
- Program Location: Ithaca, NY
Program Requirements
- Minimum Semesters for Degree: 12
Graduate School Milestones
- Responsible Conduct of Research Training: Required
- Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID): Required
- Student Progress Reviews (SPR) begin: First Year
- Examination for admission to candidacy (A Exam): Third Year
- Defense of Dissertation (B Exam): Sixth Year
Field Specific Milestones
- Six semesters of teaching assistantship required
Course Requirements
Additional course requirements may be set by the student’s Special Committee. Program specific requirements that apply to all students are included below.
Year 1 (Fall)
Year 1 (Spring)
- SOC 5020 Basic Problems in Sociology II
- SOC 6020 Intermediate Statistics for Sociological Research
- SOC 6080 Proseminar in Sociology
Graduate School Enrollment Requirements
Course Requirements
- Course requirements are determined by the student’s Special Committee.
- Enrollment in a GRAD research course or the equivalent field specific research course is expected of all students each semester through graduation. These courses include:
University Graduation Requirements
Requirements for All Students
In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.
Academic Requirements
A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.
Non-academic Requirements
Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.
Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.
Learning Outcomes
The Field of Sociology focuses on five key goals for our graduate students.
Students who are working to complete a Ph.D. in Sociology should be able to:
- Conduct original, publishable research.
- Demonstrate a broad knowledge of theory and research in two subfields within the discipline.
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge at the research frontier of one area of specialization.
- Write and speak effectively to professional and general audiences about issues in the field.
- Teach effectively. Design a course, grade, and comment constructively and authoritatively on student work, lead discussion, and lecture.
Admissions
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadlines
Fall, December 15
Requirements Summary
- Academic statement of purpose
- Personal statement
- Writing sample
- College transcript(s)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Resume or CV
- GRE scores
- The English language proficiency requirement for all applicants, with these specific scores required for the field of sociology:
- IELTS overall band score of 8.0 or higher, or
- TOEFL iBT (minimums): Speaking: 28; Reading: 24; Listening: 22; Writing: 24
- A nonrefundable application fee of $105
You do not need to have an undergraduate or master’s degree in sociology to apply or be competitive in the admissions process.
Admissions Contact Information
Email: sociology@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-4266
Campus Address: 316 Uris Hall
Website: https://sociology.cornell.edu/graduate
