A master’s programme in sociology gives students an in-depth understanding of people’s behaviours, reactions, and interactions in groups, organisations, institutions, and nations. Typical entry requirements include a bachelor’s degree, letters of recommendation as well as certain GPA scores, and it takes about two years to complete a programme. Acquiring a master’s degree may be fundamental for teaching sociology, doing advanced research, or building an applied career.
If you feel that a master’s in sociology is a good fit for you, consider some of the best universities to get a degree.
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley welcomes students with wide-ranging interests in research and provides them with high-quality training, resources, and a supportive community. This institution gives everything necessary to succeed in academic settings and beyond. The Sociology program is carefully designed to allow students with diverse backgrounds to explore and develop their own original ideas. It provides young people with a rich sociological education emphasised public sociology as well as social justice and offers a number of fellowships, grants, and awards for students pursuing research in these fields.
Besides, this programme gives rigorous training in general theory and involves elective theory courses as well as qualifying examinations in it. Moreover, the university provides its students teaching opportunities in undergraduate programs.
What’s more, students can engage with university-wide institutes beyond the department, such as the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, the Institute of Governmental Studies, and many others.
Another significant advantage of Berkeley is that students can get a competitive funding package including full support for tuition and a living stipend.
Stanford University
Stanford University offers a coterminal master’s programme in sociology for young people regardless of their undergraduate major. This flexible self-designed program requires a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 in the previous undergraduate program, while the GRE is not needed for submission.
The department of Sociology accepts online applications once a year until the fifth of February. Note, that it doesn’t fund students, so you should learn more about financial assistance at Stanford Financial Aid Office if you want to get support.
To apply for the sociology programme at Stanford, you must submit an online application, preliminary program proposal, undergraduate co-term application approval form, and current unofficial undergraduate transcript. Two letters of recommendation are also required for submission. Moreover, students have to write a statement of purpose in which they outline reasons for pursuing the degree. If you are not good at writing, you can check essay examples for sociology students, all of which include career aspirations or plans as well as other aspects of academic experiences that may be helpful for admissions officers in evaluating your study motivation. Those students who seek some research experience should describe their research interests and plans in the statement.
Idaho State University
Master programme in sociology at Idaho State University was established in 1977, and it still offers a comprehensive curriculum that requires 33 credits, exams, and a thesis. Faculty provides students expertise in various fields, namely environmental and medical sociology, religion, social diversity, gender studies, leisure and deviance, quantitative and qualitative research methods, community, social theory, media sociology, sociology of sport, social psychology, and some other. This program prepares students for professional employment as well as the pursuit of a PhD. The faculty emphasises sociological theory, research methods as well as analytical skills.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
The Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is one of the most top-rated departments in the US. It has played a crucial role in defining the nature of Sociology as a discipline. Historically, this program is famous for its pioneering training in survey research and quantitative methods, but now it offers excellent training in qualitative methods as well.
The University of Michigan master’s programme in Sociology encourages mentorship and personalised learning in small classes. Each upcoming student is assigned a mentor who provides advice and guidance throughout the whole course. Moreover, students get an opportunity to participate in departmental committees as well as in student competitions. Young people are also delighted to present their ongoing research in a vibrant array of ongoing faculty workshops.
University of Chicago
The master programme in the Social Sciences offered at the University of Chicago provides students with extraordinary access to the faculty resources in anthropology, economics, history, political science, psychology. It is an intense and intellectually transformative one-year program with weekly mentorship.
The admissions board of the University of Chicago is highly selective. But the good thing is that you have a chance to get substantial aid from partial to full tuition grants. Also, the program offers a structured and flexible curriculum that helps students make a decision about the right path for them through organising workshops.
The Department of Sociology covers different fields, such as urban and global studies, education and its trends, economic sociology, organisation, demography, race, ethnography, and computational sociology.
Paul Calderon is a sociologist and academic writer. As a sociology expert, Paul conducts surveys and collects data for research projects that test theories of social issues.
