Graduate Field
Sociology
Program Description
The Graduate Field in Sociology enrolls about 6-7 doctoral students each year, with about 40 graduate students in the program at any given time.
Graduate Students in Sociology are advised by the Sociology Graduate Field Faculty – more than 30 eminent sociologists from across the Cornell campus. Most, but not all, of these sociologists have their primary appointments within the Department of Sociology. Graduate students in Sociology can be advised by any member of the Sociology Graduate Field Faculty. Applicants are encouraged to review the list of Sociology Graduate Field Faculty and their areas of ongoing research and to reach out to faculty whose research interests are relevant. (However, applicants should note that students are admitted in a general pool; not to work with specific faculty or in particular labs.)
Doctoral students in Sociology register in general sociology initially, and during the first year of study, they take a sequence of core courses in theory and methods. Then, students select two areas of concentration within which they develop a strong foundational knowledge of theory and research. These areas are chosen from the list below; students may focus on two major areas or one major area and one minor area. Descriptions of these areas of concentration, as well as the faculty whose research falls within these areas, are listed on the website.
After completing the required course sequence in the first year, students take two concentration examinations (one for each area of concentration) and then develop a Qualifying Paper. The Qualifying Paper should be a solo-authored research paper that could be revised and submitted to a journal for publication. After the paper is drafted, students are prepared to apply for Admission to Doctoral Candidacy. Students in full-time residence are normally expected to take the examination for Admission to Candidacy in the summer prior to the third year or in the fall of their third year. This examination is followed by the dissertation prospectus, the dissertation, and the oral defense of the dissertation.
One year of directed teaching experience at Cornell is required unless the student is specifically exempted.
Concentrations
- Community & 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 & medicine (minor)
- Social demography
- Social networks
- Social psychology (minor)
- Sociology of education
- Sociology of family
- Sociology of health and illness
Program Information
- Instruction Mode: In Person
- 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
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.
