Graduate Program Guide
Faculty Advisers | M.A. Requirements | M.A. Transfer Credits | Advancement to the Ph.D. | Ph.D. Requirements | Additional Requirements | Program Standing | Requirements Timeline | Other Matters
These requirements apply to students who either opted into the new program or joined the Sociology PhD program in Fall 2023 or later. Students are responsible to learn departmental degree requirements, to be familiar with rules for determining standing in the program, and to understand the consequences of not meeting these standards. Failure to meet these standards may lead to incidents of probation or dismissal from the program.
FACULTY ADVISERS AND MENTORING
First-Year Students: In a student’s first year in the program, the DGS and Graduate Program Committee serve as their faculty mentors as part of the First-Year Mentoring Committee (FYMC). The FYMC meets collectively with the first-year cohort twice a month in the first semester, and once a month in the second semester. In addition, FYMC members are also available for one-on-one mentoring. At the end of the first year, the FYMC will help first-year students connect with a faculty member who will serve as their primary advisor/mentor in their second year in the program. (This faculty member is likely to be the advisor/mentor for the RC1 but does not have to be.)
The FYMC will also consult with the student as the student selects members for their Faculty Mentoring Committee (FMC) for the student’s second year in the program. The FMC is typically composed of two to three sociology faculty members. During the student’s second and third years in the program their RC faculty advisors/mentors (RC advisor) will likely be members of their FMC.
More Advanced Students: For all students beyond the first-year students, each student will meet bi-annually with the student’s mentors/committee members (the FMC). The FMC is typically two to three sociology faculty members. During the second and third years, the FMC typically includes the research collaborative advisor, and in later years, the special area paper and dissertation committee members (see below). The graduate student is responsible for scheduling the meetings. The graduate student will share with committee members in advance of the meeting a document outlining the student’s expectations and plans for the coming academic year or summer. The first meeting will take place at the beginning of the fall semester (no later than the end of September). In this meeting the student mentors will set expectations and define a plan for the coming academic year. The second meeting will take place at the end of the spring semester to evaluate progress and give advice for use of summertime. Mentoring committees will share progress reports with the DGS after the spring meeting to inform the letters of standing.
OVERVIEW OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER’S (M.A.) DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY
The master’s degree is earned in passing to the Ph.D. and requires 33 hours of formal, didactic coursework, including 12 hours of core courses with at least a B, and 21 hours of electives (6 credits must be methods focused, 9 credits must be theory focused). Transfer credits are not allowed for the master’s degree. Students must produce a paper by the end of their 4th semester, as part of a successful Research Collaboration with a faculty member. Research Collaboratives are official collaborations between the graduate student and a faculty member that take place in the student’s second and third years in the program.
Research Requirements for MA Degree
Research Collaboratives are official collaborations between the graduate student and a faculty member that take place in the student’s second and third years in the program.
Research Collaborative 1 (RC1) starts at the beginning of the summer after the student’s first year and continues through the student’s second year in the program. The student collaborates on research with a faculty advisor/mentor. At the end of RC1, the student in collaboration with the faculty advisor must have a paper completed that will be submitted to a peer-review academic journal. This paper is a requirement for the master’s degree.
RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH (RCR)
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training
RCRG 6303, 6304, 6305, 6306, and 6307.
CORE COURSES – B OR HIGHER (12 credit hours)
SOC 6301 Theoretical Foundations of Sociology (3)
SOC 6310 Second Year Research Practicum (3)
SOC 6311 Multivariate Analysis I (3)
SOC 6312 Multivariate Analysis 2 (3)
Elective COURSES (21 Credit hours)
Methods Focused Electives (6)
Theory Focused Electives (9)
Methods Focused, Theory Focused, Independent Study, or Approved Courses in other Departments (6)
33 total credit hours required for M.A.
All core courses must be passed with a grade of B or better to make satisfactory progress in the program. Grades lower than B will appear in the graduate student’s record at the Graduate School as having earned the student the credit hours corresponding to the course in question. However, students earn zero hours toward the department’s required 33 hours for the M.A. (72 hours for the Ph.D.) degree and must retake the course. Failing to earn a minimum course grade of B in the retaken course will result in the student’s termination from the program.
Participation in Department Colloquium Series and First-Year Professionalization Seminars is required. Consistent unexcused absences, lateness, or early departures are indicators of unsatisfactory performance and will result in an automatic instance of probation.
Theoretical Foundations of Sociology. The goal of this course (SOC 6301) is to produce scholars who think sociologically. The course gives students a foundation in the important classic and contemporary works of the discipline and introduces them to the intellectual history of sociology.
Second-Year Research Practicum. This course (SOC 6310) guides students as they conduct a research project and write a research paper suitable for submission to a peer-review journal. The course provides hands-on training in sociological research, including reviewing the literature, theorizing, methods of data gathering and analysis, and writing and revising the final research paper.
Statistical Analysis. Two statistics seminars are required for the M.A. degree: Multivariate Analysis I (SOC 6311) and Multivariate Analysis II (SOC 6312). The courses provide students with a firm foundation in statistical analysis, with special attention to the general linear model and the use of computer-based statistical programs. Students take these courses in the fall and spring semesters of their first year in the program
Research Methods. Special Topics Seminars (SOC 9361-9371) provide deep focus on different research methods, with the goal of providing opportunities for students to develop both broad and specialized expertise in a number of methods. Examples of courses offered are Social Network Analysis, Survey Methods, Ethnography, and Historical Comparative Methods. At least 6 of the 21 hours of MA electives must be in Research Methods courses.
Intellectual History and Theory Construction. Survey Seminars (SOC 8329-8359) provide the intellectual history, foundational theories, and theory construction related to different substantive fields of study in the discipline of Sociology. These courses introduce students to different fields of study, while also giving them the tools to build and test theory that helps advance knowledge in these fields. At least 9 of the 21 hours of MA electives must be in Intellectual History and Theory Construction courses.
Sociological Theory: Two theory courses are required for the M.A. degree: Classical Theory (S6301) and Contemporary Theory (S6302). These courses give students a foundation in the classic works of the discipline and in recent developments in social theory. The two courses will be offered sequentially every other year and both are 3-credit hour courses. Research Methods: All students will take Sociological Inquiry (S6310) which is an introduction to research methods, including theory construction, sociological reasoning, study design, and specific research techniques. This course will be offered at least every other fall semester and is worth 3 credits. Statistical Analysis: Two statistics seminars are required for the M.A. degree: Multivariate Analysis I (S6311) and Multivariate Analysis II (S6312). The courses provides students with a firm foundation in statistical analysis, with special attention to the general linear model and the use of computer-based statistical programs. Students will take these courses in the fall and spring semesters of their first year in the program; both are 3-credit courses. Sociological Criticis: The Workshop on Sociological Criticism (S7500) is an intensive introduction to peer review for publication, using materials from journal submissions to editorial correspondence. The 3- credit course will be offered at least every other spring semester. Students must take eighteen hours of elective credit. Twelve of these credits must include any combination of Sociology’s Special Methods Workshops, Survey Seminars, or Special Topic Seminars. The remaining credits may be drawn from either directed study courses taught by Sociology faculty, one 3000-level undergraduate Sociology course that has been approved for graduate credit, or one graduate course in another department. Students must submit a Course Petition Form to the DGS for approval in order to take graduate courses in other departments. The Course Petition Form is available in Vanderbilt Box (the SOC. GRAD STUDENTS folder). Special Methods Workshops: The department offers two special methods workshops: the Quantitative Methods Workshop (S7600) and the Qualitative Methods Workshop (S7700). These courses introduce students to specific research methods including, but not limited to, the following: comparative historical methods, ethnographic methods, survey construction, and advanced statistical methods such as event-history analysis, categorical analysis, and time series analysis. One of these courses will be offered at least every other year. Survey Seminar: These courses (S8329 – S8359) introduce students to a particular field of sociology and require them to write on aspects of that field. The seminars cover the major areas in sociology as they are represented at Vanderbilt and facilitate students’ ability to accumulate broad knowledge in a range of sociological literatures. At least four of these classes will be offered each year. Special Topic Seminars and Directed Studies Courses: Both Special Topic Seminars (S9361 – S9371) and Directed Studies courses (S9888-S9889) provide the opportunity for students and faculty to focus on substantive topics of mutual interest. Students may enroll in more than one section of either of these courses in a semester. Special Topic Seminars are 3-credit formal offerings which will be listed—with their special focus—in the course catalog. Directed Studies courses are tutorial relationships one or more students arrange with an individual faculty member; students may earn only up to 3 credits of directed study in a semester. Students must file a Request for Directed Studies with the Graduate School. In the form, students must indicate the final products of the requested Directed Studies courses. 3000-Level Undergraduate Courses: For the M.A., students may petition to take one 3000-level substantive area (i.e., non-methods or theory) course taught by Sociology graduate faculty. They must receive the consent of both the instructor and the DGS. The faculty member shall decide which undergraduate requirements the graduate student must meet, but the petition must reflect a higher level of requirements (e.g., assignments, readings) than those met by undergraduate students. A student can only take one of these during their graduate career and it must be taken in the first two years of the program. Purpose. The master’s paper is intended to involve the student actively in research early in his/her graduate career. It is conceived as a high quality, empirical study that demonstrates the student’s mastery of research design and analysis. It may use original (qualitative or quantitative) data collected by the student or be an original analysis of secondary data. The bulk of the work on the paper should be carried out after the student’s matriculation to the program. Timing. The student will develop the idea for a proposal for the master’s paper by the end of his/her first year, in consultation with a faculty member who will act as advisor to the project. The student will name his/her master’s committee chair and submit a two-page abstract of the proposed project by May 1 in the first spring semester to the DGS (with a copy to his/her committee chair). This abstract must include a timeline for completion of the project; work in the summer between the first and second year should be a major factor in this timeline. The student must begin proactively and consistently working with the chair of the master’s committee at this point. By October 1 in the first semester of the student’s second year, s/he will identify the additional members of the master’s paper committee for the DGS. The master’s paper committee will consist of at least two, but no more than three, faculty members including the chair. If the student includes a faculty member from outside the department on the committee, then s/he must include two faculty members from the sociology department. The committee will guide and give feedback on the project as it develops. In order to facilitate this, committees may establish deadlines for drafts and revisions of the paper in advance of the evaluated version’s deadline. The master’s paper will be due to the committee for evaluation no later than June 1 following the spring semester of the student’s second year. The committee will evaluate the paper by June 15 (see Procedures below). If the paper does not receive a unanimous pass, a revision is due by June 30. A final version of the master’s paper must be completed by July 15 in order for the student to meet the filing deadline for an August conferral of the M.A. degree. Procedures. All committee members should provide comments on earlier drafts of the paper. First exposure to the paper at the June deadline is likely not sufficient for the student to meet the requirement. The master’s paper will be read independently by the members of the student’s master’s paper committee, who will evaluate it as “pass with distinction,” “pass,” “conditional pass,” or “fail.” Students will receive explicit feedback from the examining committee on their papers. Evaluations of and comments on the student’s master’s paper will be available no later than two weeks (June 15) after it is submitted to the committee. In order to receive a unanimous “pass,” the paper must be of high quality (i.e., after revision in light of committee members’ comments, the paper could be submitted to a journal for publication). The suggested length will be 25 pages or more (i.e., typical length for submission to a journal). Any evaluation other than unanimous “pass” or “pass with distinction” means that the student must revise the paper. The revised paper will be due on June 30. Again, evaluations of and comments on the student’s paper will be available no later than two weeks after it is submitted to the committee. If a student receives a “conditional pass” or “fail” on the revised master’s paper, s/he will be required to leave the program before the beginning of their third year. If the paper is of such poor quality as to receive an evaluation of “fail,” the student must leave the program before the beginning of their third year. If the student misses the June 1 deadline, they will go on probation immediately, but will still be required to meet the July 15 deadline for revisions. If that deadline is missed, the student must leave the program before the beginning of their third year. Submitting The Master’s Paper. A student who completes the master’s paper entirely in the department must submit the paper to the Graduate School for cataloging. A student whose master’s thesis from another university is accepted by the department should not submit the paper to the Graduate School, but is eligible (once s/he completes or transfers the coursework required for the master’s) for the M.A. degree in sociology from Vanderbilt. In order to remain in FERPA compliance, please see the following guidelines for electronic approvals and the submission of the Completion of Master’s Degree form:
TRANSFER OF M.A. CREDITS OR THESIS FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS
Transfer Credits. Students can petition to waive up to three of the courses required for the M.A. degree. These courses can be waived if the student has taken the course or its equivalent elsewhere with a grade of B or better. The decision to waive the course requires a review of the replacement-course syllabus and, when applicable, written materials produced for the course by both the DGS and a faculty member who teaches the course being waived. Students receive course credit for each waived required course and the grade earned in the previous incarnation of the course is added to the calculation for the student’s Vanderbilt GPA.
ADVANCEMENT TO DOCTORAL STUDY
The receipt of a VU Sociology M.A. degree is required for a student to obtain a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt. All M.A. degree candidates, whether the degree is terminal (rare) or the student is receiving the M.A. degree-in-passing, must file an Intent to Graduate Form with the Graduate School. Students receiving the degree-in-passing are able to, but not required to, participate in Commencement. Students are expected to file this form by the Graduate School’s mid-June deadline for an August conferral of the M.A. degree. In exceptional circumstances, this form will be filed by the Graduate School’s mid-September deadline for a December conferral of the M.A. degree.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOCTORAL (Ph.D.) DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY
Students must satisfy all the master’s degree requirements to receive a Ph.D. Seventy-two total credit hours are required for the Ph.D., including 51 hours of formal, didactic coursework. In addition to the core coursework required of the Master’s, students must earn at least a B in the 6 credit hours of core Ph.D. coursework. Core coursework consists of a teaching workshop (7400) and a Dissertation Proposal Workshop (7500). In addition, the student must pass 33 hours of electives (up to 21 hours of which may be research, 8999 or 9999). Students must take part in a second Research Collaborative, complete a Special Area Paper, and have two Independent Research papers under review by the end of their 5th year in the program. In addition, students must defend a dissertation proposal, complete a dissertation, and defend a dissertation to receive a Ph.D. degree. Students must meet with their FMC bi-annually, attend Professionalization Seminars, and attend the Department Colloquium Series each year.
Students may request the transfer of up to 18 credit hours (9 required and 9 elective hours) of eligible graduate coursework from another institution, subject to the approval of the director of graduate studies, the department chair, and the Graduate School.
Non-Dissertation Research Requirements for the PhD
The second Research Collaborative (RC2) starts at the beginning of the summer after the student’s second year in the program and continues through the student’s third year. The student either collaborates on research with a faculty advisor/mentor or prepares a sole-authored paper with guidance from the faculty advisor. At the end of RC2, the student must have a paper completed for which they are lead author (if the paper is written in collaboration with the faculty advisor) or sole author, that will be submitted to a peer-review academic journal for publication.
The Independent Research (IR1 and IR2) requirements entail having a) a sole-authored paper under review at a peer-review academic journal by the end of the student’s fourth year, and b) another sole-authored paper under review at a peer-review academic journal by the end of their fifth year in the program.
CORE COURSES – B OR HIGHER (6 credit hours)
SOC 9400 Dissertation Proposal Workshop (3)
SOC 7400 Teaching Workshop (3)
Elective COURSES (12 Credit hours)
Methods Focused, Theory Focused, Independent Study, or Approved Courses in other Departments.
RESEARCH (Up to 21 CREDIT HOURS)
SOC 8999 Non-candidate Research (0-12)
SOC 9999 Ph.D. Dissertation Research (0-12)
72 total credit hours required for Ph.D. (including 33 for the M.A.)
Participation in the Department Colloquium Series is required, except for students conducting field research. Consistent unexcused absences, lateness, or early departures are indicators of unsatisfactory performance and will result in an automatic instance of probation.
Ph.D. Required and Elective Courses
Teaching Workshop. The required Teaching Workshop (SOC 7400) is an introduction to all aspects of effective teaching and to the techniques of oral presentation. For those students who lack demonstrated proficiency in teaching, the Workshop is a prerequisite of teaching at Vanderbilt. This 3-credit course is taken Pass/Fail. Students with considerable experience teaching or who have taken a similar course at another institution may petition to waive this requirement. A waiver does not replace the credits; the student will have to make up the credits with another course.
Dissertation Proposal Workshop. This course (SOC 7500) guides students as they design their dissertation project and write a dissertation proposal. The course provides a space for brainstorming, receiving peer feedback, and revising under faculty supervision, a proposal for their dissertation research. Students will receive hands-on training on how to write a proposal that is animated by a clear research question, demonstrates a potential contribution to Sociological theory and empirical knowledge in specific Sociological sub-fields, and lays out the appropriate methods for conducting the research.
To gain deep knowledge in the student’s areas of research and teaching expertise, the student is required to write a Special Area Paper (SAP). The paper enables the student to demonstrate mastery of two or more broad substantive areas. The SAP requires the student to read, organize, and critically assess key concepts, theoretical approaches, research methods, and empirical findings in the paper’s areas. The student is required to submit the SAP by August 15, prior to the beginning of their 7th semester in the program. The SAP is designed to prepare the student not only for teaching but for their dissertation research.
With the assistance of the DGS, the student asks two faculty members in sociology to serve on their SAP committee. The student then defines the broad areas in consultation with their SAP Committee Chair. Reading lists will be developed by the student and committee members jointly.
The completed SAP is similar to an article in the Annual Review of Sociology; it should organize, summarize/synthesize, and critique the broad literatures and should suggest lines for future research. The SAP should be 35-40 double-spaced pages in length. The SAP prepares the student to teach in their substantive areas of focus and, ideally, provides the student with a first draft of the literature review for the student’s dissertation proposal.
The SAP is evaluated by the faculty members on the student’s SAP committee. Possible SAP grades are:
- pass with distinction
- pass
- conditional pass
- fail
Committee evaluations of “pass with distinction”, “pass”, or “fail” must be unanimous, or the student must rewrite the SAP. A “conditional pass” means that a student must revise the SAP; a satisfactory rewrite changes the SAP grade to a pass. For a student who receives a conditional pass, committee members will provide the student with written feedback and the committee chair should meet with the student to answer any questions. Students who rewrite their SAP must complete the rewrite within three weeks of receiving their grade and committee feedback. Students who fail the SAP will be terminated from the program. Those who pass or who pass with distinction may seek feedback or advice from the examining committee, if they wish. The SAP committee chair notifies the student and the DGS of the SAP grade no later than three weeks after the SAP is handed in to the committee
Qualifying Examination/Dissertation Proposal
After completion of the Special Area Paper, the student prepares a dissertation proposal describing his or her dissertation topic and the project’s research question(s), the extant literature further developed or challenged by the project, and the methodological approach(es) used to answer the project’s questions. The dissertation proposal must also include a timeline for completion which details a schedule of tasks including data collection, writing, and revisions.
In consultation with their dissertation advisor, the student will recruit a dissertation committee of 3 or more graduate faculty. The student must file a Request To Appoint Ph.D. Committee form with the Graduate School online. The committee must include a faculty member outside of the sociology department. If this scholar is not Vanderbilt faculty, the student must provide a rationale (in third person writing style) for their inclusion and a copy of their CV to the DGS. The student then submits the copy of their CV and the justification letter together with a Request To Appoint Ph.D. Committee to the Graduate School online.
The student should submit their full dissertation proposal to the dissertation committee no later than two weeks prior to the oral qualifying examination. The student’s dissertation advisor should receive a full dissertation proposal well prior to this (about 8 weeks) allowing time for the advisor to comment on the proposal, the student to make revisions, and the advisor to read the revised draft and give permission when the draft is ready for the student to share with the full committee. More than one revision may be needed. This committee administers the oral qualifying examination and, once the student passes it, guides the student in his or her dissertation research.
Two weeks prior to the oral proposal defense, the student must file a Request To Schedule Qualifying Examination with the Graduate School online. The proposal must be defended and approved no later than the end of the student’s eighth semester (May 15).
The student is allowed one retake of the proposal defense. Passing the dissertation proposal defense constitutes admission to candidacy. Students who fail to pass the retake of the proposal defense will be terminated from the program.
The dissertation must be completed by the end of the student’s 12th semester in the program. The student should make themselves fully aware of all Graduate School deadlines for completing the dissertation well in advance of these deadlines. Upon petition by the student’s dissertation chair to the DGS and chair, the department may grant an extension beyond the 12th semester to a date no more than four years after advancement to candidacy. If such a period has expired without successful completion of the dissertation, the student may be dismissed from the program.
The student must submit the completed dissertation to the dissertation committee at least one month prior to the oral dissertation defense. Well prior to this (about 8 weeks) the student’s dissertation advisor should receive a full draft of the dissertation to allow the advisor to comment on the dissertation, the student to make revisions, and the advisor to read the revised draft and give permission when the draft is ready for the student to share with the full committee. More than one revision may and likely will be needed.
Two weeks prior to the oral defense of the dissertation, the student must file a Request To Schedule Final Defense with the Graduate School online. The committee reviews the dissertation and conducts the final oral dissertation defense examination. After successfully defending their dissertations, students obtain signatures and approvals on dissertation title pages and abstracts and then sends to the DGS for signature and submission to the Graduate School.
Teaching Workshop: The required Teaching Workshop (S7400) is an introduction to all aspects of effective teaching and to the techniques of oral presentation. For those students who lack demonstrated proficiency in teaching, the Workshop is a prerequisite of teaching at Vanderbilt. This 3-credit course is taken pass/fail and is offered every other year. Students with considerable experience teaching or who have taken a similar course at another institution may petition to waive this requirement. A waiver does not replace the credits; the student will have to make up the credits with another course. Elective Course Work: Students must take 15 hours of elective credit beyond the M.A. requirements. These credits may be drawn from any combination of the following options (see descriptions above): Special Methods Workshops, Survey Seminars, Special Topic Seminars, Directed Study courses, graduate courses in other departments, or courses accepted for transfer credit from previous institutions. A maximum of 9 credits can be earned for courses not taught by Vanderbilt sociology graduate faculty. This limitation does not preclude taking more courses outside of the department (e.g., for a certificate), but extra credits will not count towards the Ph.D. requirements. The 15 credits must be completed by the end of the student’s sixth semester in the program. Students can take more than 15 elective course credits to reach the 72 credits required for the Ph.D. degree. Pre-Dissertation and Dissertation Research: Students must register for Pre-Dissertation Research (SOC 8999) after passing the two Special Area Examinations (normally during the fourth year) and Dissertation Research (S9999) after successfully defending the dissertation proposal (normally during and after the fifth year). Students must take no more than 18 credits of Pre-Dissertation Research (S8999) or Dissertation Research (S9999) in order to reach the 72 credits required for the Ph.D. degree. Once they have met the credit requirement, students should register for zero credits of research in order to maintain their full-time student status. Purpose. The Special Area Exams enable the student to demonstrate the mastery of two broad and different substantive areas. Each Special Area Exam requires a student to read, organize, and critically assess key ideas and findings in a broad area. Reading and preparation for the exams should lay solid foundations for future research and teaching in these fields. Students are strongly urged to take relevant survey seminars or special topic seminars in their special area fields prior to meeting the exam requirements. Ideally, both areas of specialization should be tied to his/her dissertation interests, but this is not a requirement. Timing. Students are required to take both Special Area Exams prior to the beginning of their seventh semester in the program. Exams will only be offered on one of three dates each year. While specific dates will be announced annually at the beginning of each academic year, these dates will always be scheduled for the middle of each semester. Third-year students must take their first SAE on either the fall (normally in November) or spring semester date (normally in March). Their second SAE must be taken on either the spring or summer date (normally in July). Format. One exam will be a take-home, 72-hour exam, restricted to a total of 3 to 4 questions to be answered, with a page limit of 10-12 double-spaced pages per question. The second exam may be the same format, or, if the student chooses, may be a special area paper instead. A special area paper is similar to an article in the Annual Review of Sociology; it should organize, summarize/synthesize, and critique a broad literature. Procedures. The exams will be based on no less than 2,500 pages and no more than 3,500 pages of reading per area. With the assistance of the DGS, the student will ask two faculty members in sociology to serve on his/her exam committee (not all members of the committee need to be specialists in the topic area). One faculty member will serve as chair. With the agreement of all concerned, and after the reading list has been approved in the department, an additional (third) committee member may be drawn from faculty outside the department. The student will likely select a partially or wholly different set of committee members and chair for his/her second exam. The student defines each broad area in consultation with his/her Special Area Exam Committee Chair. Reading lists will be developed by the student and exam committee members jointly. Copies of earlier Special Area reading lists are kept online in Vanderbilt Box (the SOC. GRAD STUDENTS folder), to assist subsequent students in developing their own lists. The student must include with the Special Area Exam reading list a brief (no more than one page) description of the substantive focus (or foci) of the readings, and an identification of the student’s specific interests within the broader area of the exam. This statement should be written early in the process of developing the reading list and provided (both with draft and final readings lists) to faculty on the committee and to the DGS. The student will have a meeting with his/her committee to finalize the reading list for the exam; this meeting should occur no later than three months prior to the exam date, and preferably by the beginning of the semester in which the exam will be taken. Students are encouraged to meet regularly with committee members to discuss questions, insights, and progress as they read materials on the reading list. Two weeks before the exam, students are encouraged to construct their own exam questions and discuss them with their committee members. These questions (or revised versions of them) may be used as exam questions at the discretion of the examining committee. The examining committee chair will email the student and the DGS the exam. The examination consists of 3 or 4 essay questions to be answered within a 72-hour period. Students will be given some choice in the questions to be answered; typically, they will be asked to choose 3 or 4 of six or eight possibilities. With the aid of the DGS, students will secure appropriate space and computers (if they choose) for the exam. The student will email the examination to the examining committee and the DGS at the end of the 72-hour period. Those who write their exams on computers may turn in storage media (e.g., CD or flash drive) containing their exam answers or submit them electronically to the examining committee and the DGS at the end of the 72-hour period. Students may bring any notes, books, or other printed matter that they may wish to consult during the period. The Honor Code is in effect and the student taking the exam may not ask for or receive any assistance in answering the exam questions. Any person helping a student during the exam period is as guilty of an Honor-Code violation as is the person asking for assistance. The Special Area Exam will be graded by the faculty members on the student’s exam committee. Possible grades on the exam are: pass with distinction, pass, conditional pass, or fail. Committee evaluations of “pass” must be unanimous, or the student must rewrite part or all of the exam. A “conditional pass” means that a student must rewrite one of the exam questions; a satisfactory rewrite will change the exam grade to a pass. Students who conditionally pass or who fail the exam will receive explicit feedback and advice from the examining committee. (Those who pass or who pass with distinction may seek feedback or advice from the examining committee, if they wish.) The examining committee chair will notify the student and the DGS the grades on the exam no later than three weeks after it is taken. Students who fail the first Special Area Exam must retake and pass it by the end of the seventh semester in order to remain in the program; those who fail the second Exam must retake and pass it by the end of the eighth semester. Students who rewrite a question must complete that rewrite within two weeks of receiving their exam grade and committee feedback; the student will have a 24-hour period in which to rewrite the question. Students who fail a Special Area Exam or a question on the Special Area Exam twice will be terminated from the program. After completion of the second Special Area Examination, the student prepares a dissertation proposal describing his or her dissertation topic and the project’s research question(s), the extant literature further developed or challenged by the project, and the methodological approach(es) used to answer the project’s questions. The dissertation proposal must also include a timeline for completion which details a schedule of tasks including data collection, writing, and revisions. In consultation with their dissertation advisor, the student will recruit a dissertation committee of 3 or more graduate faculty. The student must file a Request To Appoint Ph.D. Committee form with the Graduate School online. The committee must include a faculty member outside of the sociology department. If this scholar is not Vanderbilt faculty, the student must provide a rationale (in third person writing style) for their inclusion and a copy of their CV to the DGS. The DGS writes a short letter of justification. The student then submits the copy of their CV and the DGS justification letter together with a Request To Appoint Ph.D. Committee to the Graduate School online. The student should submit their full dissertation proposal to the dissertation committee no later than two weeks prior to the oral qualifying examination. The student’s dissertation advisor should receive a full dissertation proposal well prior to this allowing time for the advisor to comment on the proposal and the student to make revisions. This committee administers the oral qualifying examination and, once the student passes it, guides the student in his or her dissertation research. Two weeks prior to the oral proposal defense, the student must file a Request To Schedule Qualifying Examination with the Graduate School online. The proposal must be defended and approved no later than the end of the student’s eighth semester (May 15). The student is allowed one retake of the proposal defense. Passing the dissertation proposal defense constitutes admission to candidacy. Students who fail to pass the retake of the proposal defense will be terminated from the program. In order to remain in FERPA compliance, qualifying exam results and approvals may not be emailed. Please see the following guidelines for electronic approvals and submissions: The dissertation must be completed within four years after a student has been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Upon petition to the Graduate School, a one-year extension of candidacy may be granted. If such a period has expired without successful completion of the dissertation, the student may be dismissed from the Graduate School. Readmission to the Graduate School, and to candidacy, requires application to the Graduate School, with approval of the faculty in the sociology department. In such cases the student may be required, by the Graduate School or by the Ph.D. committee, to demonstrate competence for readmission by taking a qualifying examination or additional course work. The student must submit the completed dissertation to the dissertation committee at least one month prior to the oral dissertation defense. Well prior to this the student’s dissertation advisor should receive drafts of the dissertation to allow the advisor to comment on the dissertation and the student to make revisions. Two weeks prior to the oral defense of the dissertation, the student must file a Request To Schedule Final Defense with the Graduate School online. The committee reviews the dissertation and conducts the final oral dissertation defense examination. After successfully defending their dissertations, students obtain signatures and approvals on dissertation title pages and abstracts via email: In order to remain in FERPA compliance, dissertation defense results and approvals may not be emailed. Please see the following guidelines for electronic approvals and submission:
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SATISFACTORY PROGRESS
Residency. Full-time students are expected to enroll in the Graduate School during each fall and spring semester. After completion of the required 72 hours for the Ph.D. degree, full-time students register for 0 hours of dissertation research at the minimum tuition rate of $200 each semester. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree who are away from the university must continue to register for 0 hours of dissertation research to remain in good standing.
Grade Point Averages. In order to make satisfactory progress in the program, students must earn a cumulative grade point average (GPA) and departmental grade point average (DGA) of 3.00 by the end of each semester. The GPA does not include research courses (e.g., S8999) or transfer credits (unless the course substitutes for an MA requirement). The DGA does not include directed studies courses (S9888- S9889) or undergraduate courses approved for graduate credit.
Teaching and Research Assistantships. Teaching (TA) and research (RA) assistantships are awarded for students to obtain academic and/or research experience beyond their coursework. Teaching assistants assist faculty with teaching a course. Research assistants assist or collaborate with faculty in research. These are professional roles and will be evaluated as such at the end of each semester. Consistent evidence of incompetence, neglect of duty, inefficiency, or other deficiencies are indicators of unsatisfactory performance of the student’s assigned duties and responsibilities. Assistantships are renewable, not guaranteed, and are subject to termination by the Department Chair and the DGS if the student’s performance is deemed substandard. Students work for 20 hours per week in each semester as teaching or research assistants.
RESEARCH EXPECTATIONS
A main driver of tenure-track employment for new PhDs in sociology is publication during graduate school of high-quality research in peer-review journals. To that end, the PhD program has the following research requirements:
Students must take part in two Research Collaboratives and have two Independent Research papers under review by the end of their 5th year in the program.
Research Collaboratives (RC1 and RC2) are official collaborations between the graduate student and a faculty member that take place in the student’s second and third years in the program.
RC1 starts at the beginning of the summer after the student’s first year and continues through the student’s second year in the program. The student collaborates on research with a faculty advisor/mentor. At the end of RC1, the student in collaboration with the faculty advisor must have a paper completed that will be submitted to a peer-review academic journal. This paper is a requirement for the master’s degree.
RC2 starts at the beginning of the summer after the student’s second year in the program and continues through the student’s third year. The student either collaborates on research with a faculty advisor/mentor or prepares a sole-authored paper with guidance from the faculty advisor. At the end of RC2, the student must have a paper completed for which they are lead author (if the paper is written in collaboration with the faculty advisor) or sole author, that will be submitted to a peer-review academic journal for publication.
In some instances, deviations from these RC1 and RC2 requirements better provide for the student’s research training. Faculty mentors should discuss such possible deviations with the director of graduate studies.
The Independent Research (IR1 and IR2) requirements entail having a) a sole-authored paper under review at a peer-review academic journal by the end of the student’s fourth year, and b) another sole-authored paper under review at a peer-review academic journal by the end of their fifth year in the program. For each IR, the student will also form a 2-person committee made up of sociology faculty. This committee will review the IR papers to confirm that they are A) ready to submit to a journal, B) at a later date, under review at a peer reviewed academic journal, and C) of acceptable quality to count for the IR requirement.
In some instances, deviations from these IR1 and IR2 requirements better provide for the student’s research training. Faculty mentors should discuss such possible deviations with the director of graduate studies.
The ability to obtain external funding is another key ingredient to a successful academic career in Sociology. To that end, the program has the following external funding requirement:
Students must apply for one external grant or fellowship before the end of their 10th semester in the program.
TRAINING FOR THE PROFESSION
Integral to success as a scholar on the tenure track at research-intensive universities is deep expertise in at least two sub-fields within the Sociology discipline, along with an ability to share that knowledge through presentation (primarily in the classroom setting). To help train students to have deep knowledge and an ability to present on and teach that knowledge, the program has the following requirements:
Teaching Expectations
Students will typically serve as teaching assistants through their graduate assistantships for four (and no more than six) semesters. These teaching assistantships will typically take place in their first, fifth, and sixth years in the program.
Students will take a required 3-credit Teaching Workshop. The required Teaching Workshop (SOC 7400) introduces students to all aspects of effective teaching and the techniques of oral presentation. For those students who lack demonstrated proficiency in teaching, the Workshop is a prerequisite of teaching at Vanderbilt.
Other Training Expectations
Professionalization Seminar:
Each semester, the DGS, Graduate Program Committee members, and other faculty will hold a number of one-hour seminars, in the format of panel discussions, on matters of professionalization (examples of topics include how to plan your career, where do research ideas come from, how to apply for external funding, how to submit papers to peer-review journals, how to work on work/life balance, etc.). All students must attend the seminars. For students in their second year and beyond, many seminar topics will be repeats, but different faculty may present the topics and different aspects of the topic become important in different ways as one goes through their graduate career.
Department Colloquia:
Observing and engaging with visiting speakers is an excellent way to learn how to give polished presentations and to develop a professional network. To that end, all students must attend the Department Colloquium series (this includes any department event that has an academic speaker and is open to the entire department).
STANDING IN THE GRADUATE PROGRAM
It is each student’s responsibility to learn and comply with department degree requirements, to be familiar with rules for determining standing in the program, and to understand the consequences of not meeting these standards.
At the end of each semester, a student may be either “in good standing” or “on probation” in the graduate sociology program. Academic standing is determined by:
- a) timeliness in completing the minimum required number of semester credit hours;
b) timeliness in completing coursework and other requirements; and
c) the quality of performance in coursework and in other requirements.
If a student is on probation at the end of two consecutive semesters, the student will be reviewed by the DGS, Chair, and an ad-hoc faculty committee for potential termination from the program. This review will also take place if the student is on probation three times, regardless of the sequencing of the incidents. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into account.
After the end of each spring semester, each student in the program receives an end of the year letter of standing (LOS) from the DGS telling the student whether or not the student is in good standing and reminding the student of upcoming deadlines.
TIMELINE OF REQUIREMENTS
| Requirement | Date | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| First-Year Professionalization Seminars | Ongoing | First and second semesters |
| Department Colloquium Series | Ongoing | Each semester |
| Earned cumulative GPA of 3.0 or more | December 15, May 15 | Annually |
| Earned departmental GPA of 3.0 or more | December 15, May 15 | Annually |
| Completion of 9 credits | December 15, May 15 | Annually (to semester 8) |
| Completion of 33 M.A. credits | May 15 | Fourth semester |
| Completion of 18 Ph.D. elective credits | May 15 | Sixth semester |
| Completion of 72 Ph.D. credits | May 15 | Eighth semester |
| RC1 Chair Selection | May 15 | Second semester |
| RC1 Completion | May 15 | Fourth semester |
| RC2 Chair Selection | May 15 | Fourth semester |
| RC2 Completion | May 15 | Sixth semester |
| Special Area Paper | May 15 | Sixth semester |
| Independent Research 1 Submitted | May 15 | Eighth semester |
| Independent Research 2 Submitted | May 15 | Tenth Semester |
| Dissertation Proposal Oral Defense (QE) | May 15 | Eighth semester |
| Dissertation Oral Defense | May 15 | Twelfth semester |
| External Grant Application | May 15 | Tenth semester |
Failure to meet any of the following deadlines will result in an automatic instance of probation.
OTHER MATTERS
Directed Study Courses. Directed Study courses (also called Independent Study courses) offer graduate students the opportunity to tailor a course to their specific research needs, focusing on areas not covered by regular coursework. To create a directed study course, approach a faculty member whose expertise aligns with your intended study. Present your idea for the course of study and explain how it will contribute to your research project. While faculty are generally open to leading independent studies, they are extra work on top of their normal class load and faculty may need to decline if their schedule does not permit.
To make directed studies more efficient, consider collaborating with other students to create a class together that the professor will lead. However, it is encouraged to prioritize taking regular sociology graduate classes whenever possible. These classes provide opportunities to meet faculty, engage with fellow graduate students, and build professional bonds, which are crucial for graduate success. This is particularly important in the first year of the program. Directed studies are not typically allowed during a student’s first year in the program.
As you progress through the program and have completed many of the available classes, directed studies can be a valuable tool to fill your schedule with tailored coursework. Use them strategically to enhance your learning experience and advance your research goals.
Graduate Student Professional Activities Fund. The Department has an annual fund dedicated to helping to pay the costs of activities that enhance the professional training and goals of our graduate students. To apply for funds, Graduate students should send a formal request to the DGS, which includes how much money is being requested, what the money will be used for, and how the use will serve the professional training and development of the student. The DGS will approve based on the following criteria: 1) there is enough money left in the fund. It is first come, first serve; 2) that the planned use of funds is related to professional activities and enhances the training of the student; 3) the planned use of the fund is allowable per university rules. The annual limit per student is $600, although the DGS may remove this cap in late Spring if there is enough money left in the fund to support this.
Bi-Annual Mentoring Committee Meetings. Each academic year, the student and their Faculty Mentoring Committee (FMC) will meet at least twice. The academic year begins with a mentoring committee meeting between the student and their FMC (i.e., two to three sociology faculty members, typically including during the second and third years, the RC advisor; in later years, SAP and dissertation committee members). The first meeting takes place at the beginning of the fall semester (no later than the end of September). Graduate students should share with committee members in advance of the meeting a document outlining their expectations and plans for the coming academic year. In this meeting, the student and mentors set expectations and define a plan for the coming academic year and for later phases of the graduate career. The second meeting takes place at the end of the spring semester (no later than the end of May) to evaluate progress and give advice for use of summertime and later phases of the program. Again, the graduate student should share with committee members in advance of the meeting a document outlining their expectations and plans for use of summertime and later phases of the program. In a student’s first year, as mentioned, mentoring meetings will take place as part of the FYMC. The chair of the student’s FMC will send a letter summarizing the meeting to the DGS.
Leaves of Absence. After commencing graduate studies at Vanderbilt, a student may be granted a leave of absence by the Graduate School for a maximum of one year. This is granted upon the recommendation of the department and must be agreed to by both the DGS and the Department Chair. The student must provide the DGS a formal leave of absence request and describe the reason for the request and the beginning and end of the requested leave. After the Graduate School approves a leave of absence, the DGS contacts the College of Arts and Science for the approval of deferred funding for the student.
Incompletes. An incomplete must be completed and a grade officially recorded no later than eight weeks from the first day of classes in the semester following the one in which a student received an incomplete. A student who receives an incomplete at the end of the semester must complete the required work and deliver it to the supervising faculty member in time for the faculty member to read and evaluate the work, and file the final grade, by the eighth-week deadline. Any incomplete course not finished within this time frame will result in an F for the course. It will be the responsibility of students to ensure that they deliver work in time for the supervising faculty member to submit a grade by the deadline, and the responsibility of faculty to notify the DGS (not just the Graduate School) of the grade. At the beginning of each semester, the DGS will remind students and faculty of the deadline for completing and grading incompletes. Students may appeal, in writing, to the Graduate Program Committee (GPC) for more than eight weeks in which to finish incompletes (and have them graded). Appeals should be delivered to the GPC no later than October 1 (for incompletes due to expire in a fall semester) and February 15 (for those expiring in the spring).
Remote Assistantships. Vanderbilt University Graduate School Policy requires funded students, who are not on a Leave of Absence, to be in residence. The only exception to this is if field work requires the student to work remotely. Under these exceptional circumstances, students may petition the DGS and the Department Chair to meet the work requirements of their graduate assistantship or research assistantship remotely. The student must provide the DGS a formal petition letter. This petition must be accompanied by a faculty sponsor’s signed agreement letter to accept the student as their GA/RA for the duration of the student’s time away from campus. If approved by the DGS and Chair, the DGS will then petition the Graduate School for approval.
Terminal Master’s Degrees. Occasionally, early-career students make the determination that they should not advance further in the Ph.D. program. Students should consult with the DGS to determine if the receipt of a terminal M.A. degree is necessary and possible as soon as s/he is convinced that this may be the best course of action. This is especially important because—as explained above—all of the requirements for the M.A. (terminal or not) must be completed by July 15 following the second year.
Concerns and Issues. Students are welcome to discuss concerns and issues (in confidence) with the faculty adviser(s), the DGS, or the Department Chair. If the student’s concerns and issues cannot be resolved at the departmental level, as stated on page 5 in the Graduate School Resource Guide:
“The student may schedule a meeting with the Graduate Life Coach, Graduate School Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, or the Dean of the Graduate School to discuss further steps. Situations may arise in which students believe that they have not received fair treatment by a representative of the University, or they may have a complaint about the performance, action, or inaction of a member of the staff or faculty that has affected them. Students who wish to have a complaint addressed by the University should first use the Complaint Procedure. If the Complaint Procedure proves unsatisfactory, then students may use the Grievance Procedure.”
Relevant information is also available in the Graduate School Catalog and the Student Handbook.