ACADEMICS

Strong Foundation in Social Change

The Student Experience

A day-in-the-life of a CSU Sociology graduate student includes taking required and elective classes, collaborating with faculty and other graduate students, meeting with research or teaching team members, reading, writing, presenting, teaching undergraduates, creating assignments, grading and holding office hours. Graduate life in the Sociology Department also includes doing research, writing, publishing, applying for grant funding, working on theses and dissertations, attending and presenting at professional conferences – all while enjoying our scenic and sustainability-minded campus and community.

We want you to make the most of your graduate experience. CSU Sociology’s master’s and doctorate programs allow for rigorous but flexible training as you tap into our world-class faculty, research centers, interdisciplinary teams and Tier 1 university research facilities.

Inspired by its land-grant heritage, Colorado State University is committed to excellence, setting the standard for public research universities in teaching, research, service and extension for the benefit of the citizens of Colorado, the United States and the world. Our faculty are deeply committed to doing teaching, mentoring and research that matter, and almost all of them work in at least two of our four areas of strength: Environment and Natural Resources; Food, Agriculture, and Development; Crime, Law, and Deviance; and Social Inequality, Social Justice, and Governance.

“Specialty and interdisciplinary experiences and mentorship in CSU’s Sociology graduate program have been my springboard into amazing opportunities.”
– Michelle ‘13

M.A. in Sociology Degree Requirements

  1. B.A. background coursework:
    Completion of SOC210, SOC301 or SOC302, and SOC311. Courses waived if equivalents previously taken. Also, students who have less than 12 semester credits of undergraduate sociology will be expected to make up this deficiency with appropriate coursework.
  2. M.A. coursework includes 30 semester credits beyond the bachelor’s degree for Plan A, or 36 for Plan B, at least 24 of which must be done at CSU. Courses must be distributed as follows:
  • Core required courses: SOC500, SOC502, SOC 503, SOC510, and SOC511
  • 9 additional credits of sociology at the 300 level or above
  • Additional credits from sociology or other disciplines to meet the total of 30 or 36 credits.
  • A maximum of 5 thesis credits may be applied to the 30 credits.

Ph.D. in Sociology Degree Requirements

  1. B.A. and M.A. background coursework.
    Completion of SOC210, SOC301 or SOC302, SOC311, SOC502, SOC503, SOC510, and SOC511. Courses waived if equivalents taken at the B.A. and M.A. level.
  2. 42 credits of work beyond the M.A., at least 32 of which must be done at Colorado State, distributed as follows:
  • 16 credits of required core courses in methods and theory.
  • 9 hours or more from within the Department at the 500 level or above, excluding SOC695,
    SOC696, SOC795, and SOC797.
  • 12 hours from inside or outside the Department at the 500 level are required; 300 or 400 level courses allowed if approved by the student’s advisory committee.
  • 5 credit hours of dissertation research.

Written comprehensive examinations in theory, methods, and social change required. Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs

For a full list of Sociology courses, view the course catalog. Please note offerings change each semester. 

Course Catalog

Academic checklists can be found in the final pages of our Graduate Guide.

Graduate Guide

Please review this Graduate School webpage for deadlines, requirements, and more.

CSU's Graduate School

Details on our application and funding process, FAQ and contact info can be found here. 

HOW TO APPLY