The M.S. in Applied Sociology is designed to prepare students for employment in the nonprofit and public sectors, as well as related for-profit settings, by providing training in applied social research, statistics, and program evaluation; sociological theory as it relates to social problems, social policy, and social institutions; and in substantive fields such as health care, education, criminal justice, mental health, social welfare, youth development, and community development. The degree program develops skills and competencies which can lead to further study in doctoral programs in the Social Sciences.
Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Social Sciences and the University�s Computing Center. The School has two computing laboratories which have over 30 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including E-Views, R, Rats, SPSS and STATA. A computerized geographic information system, the Lexis Nexis Database, and WestLaw are also available for student use. The University�s Computing Center provides personal computers and UNIX Workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the library�s and School�s memberships in numerous organizations.
There are no required prerequisite courses in sociology for the Applied Sociology program, although prior coursework in social theory, research methods, and social policy are desirable. The graduate statistics core course, POEC 5313, does have a prerequisite of undergraduate statistics. Students who do not have such preparation are strongly encouraged to take the undergraduate SOCS 3305, Social Statistics, which is offered by the School of Social Sciences. Prospective students with concerns about their preparation for the Applied Sociology program are encouraged to consult with the program coordinator.
Students who have previous graduate work pertinent to the requirements of the Applied Sociology degree may be given up to 15 hours of transfer credit, and the hours of coursework required for the degree will be reduced accordingly. Students desiring to transfer graduate courses thought to be equivalent to core courses may be required to demonstrate competency through examination. The award of such transfer credit must be consistent with the University�s �Transfer of Credit� policy.
The University�s general degree requirements are discussed here.
The Master of Science (M.S.) in Applied Sociology has three components and requires the completion of 36 semester credit hours: 12 credit hours of core courses in Applied Sociology, 15 credit hours of Applied Sociology guided electives, and 9 credit hours of Social Sciences electives. Students must achieve at least a 3.0 grade point average in the Applied Sociology core courses and an overall grade point average of 3.0 to graduate.