The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University is home to a distinguished graduate program offering a PhD in Sociology. The primary objectives of our graduate program are to offer a strong curricular foundation in sociology and the social sciences; to inculcate in students a depth of knowledge in the basic tools of the discipline; to train our students to be outstanding teachers and researchers; and to provide professional socialization that adequately prepares students for a career in the discipline.
The PhD program is designed to attract students who wish to develop a broad base of sociological knowledge, such as would equip students to embark on academic careers in leading institutions of higher education. The PhD program boasts a wide array of curricular strengths and diverse methodological offerings, all of which draw upon the department’s emphasis on the study of social inequalities along lines of race, class, and gender. Faculty expertise ranges widely from domestic U.S. concerns to issues that affect groups, regions, and societies on a global scale.
The PhD program is designed to admit relatively small numbers of graduate students each year, which affords students the opportunity to forge close working relationships with the faculty. Our faculty and graduate students work together in a number of interdisciplinary research projects, programs, and centers, including the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute; the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict; the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy; the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research; the Environmental Justice Research Collaborative; the Institute on Race and Justice; and the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. Many of the faculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology have additional interests and are affiliated with other departments on campus, including environmental studies; law and public policy; Latino, Latin American, and Caribbean studies; African American studies; international affairs; Jewish studies; and criminal justice. Students who wish to work with faculty in other disciplines are encouraged to enlist the aid of the sociology graduate director or their advisors in contacting individual faculty members.
Admissions
Students interested in the PhD apply directly to that program. Students admitted without a master's degree earn the Master of Arts in Sociology en route once PhD coursework is completed. Please note that all applicants for the doctoral program are required to submit a writing sample that should consist of written materials that demonstrate their capacity for scholarship at the doctoral level. (Copies of several course or term papers or a copy of a master’s thesis or paper are appropriate.)
Coursework
Doctoral students are required to complete 60 standard credit hours (SH) with grades of B or higher if coming in with a bachelor’s degree and 40 credit hours if coming in with a master’s degree in sociology. Students admitted without a master’s degree earn the MA in sociology en route to completing their PhD requirements (30 credits).
Required courses cover the core areas of sociological theory, research methods, and statistical analysis. All students must take courses in these areas regardless of their areas of specialization. Students must fulfill these requirements during their first year in the program. Students entering our program may be able to substitute courses taken at the prior institution for some or all of these requirements by submitting a course waiver form (a course waiver does not waive the associated semester hour requirement) or transfer of credit (courses submitted with a transfer of credit cannot have counted toward another degree).
Four Proseminars
Proseminars provide students structure for their first two years in the PhD program to help ensure their professionalization into the discipline and to help them move more smoothly through program requirements.
Each course meets weekly for 60-minute sessions throughout each fall and spring semester for the student's first two years. Each 1-credit course will be taken on a pass/fail basis. In order to receive a passing grade, students must attend most proseminar class meetings, complete the requirements for the proseminar course in a satisfactory manner, and attend most intellectual and professional development events organized by the department. Proseminar 1 and 2 are completed in the first year; Proseminar 3 and 4 are completed in the second year.
Post Coursework but Prior to Proposal Defense
Students must complete two field statements prior to their proposal defense and will register for Exam Preparation—Doctoral (SOCL 8960) (with the field statement chair listed as instructor of record).
Once field statements are complete and students are working on their dissertation proposal, students should register for a Research course (with their committee chair listed as instructor of record) until the proposal is successfully defended.
Degree Candidacy
To enter into degree candidacy, the student must have earned a Master of Arts degree or its departmental semester-hour equivalent, completed the four proseminars, successfully defended two field statements, and defended their dissertation proposal.
Students who have completed required coursework with a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or better may be eligible to receive an MA in Sociology degree. In addition, students who do not qualify for the doctoral degree, but who have completed required coursework with a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or better, may be eligible to receive a terminal MA in Sociology degree. Note that no students will be admitted directly into the MA in Sociology to pursue a masterʼs degree.
Bachelor's Degree Entrance
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
Annual review
Two field statements
Dissertation committee
Dissertation proposal
PhD candidacy
Dissertation defense
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | ||
| SOCL 7200 | Foundations of Social Theory 1 | 4 |
| SOCL 7201 | Foundations of Social Theory 2 | 4 |
| Proseminars | ||
| SOCL 7001 | Proseminar 1: Acclimating to Graduate School | 1 |
| SOCL 7002 | Proseminar 2: Academic Planning | 1 |
| SOCL 7003 | Proseminar 3: Committee, Topics, and Reading Lists | 1 |
| SOCL 7004 | Proseminar 4: Field Statement Writing | 1 |
| Research Methods | ||
| INSH 6300 | Research Methods in the Social Sciences | 4 |
| INSH 6500 | Statistical Analysis | 4 |
| or INSH 5301 | Introduction to Computational Statistics | |
| Advanced Methods | ||
| Complete 8 semester hours from the following (courses taken after this requirement is fulfilled will be counted as electives): | 8 | |
| Advanced Research and Evaluation Methods | ||
| Information Design and Visual Analytics | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
| Analyzing Complex Digitized Data | ||
| Advanced Research Methods in the Social Sciences and Humanities | ||
| Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Advanced Methodological and Quantitative Techniques | ||
| Qualitative Methods in Health and Illness | ||
| Big Data for Cities | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy | ||
| Techniques of Program Evaluation | ||
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 32 semester hours from the following: | 32 | |
SOCL | ||
| Criminology | ||
| The Criminal Justice Process | ||
| Crime and Community Context | ||
| Immigration and Crime | ||
| Introduction to Digital Humanities | ||
| Atlantic Connections | ||
| Texts, Maps, and Networks: Readings and Methods for Digital History | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Third World Development | ||
| Social Networks | ||
| Security and Resilience Policy | ||
| Counterterrorism | ||
| Hard Power, Soft Power, and Smart Power | ||
| Resilient Cities | ||
| Genocide in a Comparative Perspective | ||
| International Security | ||
| Global Governance | ||
| Cyberconflict | ||
| Critical Infrastructure Resilience | ||
| Climate and Development | ||
| Health Policy and Politics | ||
| The 21st-Century City: Urban Opportunities and Challenges in a Global Context | ||
| How Healthcare Works: Business and Policy Innovations | ||
| The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs | ||
| Resilient Cities | ||
| Seminar in Urban Theory | ||
| Feminist Resistance | ||
| Queer Theory: Sexualities, Genders, Politics | ||
or WMNS 7100 | Queer Theory: Sexualities, Genders, Politics | |
| Globalization, Development, and Social Justice | ||
| Gender and Social Movements | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Sociology | ||
| Social Psychology of Stratification | ||
| Environment, Health, and Society | ||
| Sociology of Work and Employment | ||
| Gender and Social Policy | ||
| Social Movements in Health | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Theorizing Gender and Sexuality | ||
| Queer Theory: Sexualities, Genders, Politics | ||
| Special Topics in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | ||
Dissertation
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Exam Preparation | ||
| Required for students who must maintain full-time status while completing comprehensive exam. Must take twice. | ||
| Exam Preparation—Doctoral | ||
| Research | ||
| Research | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| Dissertation Term 1 | ||
| Dissertation Term 2 | ||
| Dissertation Continuation | ||
| Following completion of two semesters of dissertation, registration in the following class is required in each semester (including the summer if the dissertation is submitted in summer) until the dissertation is completed: | ||
| Dissertation Continuation | ||
Progression Requirements
Students who receive two grades below B may be placed on academic probation and risk being separated from the program.
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
60 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.500 GPA required
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
Annual review
Two field statements
Dissertation committee
Dissertation proposal
PhD candidacy
Dissertation defense
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations | ||
| SOCL 7200 | Foundations of Social Theory 1 | 4 |
| SOCL 7201 | Foundations of Social Theory 2 | 4 |
| Proseminars | ||
| SOCL 7001 | Proseminar 1: Acclimating to Graduate School | 1 |
| SOCL 7002 | Proseminar 2: Academic Planning | 1 |
| SOCL 7003 | Proseminar 3: Committee, Topics, and Reading Lists | 1 |
| SOCL 7004 | Proseminar 4: Field Statement Writing | 1 |
| Research Methods | ||
| INSH 6300 | Research Methods in the Social Sciences | 4 |
| INSH 6500 | Statistical Analysis | 4 |
| or INSH 5301 | Introduction to Computational Statistics | |
| Advanced Methods | ||
| Complete 8 semester hours from the following (courses taken after this requirement is fulfilled will be counted as electives): | 8 | |
| Advanced Research and Evaluation Methods | ||
| Information Design and Visual Analytics | ||
| Qualitative Methods | ||
| Analyzing Complex Digitized Data | ||
| Advanced Research Methods in the Social Sciences and Humanities | ||
| Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Advanced Methodological and Quantitative Techniques | ||
| Qualitative Methods in Health and Illness please note this course is only 3 credits | ||
| Big Data for Cities | ||
| Geographic Information Systems for Urban and Regional Policy | ||
| Techniques of Program Evaluation | ||
Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 12 semester hours from the following: | 12 | |
| Criminology | ||
| The Criminal Justice Process | ||
| Crime and Community Context | ||
| Immigration and Crime | ||
| Introduction to Digital Humanities | ||
| Atlantic Connections | ||
| Texts, Maps, and Networks: Readings and Methods for Digital History | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Third World Development | ||
| Social Networks | ||
| Security and Resilience Policy | ||
| Counterterrorism | ||
| Hard Power, Soft Power, and Smart Power | ||
| Resilient Cities | ||
| Genocide in a Comparative Perspective | ||
| International Security | ||
| Global Governance | ||
| Cyberconflict | ||
| Critical Infrastructure Resilience | ||
| Climate and Development | ||
| Health Policy and Politics | ||
| The 21st-Century City: Urban Opportunities and Challenges in a Global Context | ||
| How Healthcare Works: Business and Policy Innovations | ||
| The Nonprofit Sector in Civil Society and Public Affairs | ||
| Resilient Cities | ||
| Seminar in Urban Theory | ||
| Feminist Resistance | ||
| Queer Theory: Sexualities, Genders, Politics | ||
or WMNS 7100 | Queer Theory: Sexualities, Genders, Politics | |
| Globalization, Development, and Social Justice | ||
| Gender and Social Movements | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Sociology | ||
| Social Psychology of Stratification | ||
| Environment, Health, and Society | ||
| Sociology of Work and Employment | ||
| Gender and Social Policy | ||
| Social Movements in Health | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Theorizing Gender and Sexuality | ||
| Feminist Inquiry | ||
| Queer Theory: Sexualities, Genders, Politics | ||
| Special Topics in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | ||
Dissertation
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Exam Preparation | ||
| Students register for this course while writing each of their two field statements. Must take twice. | ||
| Exam Preparation—Doctoral | ||
| Research | ||
| Research | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| Dissertation Term 1 | ||
| Dissertation Term 2 | ||
| Dissertation Continuation | ||
| Following completion of two semesters of dissertation, registration in the following class is required in each semester (including the summer if the dissertation is submitted in summer) until the dissertation is completed: | ||
| Dissertation Continuation | ||
Progression Requirements
Students who receive two grades below B may be placed on academic probation and risk being separated from the program.
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
40 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.500 GPA required