Join our Graduate Program
We pride ourselves in a strong culture of student mentoring and support, and faculty-student collaboration.
![Student walking up stairs to Fraser](/sites/sociology/files/styles/16_9_placeholder_/public/images/2021/1702698_MK_FirstDay_0327.jpg?h=b4e1058a&itok=yml72s46)
Ph.D Requirements
Complete required coursework
Prepare a Professional Portfolio
Write and successfully defend a master's thesis
Complete examination requirements in two areas of specialization
Draft and successfully defend a dissertation proposal
Successfully complete a doctoral dissertation
***Students who enter the graduate program with a master's degree and thesis in sociology or a closely-related field may be exempt from the MA level requirements.
![Four students walking down Jayhawk Blvd.](/sites/sociology/files/images/2021/1903718_MK_ModelsCampus.2576.jpg)
Get Involved
Serve on departmental committees, participate in the Sociology Graduate Student Association (SGSA), edit a research journal - Social Thought and Research (STAR)![KU flag waving in stadium](/sites/sociology/files/images/2021/1903707_AW_Commencement-3808.jpg)
Professional Opportunities
Attend professional meetings (e.g., Midwest Sociological Society, American Sociological Association, Sociologists for Women in Society), submit your work for publication, host the annual Blackmar Lecture SeriesFAQ
- Funding is available through fellowships and multi-year teaching and research assistantships that include full tuition waivers & stipends. The current stipend for GTAs is $18,650.
- Scholarships and awards are available each year to defray the cost of conference travel and research from the department, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the Office of Graduate Studies, and other KU sources.
- Class
- Culture
- Environment
- Gender & Sexuality
- Globalization
- Medicine/Health/Aging/Life
- Race & Ethnicity
- Social Demography
- Social Inequality/Stratification
A terminal MA option is available for students who do not wish to complete a Ph.D.
What's next?
Our graduates are prepared for the next step after graduation - we have a strong record of placing students who graduate from our doctoral program.
![Big Jay in a graduation cap and gown](/sites/sociology/files/images/2021/1501041_B_0835.jpg)