The MA Program

The MA program in sociology is an integral part of preparation for the doctorate. While the program awards an MA, the program admits only students who wish to obtain the PhD. Outstanding students with majors in any undergraduate discipline are encouraged to apply for admission and financial support.

The MA is awarded once the student satisfactorily completes 3 quarters of residency and 36 units of appropriate course work with a 3.0 GPA or better; submits an acceptable MA thesis; and receives a grade of "Pass" or higher on an oral comprehensive examination. To continue in the PhD program a student must receive a "High Pass" or an "Honors Pass" on the MA oral comprehensive examination. This examination is also required of students coming to UCSB with an MA degree. The UCSB MA program is normally completed by the end of the second year of residence.

Program of Study
Incoming students should consult with the Graduate Advisor, their guidance committee, and later with their MA Committee to plan a study program which will ensure a broad background in sociology. Core requirements include courses in theory, research methods, and quantitative analysis, and must be taken for a letter grade:

• Theory: Sociology 207A-B
• Methods: Sociology 211A-B (Field research), or Sociology 212A (Comparative-historical methods), or Sociology 212F, 212P (Feminist research methods), or Sociology 212R (Language, Interaction & Social Organization; Sociology 236I or Sociology 236V strongly recommended), or Sociology 248 MA-MB (Social Network Analysis).
• Logics of Inquiry: Sociology 203.
• Quantitative Analysis: Sociology 205A-B (PSTAT 5A or the equivalent is a prerequisite).
• Seminars: Incoming students without an MA degree are required to take five substantive seminars (separate from those required for completion of methodology, theory, and quantitative analysis requirements) from three different professors before completion of their PhD, while students incoming with an MA are required to take four seminars.

A student with a MA from another institution must fulfill the departmental requirements in:

• Theory
• Methods
• Logics of Inquiry
• Quantitative Analysis

MA Thesis
Prior to taking the MA Comprehensive Examination, each student must submit a thesis prepared under the supervision of the MA Committee. The thesis is a report on empirical research rather than primarily a theoretical or methodological discussion. The research may be based on data gathered by the student or on data taken from available documents, surveys, etc. The student's task is to bring a relevant body of empirical material to bear on the well-articulated sociological problem and to present the topic clearly and concisely. The MA thesis should be prepared according to American Sociological Review format.

MA Oral Comprehensive Examination
The MA Oral Comprehensive Examination is conducted by the student's three-person MA Committee.

The MA Oral Comprehensive Examination involves:

• a review of the student's academic record (including seminar papers if the MA Committee so requests), with particular attention to the balance of the student's preparation as well as to the level of accomplishment.
• questioning and discussion designed to assess the depth and breadth of the student's command of the field.
• evaluation of the MA thesis.

MA From Other Institutions
To be admitted to the PhD program, the student must complete the UCSB Department of Sociology requirements for the MA, or the equivalent.

Note: Defining the "equivalent" of a UCSB MA is a matter of negotiation between the student and his/her MA Committee, with the approval of the department's Graduate Advisor (see departmental requirements for the MA). A student who has completed a MA thesis at another institution may, on approval of the MA Committee, present the thesis as fulfillment of the requirement. Alternatively, a student who has completed the MA elsewhere may ask that a published research article or unpublished research paper be submitted to meet the requirement. MA Committee approval should be secured for any thesis prepared elsewhere as fulfillment of MA requirements.

Students must also receive a “High Pass” or “Honors Pass” on an MA Oral Comprehensive Examination to continue into the PhD program.

A student with a MA from another institution must fulfill the departmental requirements in:

• Theory
• Methods
• Quantitative Analysis

Course requirements should be completed within 2 years of entering the program and must be taken for a letter grade. Graduate courses taken at another institution may be petitioned towards fulfillment of MA requirements. The student's MA Committee, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor, decides which of these requirements have been met.

MA/PhD Committees

A student's MA and PhD Committees comprise three faculty members who are also members of the UCSB Academic Senate. Two members must be from the Department of Sociology. The chair of MA and PhD Committees must also be on the UCSB Sociology faculty. A fourth committee member can be a faculty member from outside UCSB.

The PhD Program

The student must spend at least six quarters in residence pursuing a program of full-time study and research on campus while maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better; three consecutive quarters of this residence must be completed in regular session before advancement to candidacy. In partial satisfaction of degree requirements, all sociology candidates are required to demonstrate teaching competence either as a teaching assistant or teaching associate for a minimum of four quarters, or by a combination of instructional activities (either on or off campus) as approved by the student's PhD Committee.

• Methods: One additional methods course beyond that required for the MA is required. Courses other than those appropriate for the MA methods requirement (including courses outside the Sociology Department) may be used to fulfill the PhD methods requirement, upon approval by the Graduate Advisor in consultation with the student's PhD Committee Chair.
  
  
• Foreign Language: No foreign language mastery is required. However, a student whose specialty requires knowledge of a foreign language will be required to demonstrate competence.
  
  
• Area Seminars: The student demonstrates competence in a major area of sociology by completing three seminars on topics related to that area. In consultation with departmental faculty, the student will formulate an area of specialization and identify appropriate seminars. The student will submit to the PhD Committee Chair or another designated faculty member in that area the syllabi and seminar papers for the three seminars. The Committee Chair or designated faculty member will submit a memo to the student's file documenting the student's specialty area and successful completion of the seminars.
  
  
• Dissertation Committee: If the student has not already done so, the student should form a PhD Dissertation Committee, and designate a Dissertation Committee Chair (see above for composition of dissertation committees).
  
  
• Comprehensive Paper: The student demonstrates current knowledge of the dissertation research field by completing a comprehensive paper. The focus of the comprehensive paper and the reading list upon which it is based is determined through the student's consultation with the PhD Committee Chair and one other faculty member on the PhD Committee.
  
  
• PhD Oral Qualifying Examination: Following completion of the comprehensive exams (seminars and paper), the student must pass a PhD Oral Qualifying Examination administered by the PhD Dissertation Committee. The Oral Qualifying Exam will normally take place within one quarter of the completion of the comprehensive paper. The Oral Qualifying Exam focuses on the major areas of specialization and planning for the preparation of a dissertation proposal. The successful completion of the PhD Oral Qualifying Exam advances the student to doctoral candidacy. The Graduate Council requires students to Advance to Candidacy by the end of the fourth year of graduate study. The student may qualify for a quarterly fee reduction from the quarter following Advancement through the sixth year of study.
  
  
• Dissertation Proposal: The student submits a dissertation proposal that is approved by the PhD Committee. The student's PhD Committee will normally require an oral hearing prior to approving the proposal.
  
  
• The student completes, defends, and files a PhD dissertation.