Graduate Handbook May 2020 FINAL - Sociology
Mississippi State UniversityDepartment of SociologyGraduate HandbookUpdated May 2020
CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION . 12. ADMISSIONS . 1A. CriteriaB. Procedures for ApplicationC. Types of Admission3. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE .2A. AvailabilityB. CriteriaC. Continued AppointmentD. Sources4. ENTERING THE PROGRAM . 4A. Orientation of New StudentsB. Selection of Major ProfessorC. Program of Study5. MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM.4A. Master of Science OptionsB. Course WorkC. ExaminationsD. Master of Science Thesis6. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM .8A. AdmissionB. Transfer CreditC. Course LevelsD. Curriculum7. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY EXAMINATION .98. CANDIDACY . 109. THE DISSERTATION . 11A. The Dissertation CommitteeB. The Dissertation ProposalC. The Dissertation Defense10. SOCIOLOGY AS A MINOR FIELD OF STUDY . 1411. APPEALS COMMITTEE. 1412. IMPLEMENTATION AND MODIFICATION OF THESE PROCEDURES . 14i
A. ImplementationB. Modification of this DocumentAPPENDIX A: Elements of a Thesis Proposal or Dissertation Prospectus . 15APPENDIX B: American Sociological Association Code of Ethics. 16ii
1. INTRODUCTIONThe procedures and requirements in this document supplement those published in theofficial catalog of the Office of the Graduate School at Mississippi State University. It presentsspecific departmental requirements for graduate degree programs in Sociology. All graduatestudents should retain both documents and consult them frequently, but should use the departmentspecific requirements outlined in this handbook to guide their progress through the program. It is thestudent's responsibility to meet all applicable requirements. The faculty welcomes theopportunity to work with students and stands ready to help them meet their degree and careerobjectives. Questions and concerns about curriculum and policies outlined in this handbook orthe MSU Graduate Catalog should be referred to the Department of Sociology GraduateCoordinator.2. ADMISSIONSA. CriteriaUniversity requirements for admission to graduate study include a minimum grade pointaverage (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale on the last two years of undergraduate course work and a3.00 on all graduate course work. A student applying for admission to the Sociology graduateprogram will be evaluated on the basis of evidence that might indicate success in graduate study,including all transcripts of previous post-secondary course work, Graduate Record Examination(GRE) scores (from within the last five years), the quality and strength of letters ofrecommendation, an academic writing sample, and the student's statement of purpose for seekingentry into graduate study. Additional requirements for international students are outlined in theMSU Graduate Catalog.B. Procedures for ApplicationInquiries concerning admission to the graduate program in Sociology may be directed toeither the Office of the Graduate School or the Department of Sociology. The packet ofinformation and forms sent in response to a request will contain the specific instructions forcompleting the forms and making an application for admission.C. Types of AdmissionBoth the Office of the Graduate School and the Department of Sociology will evaluatethe application. The Office of the Graduate School will notify the applicant of the outcome of thescreening process. If accepted, students may receive one of three types of admission: (1) regular,(2) provisional, or (3) contingent. Students meeting all requirements are normally granted regularadmission.Students can be admitted on a provisional basis, if recommended for admission by thedegree program, even though they do not meet the minimum grade point average. Provisionalstudents must receive a 3.00 grade point average on the first nine hours of courses taken atMississippi State University (transfer hours will not apply) in order to achieve regular status. In1
addition, provisional students may be required to complete prerequisites specified by thedepartment (such as courses in sociological theory, research methods, or social statistics). If a3.00 grade point average is not attained, the provisional student will be terminated from theprogram.Students may also be admitted on a contingent basis. Students who have not completed amaster’s thesis at the time of application to the doctoral program will be admitted contingent onthe students’ defense of a master’s thesis. If students begin the doctoral program without havingcompleted their master’s degree, they will be put on probation immediately. If the thesis is notcompleted by the end of their first semester, they will be dismissed from the program at that time.Students with a master’s degree not in sociology (or a closely related field) must apply tothe master’s program. Students with any master’s degree that did not culminate in anindependent research project (i.e., a master’s paper or thesis) generally must apply to themaster’s program.3. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCEA. AvailabilityFinancial assistance for graduate study is available on a competitive basis from severalsources, each requiring a separate application. All prospective students who apply by thedepartmental deadline will be considered for funding. Continuing students who wish to beconsidered for funding should state this in their annual review, which is due each spring at a datespecified by the Graduate Coordinator.B. CriteriaAlthough the criteria for each source may differ somewhat, basic expectations are similar.New students should meet the established university and departmental requirements foradmission. Graduate assistantships are professional internships with explicit obligations.Assistantships are thus considered to be half-time jobs (20 hours per week). Students onassistantships are required to take a course load of at least nine hours per semester and areencouraged to avoid additional outside employment, which may hinder adequate progresstoward the degree.C. Continued AppointmentContinued appointment is based on satisfactory performance of assistantship duties asdetermined by standing departmental procedures (described below) as well as adequate progresstoward the degree. In addition, beginning in their second year, students must maintain at least a3.00 GPA to retain an assistantship. Financial support awarded by or through the department,regardless of the source, is limited to two years for students who are pursuing a master's degreeand to three years for students who have earned a master's degree and are pursuing the doctoraldegree, for a total of five years for students pursuing both. Students needing additional supportmust submit a written request to the Graduate Coordinator and the Admissions and Support2
Committee for consideration. Students who receive two Cs will be placed on academicprobation and lose their funding beginning the semester after receipt of the second C. Receipt ofa third C will result in dismissal from the program, even if a 3.00 grade point average ismaintained. Students may retake one course per degree program of study. A Request toRetake a Course form is available from the Office of the Graduate School. Students mustcomplete and submit this form as directed. Any student who receives a C or lower in aCore class must use the retake for that course and must retake it the next time it is beingoffered. Upon receipt of a second C or lower in a Core class, the student will be dismissedfrom the program. A grade of a D or an F in any course is unacceptable and will result inimmediate probation and loss of funding (if the only sub-B grade) or dismissal (if in concert withother sub-B grades). More than one U grade for thesis or dissertation hours will result indismissal.D. Sources1). Departmental Research or Teaching AssistantshipsRequests for funding will be considered by the departmental Graduate Admissions andSupport Committee with recommendations submitted to the Department Head. Independentteaching assistantships are limited to students with a master's degree in sociology or a master'sdegree in another field and 18 hours of graduate level course work in sociology. The minimumrequirement for a research assistantship is a bachelor's degree from an accredited college oruniversity.2). Social Science Research CenterApplication forms for Research Assistantships may be obtained from the Social ScienceResearch Center (105 Mississippi Research and Technology Park Building; P. O. Box5287, Mississippi State, MS 39762; 662-325-7127). Both master's students and doctoral studentsmay apply for SSRC research assistantships.3). FellowshipsInformation and applications can be obtained from the Office of the Graduate School (617Allen Hall, P.O. Box G, Mississippi State, MS 39762; 662-325-7400).4). Student LoansGuaranteed Student Loans are available through the Department of Financial Aid andScholarships (Garner Hall, P.O. Box 6035, Mississippi State, MS 39762; 662-325-2450).Students should request an MSU Financial Aid Package and follow the instructions for GraduateStudents. (Note: Graduate Students are not eligible for Pell Grants).3
4. ENTERING THE PROGRAMA. Orientation of New StudentsStudents will schedule their fall courses with the assistance of the Graduate Coordinator.The Graduate Coordinator and Department Head will also determine assistantshipresponsibilities, if applicable, of new students and will be in communication with them aboutthese responsibilities before the fall semester begins. All new graduate students are required toattend a yearly retreat in August, which may be scheduled before the first day of classes. Atthis time, they will meet the Department Head, Graduate Coordinator, faculty, and other students.B. Selection of Major ProfessorThe Graduate Coordinator will advise students for the first semester of the program.Students should select a Major Professor in their area of expertise during the second or thirdsemester of study. Once a Major Professor has been selected, the Major Professor Form shouldbe filled out and submitted to the Sociology Department. This form, available on the departmentwebsite or from the main office, must be on file by the end of the third semester of study.C. Program of StudyEach student is required to submit a formal program of study to the Department ofSociology for approval. The program of study lists the courses the student plans to taketo meet the requirements outlined in this handbook. This program must be made with theadvice and concurrence of the Graduate Coordinator by the second semester of study and shouldthen be reassessed once the student selects a major professor. For students pursuing a master’sdegree, this program of study is formally submitted to the Office of the Graduate School duringthe semester in which the student intends to graduate. For doctoral students, the final program ofstudy must be on file before a student takes the preliminary examination. Only coursesappearing on the approved program of study will be counted toward fulfilling degreerequirements.5. MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAMA. Master of Science OptionsThe Department offers the Master of Science Degree. Students must maintain a gradepoint average of 3.00 or above on all course work completed. Students who receive two Cs willbe placed on academic probation and lose their funding. Receipt of a third C will result indismissal from the program, even if a 3.00 grade point average is maintained. Students mayretake one course per degree program of study. A Request to Retake a Course form isavailable from the Office of the Graduate School. Students must complete and submit thisform as directed. Any student who receives a C or lower in a Core class must use the retakefor that course and must retake it the next time it is being offered. Upon receipt of a secondC or lower in a Core class, the student will be dismissed from the program. A grade of a Dor an F in any course is unacceptable and will result in immediate probation and loss of funding4
(if the only sub-B grade) or dismissal (if in concert with other sub-B grades). More than one Ugrade for thesis hours will result in dismissal. The graduate degree will not be granted if theGPA requirement is not met.The Master of Science program has both a thesis and a non-thesis option.1). Thesis OptionThe thesis option requires 24 hours of course work and 6 hours of thesis.2). Non Thesis OptionThe non-thesis option requires 36 hours of course work: 24 hours of sociology and nomore than 12 hours in two other related disciplines. Thesis hours (SO 8000) do not count towardthis degree program.B. Course WorkRequired core courses in the master’s degree are: (a) SO 8103 Graduate Theory I, (b) SO8213 Research Design, and (c) SO 8274 Graduate Social Statistics I. In addition, students arerequired to take the Professionalization Seminar in the first semester. The student may choosethe remaining courses in consultation with the Major Professor.At least one-half of the course work in the degree program, exclusive of thesis credits,must be at the 8000 level. Approved 7000 Special Topics courses count toward 8000-9000 levelrequirements. No more than six semester hours of graduate credit may be earned in 7000-levelspecial topics courses. Students may transfer up to six (6) semester hours of courses from otheraccredited degree programs. Courses that have already been counted as part of a degreeprogram that resulted in graduation with a master’s or PhD cannot be reused at MississippiState. Only courses above and beyond what was required for a previous degree can betransferred. Generally speaking, only electives will be transferred in from other programs; allrequired coursework must be taken at Mississippi State University. Students who wish to havetransfer courses considered must present a syllabus to the Graduate Coordinator, who will submitit to the graduate curriculum committee for review. The graduate curriculum committee willdecide whether the course content is an equivalent substitute. All transfer requests must be filed,and paperwork completed, by the end of your second semester of study.C. Examinations1). Thesis OptionFor the Master of Science thesis option degree program, the successful defense of thethesis constitutes the final comprehensive examination. For students pursuing the thesisoption, Statistics II and/or Qualitative Analysis should be taken as part of their elective courseof study. These decisions should be made in concert with the Major Professor. More detailson the Master’s Thesis are in part D below.5
2). Non-Thesis OptionIn the last semester of the required course work, the candidate will take a single writtenexit examination covering two areas: (1) Methods and Statistics and (2) Theory. Thisexamination will be the comprehensive final examination. Questions will not be limited tocourse-specific contents. Students may take up to five hours to complete the examination. Anexit examination committee composed of three faculty members will be selected from thefaculty. This exit examination committee will be responsible for writing and evaluating theentire examination. A study guide containing questions and related literature will be availableto students on the Department of Sociology’s web page. If the exit examination committeewishes to update the study guide, they will do so during the academic year (i.e., August toMay). The modified document will then be posted by the last day of the spring semester andwill take effect the following fall semester. If modifications are made during the summer, thenew document will not take effect the following semester (i.e. beginning immediately inAugust), but rather the next academic year.Exit examinations are offered twice per year on or about the 8th week of fall and springsemesters. The Graduate Coordinator will publicize the official date of the examination duringthe first full week of spring and fall semester classes. No exit examinations are offered duringthe summer. Students must notify the Graduate Coordinator in writing of their intention to sitfor the exit examination no later than the end of the second week of the semester they plan totake the exam. The exam will be graded as pass-fail based on a majority vote by the examiningcommittee. If unsuccessful on the first try, a student will be allowed one repeat examination, fora total of two attempts.Students failing the exit examination will be required to register for the next regularlyscheduled examination. Students failing a portion of the exit examination on their first attemptmay be allowed to retake that portion of the exam during the following semester. Failure of theretake exit examination will result in termination from the master’s program.D. Master of Science Thesis1). Thesis CommitteeThe Thesis Committee consists of the Major Professor as chair and at least two otherdepartmental Graduate Faculty members. Graduate Faculty members from outside thedepartment may serve on thesis committees in addition to the three departmental members. ACommittee Form is to be filled out containing the signatures of the student's committee alongwith the signature of the Graduate Coordinator and Department Head as soon as a committee isestablished, no later than the end of the third semester of study.2). Thesis ProposalThe development of a thesis proposal is the initial step in the writing of the thesis. Thestudent should present a thesis proposal to his or her Major Professor no later than thebeginning of the last semester of course work. The Major Professor will distribute the Thesis6
Proposal to the Thesis Committee and schedule an oral defense of the Thesis Proposal.The Thesis Proposal must be formally and unanimously approved by the student's ThesisCommittee after an oral defense. This should occur no later than the end of the last semester ofcourse work. A Proposal Approval Form may be obtained from the Graduate Secretary and mustbe signed by the Thesis Committee members, the Graduate Coordinator, and the DepartmentHead. The Thesis Proposal must include the elements listed in Appendix A.3). Thesis DefenseThe thesis proposal defense and the thesis defense may not occur in the same semester;therefore, the thesis defense cannot take place earlier than the first day of the next semester afterthe proposal defense. Upon completion of the writing of the thesis, the student will submit anintended final draft to the Major Professor and the other members of the student's committee.An intended final copy of the thesis will be placed on file in the departmental office forreview by interested faculty at least one week prior to the scheduled defense.Oral DefenseThe Major Professor will schedule the oral defense of the thesis. The Major Professorwill then inform the Graduate Coordinator of the time and date of the defense.All departmental faculty must be invited to the thesis defense via email at least one weekprior to
3.00 on all graduate course work. A student applying for admission to the Sociology graduate . Students should request an MSU Financial Aid Package and follow the instructions for Graduate Students. . B. Selection of Major Professor The Graduate Coordinator will advise students for the first semester of the program.
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