SOCIO-PHD - Sociology (PhD)

Students who completed graduate coursework at another institution are expected to transfer course units in the winter quarter of their first year of doctoral study. The Director of Graduate Studies will evaluate the transfer of units on a course-by-course basis. Graduate work accepted for transfer of residency does not automatically exempt a student from having to complete a course requirement for the degree.

The Department of Sociology is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

The faculty are responsible for providing students timely and constructive feedback on their progress toward the PhD. To evaluate student progress and to identify potential problem areas, the department’s faculty reviews the academic progress of each first-year student at the beginning of winter and spring quarters and again at the end of the academic year. The first two reviews primarily aim to identify problems that could impede progress. In most cases, students are given constructive feedback, but if there are more serious concerns, a student may be placed on probation with specific guidelines for addressing the problems detected. The review at the end of the academic year is more thorough; each student’s performance during the first year is reviewed and discussed.

Faculty advisors guide students in critical areas such as selecting courses, designing and conducting research, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising.