Sociology, MA

The Department of Sociology offers a Master of Arts degree in Sociology. All course work for the MA degree can be taken on the Colorado Springs campus, although students may take appropriate and approved courses at the Denver or Boulder campuses. Admission to the MA program in Colorado Springs does not constitute admission to the graduate programs at Denver or Boulder.

Learning Outcomes

• To demonstrate advanced critical thinking; write in a clear, logical manner, and clearly express sociological knowledge in verbal communication.
• To gain in-depth knowledge of several substantive areas of sociology.
• To show broad knowledge about global and local societies, social behavior and provide credible explanations of how and why social development has taken a particular direction.
• To understand, analyze and assess social experience, both theoretically and practically.
• To collect, analyze, and interpret sociological data effectively.
• To understand social phenomena of deviance, globalization, social change, multiculturalism, structural inequality, and the intersections of race, gender and other forms of stratification. 

MA Application and Admission

The student is referred to The Graduate School  for a complete listing of all rules and regulations that apply to MA programs on this campus of the University of Colorado.

Regular Degree Admission Requirements

Students applying to the MA degree in Sociology should have:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university or have completed work equivalent for such a degree and equivalent to the degree given at this university
• An undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75
• Adequate preparation to begin graduate study in sociology
• Show promise for advanced study and research, as judged by the applicant’s previous scholastic record

Application Process

• Submit three letters of recommendation from instructors or employers
• Completed the Graduate Record Exam
• Be recommended for admission to a regular degree status by the Graduate Faculty in the Department of Sociology.

Information and applications for admissions may be obtained from Rosemary Kelbel, Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Sociology, UCCS.

Admission as a Provisional Degree Student

An applicant who does not meet the minimum requirements for admission as a regular degree student may be admitted on a provisional basis. To convert to regular degree status the student may be required to complete courses to make up deficiencies and/or demonstrate the ability to successfully perform graduate work.

Guaranteed Early Admission Policy

This program is designed to offer outstanding students enrolled in their final semester at UCCS guaranteed and expedited admission to the Graduate School. Students who complete a major in Sociology at UCCS and achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.25 overall and a 3.33 in sociology will be guaranteed admission to the Department’s MA program. For students meeting these requirements, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and letters of recommendation will be waived. Students who do not meet these requirements will be guaranteed provisional admission to the MA program if they have at least a 2.75 GPA and an acceptable score on the GRE, and they are deemed to have adequate preparation to begin graduate study in sociology.

Fast -Track Admission for Former UCCS Students

The Fast-Track admission process is designed to offer a more efficient admission process to former undergraduate students that have graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs no more than four years prior to the time of application to a graduate program.

Five-Year Program

The traditional MA program in Sociology is designed to allow completion in one year (fall, spring and summer semesters) of full-time study by those who have a strong background in Sociology. The possibility of completing the MA degree with only a 5th year of study is enhanced for students who complete appropriate graduate level courses while an undergraduate, if these courses are not counted toward the total number of hours required for completing the BA degree. Students may apply for up to eight hours of such course work to be counted toward fulfilling the MA requirements, in much the same manner as graduate credits earned in graduate programs in other departments may be transferred toward the MA degree in sociology.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of graduate assistant ships for new and continuing students are available from the Sociology Department. These are awarded on the basis of both need and merit in compensation for assisting with departmental programs of instruction and research. Contact the Sociology Office for application forms and deadlines. Additional support may be available from the Graduate School.

General Requirements

There are two options for completing the requirements for the degree:

Plan I—Thesis:

Complete a total of 24 hours of approved course work, including the required courses, plus an acceptable thesis for 6 hours of credit.

Plan II—Non-Thesis:

Complete a total of 30 hours of approved course work, including the required core sociology courses. Students are encouraged to develop individualized areas of concentration with their elective credits. Elective course work may include approved courses from other UCCS Graduate programs, for example the School of Public Affairs, Applied Geography and the College of Education.

Required Exams

All MA students must pass the Preliminary and Qualifying Exams and either a Thesis Defense or a Comprehensive Examination, as defined below.

The Qualifying Examination:

Students’ progress will be reviewed after completion of the first 6 hours of graduate level courses to ensure adequate qualifications to proceed in the program. Students found to be not well prepared in statistics will be required to take 

  and those not well prepared in social theory will be required to take  . Students will be notified of the results of this review process and appropriate recommendations for further progress will be included.

The Preliminary Examination:

After completing 18 graduate hours, including the required core sociology courses, students must prepare an admission to candidacy form (available from Rosemary Kelbel, Graduate Program Coordinator). The student’s academic record will be reviewed and a plan for either a thesis (Plan I) or course work (Plan II) must be approved to continue in the program. If problems are identified, appropriate steps will be specified in order to become a candidate for the degree.

Plan I: Thesis Defense:

Upon completion of the master’s thesis and approval of the Chair of the thesis committee a defense is scheduled. The goal of the defense is to provide for a thorough discussion of the thesis project, and exploration of issues and implications for continued research in the thesis topic.

OR

Plan II: Comprehensive Examination:

The comprehensive examination is based on a discussion of the materials provided by the student in her/his graduate student portfolio. Portfolios should be turned in to the graduate program coordinator two weeks before the comprehensive examination. Portfolios are not returned to the student, but become part of the graduate archive in the sociology department.