SJSU Catalog

Sociology Department

MA - Sociology

Requirements for Admission to Classified Standing

Minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division are outlined elsewhere in this catalog. Applicants for admission to classified standing in sociology are ordinarily expected to have earned the baccalaureate at an accredited college or university with a grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) in upper division work, and a 3.2 or higher in undergraduate major work. Applicants need to have completed prerequisites in sociological theory (SOCI 101 and SOCI 201A or equivalent), research methods (SOCI 104 and SOCI 200A or equivalent), SPSS computer analysis, and statistics, or to have passed equivalent challenge examinations.

An applicant not meeting these requirements may be admitted to conditionally classified standing if there is other evidence of academic ability (see below).

Requirements for Admission to Conditionally Classified Standing

Applicants meeting the university’s requirements for the Graduate Division but lacking one or more of the department’s requirements for classified standing, may be admitted to conditionally classified standing, if it is determined that the applicant’s academic record or work-related experience indicates promise of a successful graduate career in sociology. Applicants who do not have the grade point average required may be admitted conditionally if there is other evidence of academic ability, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Applicants who have not completed the undergraduate prerequisite requirements, but who have met the required grade point averages, may be admitted as conditionally classified students. They may take graduate courses concurrently with the required undergraduate prerequisites. Any undergraduate prerequisites must be taken within the first year of enrollment as a conditionally classified student. All required undergraduate prerequisite coursework must be passed with a grade of “B” or better and a minimum 3.0 grade point average must be maintained in order to continue with the graduate program. Students may repeat an undergraduate prerequisite course in the first year, if they do not meet the minimum grade requirement. If within the year, the minimum grade for any undergraduate prerequisite course is not met, students will not be allowed to continue the program.

The graduate prerequisite courses 200A and 201A must be passed with a grade of “B” or better. If after the second attempt, a grade of “B” or better is not achieved for these courses, students will not be allowed to continue the program.

The department reserves the right to dismiss any student from the program if their grade point average falls below a 3.0 by notifying the Associate Vice President for Graduate Admissions. This process is known as administrative academic disqualification (see Section 41200.1, Title 5, California Code of Regulations)

Conditionally classified students may complete up to 12 units of graduate work before becoming classified. Once students have completed all prerequisites and have maintained a 3.0 or higher grade point average in all courses taken while conditionally classified, they may apply for classified standing.

International (Foreign) Students

In addition to the requirements for admission outlined above, applicants for the sociology MA program who are either foreign students or resident aliens must also satisfy the university’s TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination with a core of 550 or greater). Documentation of the applicant’s TOEFL score should accompany other admission material.

Completing Requirements for the MA - Sociology

Upon achieving classified standing, the student and graduate advisor determine a course of study. The student’s program of study must be submitted to the Associate Vice President for Graduate Admissions for approval upon which the student is admitted to candidacy for the degree. The department offers three plans of study culminating in the MA degree.

Basic Program

Requirements for the MA in Sociology include 30 units of graduate level course work. Upon completion of SOCI 200A and SOCI 201A with a grade of “B” or better, students are required to complete SOCI 200B and SOCI 201B. Upon approval of the graduate advisor, up to six units of upper division course work in Sociology or graduate level non-sociology course, or a combination of the two may count toward the total 30-unit requirement. Plans A and C students must enroll for thesis (SOCI 299) credit hours. All MA students must complete two written comprehensive exams, one in theory, and one in research methods and data analysis. Each of these exams may be attempted twice. If an exam is not passed by the second attempt, the student will be administratively dismissed from the program.

The University requires that all graduate students demonstrate competency in written English as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Please refer to the SJSU catalog section titled “Competency in Written English” for details. For graduate courses that meet the competency in written English requirement, please refer to the Graduate Studies and Research website at www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies.

The Plans

Plan A (Thesis) and Plan C (Creative Project): Students selecting the thesis option must demonstrate research and writing competency and show the ability to conduct independent research. Upon successful completion of the two written comprehensive exams, the student, with the approval of the graduate advisor, selects a thesis or creative project committee consisting of at least three members, two of whom must be from the faculty in the Sociology Department. The chair of the committee must also be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in the department. The student may enroll in up to 6 units of Thesis/Research hours (SOCI 299) with the professor designated as chair of the committee.

Plan B (Special Study): After the successful completion of two comprehensive examinations, the student writes two additional comprehensive examinations in two areas of study based upon graduate level sociology courses taken at San José State University. Plan B students are required to complete SOCI 298, which is a special study project.

Course Requirements
Core Courses			12
SOCI 200A, SOCI 201A, SOCI 200B and SOCI 201B
Electives			12-15
200-level Sociology electives, and up to 6 units of approved 100-level courses in Sociology or 200-level courses in another department
Thesis or Project			3-6
In all plans, students may have only 12 units of C/NC courses.
Plan A (Thesis)		3-6
Students must defend a thesis proposal and thesis results before a committee of not fewer than three members, two of whom must be department faculty members.
SOCI 299
Plan B (Special Study, No Thesis)		3
SOCI 298
Plan C (Creative Project)		3-6
SOCI 299
Total Units:			30

MA - Sociology, Concentration in Criminology

All requirements are the same as in the basic program and the plans (above), except that the following course requirements must be completed: SOCI 253, and two courses chosen from SOCI 254, SOCI 256, and SOCI 258. Plan B students must also complete additional examinations from two graduate-level criminology courses taught by two different SJSU instructors.