Applicants for admission to the program should have a background equivalent to 3 semester hours each in sociological theory, sociological methods, and statistics. Students with deficiencies in these areas may be required to take appropriate course work to remove these deficiencies before enrollment. Students with stipulated deficiencies will be informed by the graduate advisor of the courses that must be taken.
The Department of Sociology has reserved seats in the M.A. program exclusively for University Honors students majoring in Sociology at NIU. To take advantage of this admission program, students must graduate with a Sociology undergraduate degree and must complete University Honors requirements. Conditional upon sufficient available funding, competitive Graduate Assistantships with tuition remission and stipends may be available for well-qualified University Honors students
Graduate courses are classified into six fields: theory; research methods and statistics; social organization and institutions; social psychology; race, gender, and social inequality; and criminology.
Students must earn an overall GPA of 3.00 or higher and a minimum grade of B- in SOCI 670, SOCI 671, SOCI 674, SOCI 676, and SOCI 677.
The M.A. degree requires the successful completion of 33 credits, including 6 credits of a capstone experience: either SOCI 602 (Internship) or SOCI 699 (Thesis). All new master’s students are required to consult with the departmental graduate adviser before being admitted to courses.
No more than 12 semester hours in 500-level graduate courses may be included in the student’s program for the master’s degree.
The total credit from courses taken for graduate credit at other accredited institutions that are accepted in transfer plus credit earned at NIU as a student-at-large may not exceed 9 semester hours.
Students who intend to complete the internship capstone must pass a comprehensive examination in sociological theory and research methods.
Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
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