Our innovative MA in Sociology degree program provides students with advanced training in sociological knowledge, theory, and methods. The flexible nature of the program allows students to focus on an additional academic specialty area within or outside of sociology.
Jump links: Admission Requirements | Degree Requirements | Faculty Specialty Areas | Graduate Course Descriptions
Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission to the graduate program in sociology should present a minimum of 15 undergraduate semester hours in the social sciences. This includes courses in statistics, research methods and social theory, and a minimum of six additional hours of sociology or related courses.
Students with a background in sociology but without the specific course requirements may be admitted provisionally, but must remove any deficiencies within the first year of graduate study.
Students admitted provisionally can show competence in statistics by taking SOC 2130, in theory by taking SOC 2120, and in research methods by taking SOC 3510, or in any of these areas by taking a program of independent work approved by the graduate committee.
All courses must be passed with a grade of “B” (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better.
The graduate program has an April 15 deadline for fall admission and a November 15 deadline for spring admission. Learn how to apply at Graduate Studies.
The application materials required are:
- Two letters of reference
- An academic writing sample
- A personal statement that outlines your reasons for applying to the program
- A résumé
Graduate Assistantships
A limited number of Graduate Assistantships are available for full-time, on-campus graduate students. For more information, please contact the Graduate Program Chair, Alecia Anderson at aleciaanderson@unomaha.edu.
Why should you get a master's degree in Sociology?
Graduate training in sociology provides students with a unique set of perspectives on the social world. The analytic and methodological skills learned are in high demand in both academic and applied settings.
Potential employers include, but are not limited to:
- Colleges and Universities
- Non-Profit Organizations
- Government
- Advocacy Groups
- Think Tanks
- Consulting Firms
- Human Resources
- Corporations and Businesses
Department faculty members have strengths in several areas, including:
- Medical Sociology
- Sociology of Families
- Global Social Inequality
- Organizational Sociology
- Anthropology
Other interdisciplinary possibilities include:
- Latino/Latin American Studies
- Native American Studies
- Women's Studies
- Black Studies
- Public Health
- History
- Psychology
- Economics
- Political Science
- Geography
- Religion
- Communication
Faculty Specialty Areas
- Medical Sociology examines the impact of social factors on the health and illness of people and the system of medical services. Topics include the experience of illness; issues of prevention and self-care; inequalities in health and quality of health care services; provider-patient relationships; alternative/complementary medicine; medical ethics; health care policy; and the professional dominance of medicine.
- Sociology of Families examines gender, kinship and families in different societies. Topics include the impact of poverty and racism on families; social capital, employment, and inequality among and within families; and the impact of law and public policies on families.
- Global Social Inequality examines new patterns of domestic and international inequality. Specific topics include the role of transnational corporations and multilateral policy bodies in the restructuring of First and Third World economies, politics, polities and societies; labor displacement and migration; new forms of class, gender, inter-ethnic, language and cultural conflicts; and new forms of resistance to global inequalities.
- Organizational Sociology is an applied field of sociology that examines the social context of organizational performance. Using a human relations perspective, organizational sociologists analyze and solve problems of group structure, dynamics, and process that enhance or hinder employer and employee goals and interests. Students of organizational sociology are prepared for leadership or consulting positions in business, government, and private agencies.
- Anthropology examines contemporary and prehistoric cultures and how they change over time. Topics include cultural anthropology, North American archeology, medical anthropology, contemporary Native American peoples, and applied anthropology.