Admissions
Admission to the undergraduate program is by application
to the CMU Admissions Office. More detailed information may be obtained at the CMU page for future
students.
Regarding the graduate program, each application to the sociology master's program is carefully
considered on an individual basis. A number of factors are given
weight when an admissions decision is made.
Master of Arts
Degree
Requirements | Courses | Assistantships
The application deadline for admission to the graduate program in
Sociology is April 1 for the following academic year. Admissions
decisions are made by the department's Graduate Program
Committee. The Committee may request additional information or
an interview with a candidate who does not meet the requirement for
Regular Admission status.
To receive regular admission status for the M.A. in Sociology, the
student must have completed all of the following:
* 20 semester hours in sociology with a grade point average of
3.25;
* 3.25 overall grade point average in undergraduate course work
or a score of 1,000 or better on the Graduate Record Examination
(verbal and quantitative scores combined);
* A grade of 3.0 (B) or better in both (a) SOC 300 Introduction
to Research Methods or equivalent, and (b) SOC 301 Sociological
Theory or equivalent; and a
* 500-word statement of interest, describing career goals
and needs.
An applicant who does not satisfy the foregoing requirements may be
eligible for conditional admission. Where minimum grade point
averages are not met in either sociology and/or overall for
undergraduate work, the conditionally admitted student must achieve a
minimum grade point average of 3.0 or better in each of the first
three SASW graduate courses attempted (two of which must be core
courses), in order to be eligible for admission to a fourth graduate
course. Where one or both of the SASW equivalent undergraduate
theory and methods courses have not been taken or the grades are less
than 3.0, the conditionally admitted student must satisfy the
deficiency by taking SOC 300 and /or SOC 301 (depending on the
deficiency) and receiving a grade of at least 3.0
Neither course can count for graduate credit.
Conditionally admitted students who have satisfied the requirements
for regular status in the manner noted above must formally apply for
regular status to the Graduate Program Committee. The
application must include three letters of recommendation from SASW
faculty and a writing sample. The decision by the committee on
granting regular status to a conditionally admitted student may be
appealed to the department faculty as a whole.
Concentration
in
Social and Criminal Justice
Due to budget
constraints, no new students are being admitted to the concentration
in social and criminal justice [effective Summer, 2004].
Degree
Requirements | Courses | Assistantships
Requirements for admission to the Concentration in Social and
Criminal Justice are identical to those of the general sociology
degree, except that applicants must have taken 18 semester hours or
more in social and criminal justice-related areas with a minimum
grade point average of 3.25 in these courses, in place of the
requirement of 20 semester hours of general Sociology.
The requirement for social and criminal justice-related course work
may be partially waived by the Graduate Program Committee for relevant
career experience. Conditional admission to the Concentration in
Social and Criminal Justice, as well as requirements for Plan A and
Plan B, are identical to those described above for the general
sociology degree. Graduate Students enrolled in courses numbered below
600 are expected to perform, as defined by the course instructor, at a
higher level than the undergraduate students in such courses.
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