Graduate Program

Master of Sociology (M. Soc.) Program

The Master of Sociology program offered by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology is an advanced treatment of sociological concepts, theories, and methods to study, understand, and analyze the various elements of society. The program offers a series of courses that will immerse students with recent trends and developments in the discipline to enable them to respond to ongoing social change and continually rise to the challenges of contemporary society. It is thus expected that, at the end of the program, scholars, social science research practitioners, and development workers will be equipped with a clearer and more critical grasp of Sociology as a scientific discipline for them to effectively do career research and teaching in the field.

The Master of Sociology degree is a terminal non-thesis program offered to students who will not proceed to acquire the Ph.D. in Sociology. This program requires students to earn a minimum of 39 units of completed course work, the final requirement of which is a research paper. It will run for four semesters and two summers, with classes held only during weekends, or as agreed between faculty and students.

A comprehensive examination consisting of theory, methods, and analysis will have to be successfully passed by the student after completion of the required Core and Seminar courses. In the event that a student fails in the written exam, an oral examination hearing will be scheduled, and the student will be given a second chance to defend and answer the questions deemed relevant by Committee members. Only if the student obtains the approval of the Committee will he/she be given a passing grade.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program is based on scholastic performance, aptitude for graduate work, and English proficiency. Applicants should possess a bachelor’s degree in Sociology or its equivalent from a recognized institution of higher learning.

If an applicant is not an undergraduate major in Sociology, enrollment in two undergraduate courses, SoSc 1 Introduction to Sociology and Socio 105 Principles and Concepts of Sociology, will have to be made but taken as reading and not taught courses. He/she may enroll in these subjects in tandem with graduate level courses.

Required documents include the following: Department Application From, Statement of Purpose, Official Transcript of Records, Letters of Recommendation from two former professors, Certificate of Transfer Credentials, Alien Certificate of Registration (for foreign students), and 2 x 2 color photograph.

These documents will be assessed by the Department of Admissions Committee, headed by the Department Chair. The deadline for submission must be two months prior to the opening of the semester/summer to give ample time for the Departmental Admissions Committee to meet and deliberate whether or not the applicant is worth admitting to the program.

Special Research Paper

To cap the Master of Sociology Program, a special research paper will be required. This will normally be a 20-page, double-spaced literature-based research. The student, however, has an option to carry out limited fieldwork upon enrollment in Socio 300. The problem area or topic of the paper will be decided upon by the student who may or may not consult any member of the M.Soc faculty. There will be no oral defense required as a simple oral presentation and subsequent submission of the output to the course instructor will suffice at the end of the semester.

Core Courses (18 units)		Units
Socio 200	Classical Social Theory	3
Socio 201	Contemporary Sociological Theory	3
Socio 202	Self and Society	3
Socio 203	Social Institutions and Social Organization	3
Socio 204	Population Studies and Demographic Techniques	3
Socio 205	Quantitative and Qualitative Techniques in Social Science Research	3
Seminars (18 units)
Socio 206	Seminar in Social Stratification, Differentiation and Gender	3
Socio 207	Seminar in Advanced Data Analysis	3
Socio 208	Seminar in Social Change and Development	3
Socio 209	Seminar in Environmental Sociology	3
Socio 210*	Special Topics in Sociology	3
Socio 211	Seminar in Teaching and Learning Srategies in Sociology	3
Non-Thesis Paper (3 units)
Socio 300	Article Writing and Counseling	3

*Special Topics in Sociology:

 1.0 Sociology of Medicine and Health Care
 1.1 Industrial and Occupational Sociology
 1.2 Political Sociology
 1.3 Sociology of Education
 1.4 Rural and Urban Studies
 1.5 Sociolinguistics
 1.6 Social and Cultural Forces in Southeast Asia