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Current Students

Ph.D. Reqirements

Ph.D. Admissions Policy

Admission to Ohio State's graduate program in sociology is selective. While a formal background in sociology is not required, the student must demonstrate a strong ability to succeed in all areas of graduate work. Undergraduate or graduate work in the social and behavioral sciences serve as a strong foundation for this program.

Though students with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (A = 4, B = 3, etc.) for the whole of their undergraduate record are, in principle, admissible by the Graduate School rules, it is the Sociology Department's policy to admit students who have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 or higher during their undergraduate program.

Some students may not meet the admission requirements stated above for a variety of legitimate reasons. Such students should call attention to this and provide as complete an explanation as possible as part of their application. In some cases the program allows students to further demonstrate their professional potential prior to formal admission to degree programs. However, it is understood that when these students are formally admitted to degree programs, they must demonstrate the same proficiency expected of other degree students.

Students must apply separately for admission both to the Department of Sociology and to the Graduate School at Ohio State, which administers all graduate programs.

The application deadline is November 24th for international applicants, and December 15th for domestic applicants. All applications, including supporting materials, must be received by this date. Applicants are responsible for making sure that their application materials arrive on time and that their application is complete.

General Requirements

Persons applying for admission to graduate work in the Department must submit all supplementary materials required by the department. Please see our "How to Apply" page for a complete list of required application materials.

Because of the great diversity in institutions of higher education all over the world, students with training abroad must be judged on an ad hoc basis. The criteria on which this judgment will be based are the reputation of the foreign institution, the scholastic record established there, GRE scores, recommendations from professors, and the student's proficiency in English as established by the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery).

Admission to the Ph.D. Level

Students who enter the Ph.D. program with a master's degree from another department or university must demonstrate their competence in theory, methodology, and statistics or complete the core courses required of master's-level students in this department and complete a thesis or thesis equivalent. Students should discuss their plan of study with their adviser during the first quarter of residence. They should complete all M.A.-level courses as early as possible.

Applicants are judged on the basis of grade point average (especially for their graduate work); GRE scores; recommendations; thesis, publications, papers, and other evidence of potential for scholarship and professional performance. Students whose grade point average for graduate courses is below 3.3 are, in principle, inadmissible.

Students who receive the M.A. from this department and wish to continue toward the doctorate must apply for admission: They must submit the departmental application form, recommendations from all members of the student's Examination Committee, and a copy of the master's thesis (draft or final) to the Graduate Studies Coordinator by the last day of the ninth week of the quarter before the quarter in which they plan to begin doctoral work. We also require a one-to-two page statement of current interests and plans for doctoral work.

Application Procedures for Students Graduating End-of-Quarter. Students who do not defend their theses before the last day of the ninth week of the quarter may still apply for admission into the Ph.D. program effective the following quarter under the following conditions:

The student must submit a complete draft of the thesis along with the other application materials by the last day of the ninth week of the quarter. All text, tables, footnotes, references, etc. for the current draft must be included in correct Graduate School format.
The letters of recommendation from all the Examination Committee members must state how likely it is that the student will meet the University's end-of-quarter deadline (the last business day before the start of the next quarter) by successfully defending and submitting a thesis. The student and committee must agree that this is a realistic and likely outcome.
A successful thesis defense by the student must take place before the end-of-quarter deadline, and the student must submit to the Department Student Affairs Office and Graduate School copies of the final, approved thesis by 5:00 p.m. of that day.
If the Graduate Studies Committee grants admission to the Ph.D. program, it will not become effective until the thesis has been successfully defended and submitted. Failure to meet the University's end-of-quarter deadline means that the student will not be in the Ph.D. program for the next quarter.
The Graduate Studies Committee strongly discourages, in principle, the practice of submitting an undefended thesis. The quality of the thesis plays a significant role in the admission decision and thus undefended theses will be subject to especially close scrutiny.