Dec 10, 2024  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]


Accelerated B.A./B.S. in Sociology and Masters of Sociology



Students who successfully complete this program will receive a BA or BS in Sociology or Criminology and a Masters of Sociology with an emphasis in General Sociology; Criminology; Community, Agriculture, Food and Environment; or Social Inequalities. The degree can be completed in a minimum of five academic years.

Admission Requirements


Applicants are encouraged to apply to the program during their junior year and must meet the following requirements:

  • The student must be currently seeking a B.A. or B.S. degree in one of the concentrations of the Sociology program.
  • The student must have completed a minimum of 90 credit hours before being formally admitted to the M.A. program and beginning graduate coursework.
  • The student must have completed STAT 325  , SOCIO 423   and SOCIO 431   and a minimum of six additional credit hours in Sociology or Criminology.
  • The student must have earned a GPA of 3.5 in the major and 3.0 overall.

Application Process


Students should apply to the program during their junior year. Applications should include the following:

  • A completed on-line application to the K-State Graduate School with paid application fee.
  • A statement of objectives indicating professional goals relative to the M.A. degree
  • Three letters of recommendation; at least two of them must be from KSU Sociology faculty who are familiar with the student’s ability.
  • Official transcript(s) of all undergraduate course work completed at the time of application.
  • A sample of written work (e.g. research paper, essay).
  • The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) must be taken before starting graduate coursework. Students applying without having taken the GRE may be admitted on a probationary basis. They will then be considered for regular status after taking the GRE. 

Applications are evaluated by the Graduate Admissions Committee, which will provide a recommendation to the Director of Graduate Studies about an applicant’s suitability for the program.

Program Guidelines


The bachelor’s degree normally requires 120 undergraduate credit hours and the M.A. degree 30 graduate credit hours.  However, the program allows a maximum of 9 credit hours of graduate courses to be counted toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. 

  • Students may begin taking graduate courses during their 4th year of the program.
  • Graduate courses must be completed with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
  • The bachelor’s degree may be awarded at any time following the completion of the undergraduate degree requirements.  Alternatively, the B.A./B.S. degree and the M.A. may be awarded concurrently following the completion of the M.A. degree.
  • Students must choose one of four options in the M.A. program – Sociology, Sociology-CAFÉ, Sociology-Social Inequalities, Criminology. 

M.A. in Sociology


Students pursuing the M.A. in Sociology are required to complete 12 hours of “requirement” courses.

Core Courses (12 credit hours)


  • SOCIO 809 Classical Theory Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 810 Contemporary Theory Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 822 Introduction to Methods of Social Analysis Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 823 Intermediate Methods of Social Research Credits: 3

Elective Courses (12 credit hours)


In addition, students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology. These courses can be in any area of the graduate program.

Thesis/Exam/Report (6 credit hours)


The remaining 6 hours required to finish the degree must be completed with one of the following options:

  • Take 6 hours of SOCIO 899 Master’s Thesis Research and successfully complete a Master’s Thesis on a research topic related to Sociology.
  • Complete 6 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology and successfully pass the M.A. Comprehensive Examination.
  • Complete 3 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology, take 3 hours of SOCIO 898 Master’s Report Research and successfully complete a Master’s Research Report on a topic related to Sociology.

M.A. in Sociology - Criminology


Students pursuing the M.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology are required to complete 12 hours of “core” courses.

Core Courses


  • SOCIO 809 Classical Theory Credits: 3 or 
  • SOCIO 810 Contemporary Theory Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 822 Introduction to Methods of Social Analysis Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 823 Intermediate Methods of Social Research Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 862 Criminological Theory Credits: 3

Elective Courses (12 credit hours)


In addition, students pursuing the Criminology concentration must complete a minimum of 12 hours of elective graduate courses. A minimum of 9 of these credit hours must be in Criminology courses.

Thesis/Exam/Report (6 credit hours)


The remaining 6 hours required to finish the degree must be completed with one of the following options:

  • Take 6 hours of SOCIO 899 Master’s Thesis Research and successfully complete a Master’s Thesis on a research topic related to Criminology.
  • Complete 6 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology and successfully pass the M.A. Comprehensive Examination.
  • Complete 3 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Criminology or Sociology, take 3 hours of SOCIO 898 Master’s Report Research and successfully complete a Master’s Research Report on a topic related to Criminology.

M.A. in Sociology - Community, Agriculture, Food, and Environment


Students pursuing the M.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Community, Agriculture, Food, and Environment (CAFÉ) are required to complete 12 hours of “core” courses.

Core Courses (9 credit hours)


  • SOCIO 809 Classical Theory Credits: 3 or 
  • SOCIO 810 Contemporary Theory Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 822 Introduction to Methods of Social Analysis Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 823 Intermediate Methods of Social Research Credits: 3

CAFÉ Elective Courses (9 credit hours)


In addition, students must complete a minimum of 9 hours of elective graduate courses from below:

  • SOCIO 830 Social Demography Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 831 Sociology of Agriculture Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 832 Sociology of Community Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 835 Environment and Society Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 851 Sociology of Development Credits: 3

Thesis/Exam/Report (6 credit hours)


The remaining 6 hours required to finish the degree must be completed with one of the following options:

  • Take 6 hours of SOCIO 899 Master’s Thesis Research and successfully complete a Master’s Thesis on a research topic related to Sociology.
  • Complete 6 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology and successfully pass the M.A. Comprehensive Examination.
  • Complete 3 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology, take 3 hours of SOCIO 898 Master’s Report Research and successfully complete a Master’s Research Report on a topic related to Sociology-CAFÉ.

M.A. in Sociology - Social Inequalities


Students pursuing the M.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Social Inequalities are required to complete 12 hours of “core” courses.

Core Courses (9 credit hours)


  • SOCIO 809 Classical Theory Credits: 3 or 
  • SOCIO 810 Contemporary Theory Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 822 Introduction to Methods of Social Analysis Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 823 Intermediate Methods of Social Research Credits: 3

Social Inequalities Elective Courses (9 credit hours)


In addition, students must complete a minimum of 9 hours of elective graduate courses from below:

  • SOCIO 830: Social Demography Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 833: Gender Differentiation and Inequality Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 933: Gender and Society Credits: 3
  • SOCIO 841: Social Stratification Credits: 3

Thesis/Exam/Report (6 credit hours)


The remaining 6 hours required to finish the degree must be completed with one of the following options:

  • Take 6 hours of SOCIO 899 Master’s Thesis Research and successfully complete a Master’s Thesis on a research topic related to Sociology.
  • Complete 6 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology and successfully pass the M.A. Comprehensive Examination.

Complete 3 additional hours of elective graduate courses in Sociology, take 3 hours of SOCIO 898 Master’s Report Research and successfully complete a Master’s Research Report on a topic related to Sociology-Social Inequalities.