Introduction
- Emphasis on Methodology - This program distinguishes itself, in part, by its strong emphasis on methodology. All students are required to take 9 credit hours of research methodology and analysis (Research Methods, Quantitative Data Analysis, and Qualitative Data Analysis).
- An Urban Environment - The MA program in Sociology at CU Denver benefits from its location in a state capital and one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the U.S. This dynamic context provides a natural classroom for teaching our specialties: Health & Society; Crime, Law & Deviance; Family & Social Services; and Community & Urban Sociology.
- Institutional Connections - Our proximity and institutional connection to the top-rated University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC) offer training opportunities as well, which are facilitated by engagement of departmental faculty with AMC medical researchers. In addition, strong integration of our faculty with the CU Denver campus community supports collaborative teaching and training efforts with faculty in the Departments of Geography, Anthropology, and Health & Behavioral Sciences.
Substantive Concentrations
In addition to education and training for sociology generalists, the program offers concentrations in four substantive areas. To receive an area concentration, students must successfully complete three courses within the area. Eligible courses are either within or outside the department, but the student may only take two courses outside the department.
Concentrations
Crime, Law and Deviance
This concentration provides students an in-depth understanding of criminology, including the social construction of laws, causes of crime, reactions to lawbreaking, and the prevention, control, and treatment of crime. Additionally, the program teaches students how deviant categories are created, how groups gain control over social definitions, and the consequences these definitions have in the form of norms, laws, and social sanctions. The concentration on crime, law, and deviance also focuses on how legal systems maintain and reproduce social inequalities. This concentration offers an essential foundation for students pursuing careers in criminal justice, victim and community services, criminal law, and non-profit organizations in local and international contexts. Students may ultimately use this degree to conduct social research on crime, influence public policy, and inform government decisions about crime and law.
Enhancing the health and quality of life for individuals and communities are central goals for any society. Health and medical sociology is a sub-field devoted to the study of population health, health care systems and policy, and the social dimensions of illness and healing. Health and medical sociologists study the causes of health inequalities, the social construction of health and illness, the origins of medical authority, doctor-patient relationships, community influences on health, and the social forces that affect policy. The Sociology Department’s MA concentration in Health and Society provides training in the core research methodologies and theories of medical sociology, examining individual experience, institutional structures, laws and policies related to health, and broader systems of inequality that lead to unequal rates of illness and care. This concentration provides in-depth training and is ideal for students interested in further graduate-level study and social research on health and medicine as well as those interested in careers in public health, health care services, and non-profit organizations.
Families play a significant role in the lives of individuals and society. At the interpersonal level, they are a setting for small-group processes such as socialization, conflict, communication and intimacy. At the institutional level, they interact with other social institutions, including education, law, healthcare, religion, the economy, criminal justice, and welfare. At the structural level, the family in its varied forms is key to understanding how inequality is experienced and reproduced. The interplay of these levels is important as individuals influence structures and institutions, and the latter affect family interactions and relationships. This concentration provides in depth understanding of the complex role of families and family members at multiple levels, as well as the social systems, organizations and communities responsible for supporting families and individuals.
Community and Urban Sociology
Cities are instrumental sites for the creation, reproduction, and expression of social life. Community and Urban Sociology is a disciplinary sub-field dedicated to theories and research on communities and urban settlements. Students engage with multiple dimensions of urban and community life in preparation for work in public and community service, government and policy work, and the private sector. Topics emphasized in this concentration include poverty and inequality, racial and ethnic segregation, health disparities, gentrification, housing and homelessness, and the formulation and administration of policies and services addressing these problems. This training offers a foundation for careers in government, human and social services, research, policy analysis, and business, and for continued study in Sociology, Urban and Regional Planning, Demography, Population Health Science, and Public Administration.
These degree requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their Sociology faculty advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
Certificate
The Department of Sociology’s Graduate Certificate in Social Science Research Methods provides graduate students training in research design, data collection, and data analysis utilizing a variety of statistical and text analysis software. The certificate is available to graduate students in any degree program as well as non-degree seeking students.
Graduate Education Policies and Procedures apply to this program.
Program Requirements
The MA program in Sociology provides a coherent, progressive educational experience that prepares students for either immediate entry to a master's level career or continued study in a PhD program. Students choose from four options for their Culminating Project that completes the master's degree: either a six credit hour thesis, a three credit hour applied experience plus a three credit hour paper, one additional three credit hour graduate-level elective plus a three credit hour report, or two additional graduate-level electives plus a portfolio. The program also offers four concentration pathways (Crime, Law & Deviance; Health & Society; Family & Social Services, and Community & Urban Sociology) for students seeking specialization in high-demand career areas.
- Students must complete a minimum of 33 credit hours from approved courses.
- Students must complete a minimum of 33 graduate (5000-level) or higher credit hours from approved courses.
- Students must earn a minimum grade of B (3.0) or better in all required courses and a B- (2.7) in all other courses applied to the degree and must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to program requirements.
- Students must complete all coursework with CU Denver faculty.
Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
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Students can take an unlimited number of sociology graduate (5000-level) seminars to fulfill their 12 elective credits requirement, or a combination of the following:
- Independent study: maximum six semester hours
- Graduate level courses in other departments: maximum six semester hours
- Internship: maximum three semester hours
- SOCY 5000 Professional Seminar: Sociological Inquiry must be taken in the first fall semester. SOCY 5024 Seminar: Research Methods I must be taken before SOCY 5183 Seminar: Quantitative Data Analysis and SOCY 5193 Seminar: Qualitative Data Analysis.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Professional Seminar: Sociological Inquiry 1 | |
| Social Theory | |
| Seminar: Research Methods I 1 | |
| Seminar: Quantitative Data Analysis 1 | |
| Seminar: Qualitative Data Analysis 1 | |
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| Total Hours | 33 |
Thesis Option
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Master's Thesis | |
Applied Project with Report
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Independent Study: SOCY | |
| Internship |
| Master's Report | |
Extended Coursework with Report
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Master's Report | |
Extended Coursework
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
For further information about the Department of Sociology or the MA program, visit the Sociology website.
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.
