Sociology (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.  

Program Overview

Established in 1928 as a separate academic unit, the Department of Sociology is one of the oldest such programs in the South. The first MA degree was awarded in 1931 and the first doctorate in 1937. The department now has granted over 260 MA degrees and over 200 PhD degrees. Our department has maintained a very high national reputation in research productivity, as faculty from leading departments around the country have joined LSU. Recently, the department has been well known for its main research areas, specifically in social inequality, social capital, and criminology.

One of the most important goals of the Department of Sociology is to offer a quality departmental-level academic course plan that meets the needs and interests of each student. One testament to the quality of the program is the fact that most of our graduates with PhD degrees have been appointed to teach and conduct research at various universities, at international, national, and regional levels. The ratio of faculty to students consistently remains at a level that facilitates close consultation between the two. The result is a friendly and positive environment for graduate study.

Admission

Applications and required supporting materials must be submitted through the LSU Graduate School’s application management site. For detailed information how to submit official transcripts, test scores, and other materials, please refer to the information provided by the Graduate School. Students seeking admission should consult with the department’s web page for updated information on application requirements. Currently, applicants must submit satisfactory credentials from previous study, acceptable GRE scores, a CV/resume, statement of purpose, and three or more letters of recommendation. An applicant whose native language is not English and/or who has been educated outside of the U.S. in a country or province where English is not the only official language must demonstrate proof of English proficiency by submitting a TOEFL iBT, an IELTS, a  PTE, a Duolingo, or a Michigan English Language score before the application is evaluated for admission. Please refer to the Graduate School’s Admission site for a list of the required scores. Regardless of test scores submitted, official scores are those reported directly to LSU by the respective testing service at the request of the student. While not required, all applicants are encouraged to submit a writing sample as well.

Applications for admission are received and evaluated by the department primarily for fall admission. The departmental priority date for applications is January 31. Although applications may be considered after January, the department will stop accepting new applicants after a certain date and late applications may not receive full consideration for both admission and funding. Therefore, we strongly encourage applicants to submit applications before our January 31 priority date. The department may grant early acceptance to selected applicants. Therefore, applicants may wish to submit applications early (in December).

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available to most students. Support may be available through the department or other units in the form of research or teaching assistantships. A student should contact the department for more information on available assistantship positions. Graduate assistantships provide an academic year stipend of a minimum of $23,000 with a waiver of tuition and the non-resident fee. A limited number of fellowships are available to students and are awarded on a competitive basis.

Graduate Faculty

(check current faculty listings by department here) 

Sarah Becker (7M) • Criminology, ethnography, communities, intersectionality
Dana Berkowitz (M) • Gender, bodies, sexualities, qualitative methods, feminist and social theory
Troy C. Blanchard (M) • Social inequality, social demography, applied sociology
Rhiannon A. Kroeger (7M) • Health and illness, family demography, quantitative methods
Matthew R. Lee (M) • Criminology, public health
Heather A. O’Connell (6A) • Race and ethnicity; social stratification; spatial demography
Hyunsu Oh (6A) • Race, crime, gentrification, education, health, quantitative and mixed methods
Heather M. Rackin (7M) • Family formation and fertility, social inequality, social demography
Mark J. Schafer (7M) • Sociology of education, globalization and development, rural sociology
Edward S. Shihadeh (M) • Criminology, race, ethnicity, and immigration, predictive analytics
Wesley M. Shrum, Jr. (M) • Technology (video, Internet, mobiles), Africa/Asia, social networks
Tim Slack (M) • Social stratification, social demography, community and environment
Kevin Smiley (6A) • Environmental Sociology, community, urban sociology, disasters, health, race, immigration, social capital
Samuel Stroope (7M) • Health, religion                                                         
Mark H. Walker (7M) • Social psychology, social networks, self and identity, mental health
Frederick D. Weil (M) • Political sociology, comparative-historical, community and urban

Programs

• Sociology, M.A.

• Sociology, Ph.D.