To apply for admission, interested students must complete a VSU Application for Graduate Study which may be viewed at the following link: Valdosta State University Graduate School.

Admission Criteria

  • Bachelor’s Degree
    • proof of a bachelor's degree from an accredited or approved college or university with an undergraduate major in, or prerequisites for, the study of sociology.
    • The program may admit applicants without an undergraduate sociology degree. However, there are some specific undergraduate courses which such an applicant must have completed prior to enrollment in some of the program’s core courses. The Program Coordinator  will review each applicant’s transcript and those who do not have an undergraduate sociology degree will need to show evidence of the successful completion of: 1) an undergraduate sociological theory course; 2) an undergraduate statistics course; and 3) an undergraduate social science research course. If an applicant’s transcript does not show the successful completion of these courses, the applicant, if admitted, will be required to enroll in one or more of these undergraduate courses prior to enrolling in the corresponding program core courses. The credits for these undergraduate courses will be over and above the 30 hours required for the graduate degree. Students will be expected to earn a grade of “B” or better in these courses.
  • Grade Point Average (GPA)
    • the applicant must have a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, calculated on all work attempted in which letter grades were assigned.
  • Miller Analogies Test is Required (GRE may be substituted for the MAT)
  • Writing Sample
    • the applicant must submit a writing sample of work completed in an upper division sociology course (if undergraduate major was sociology). If the student's major was in a discipline other than sociology, a writing sample from an upper division course will suffice. If an applicant cannot locate a sample of written work that was submitted for credit, then the applicant shall contact the MS Sociology Program Coordinator for directions on writing a personal goals statement. This personal goals statement will serve as an acceptable substitute for the sample of written work. The Writing Sample should be submitted directly to the Graduate School as part of the application.
  • Letters of Recommendation
    • the applicant must submit two letters of recommendation completed by faculty members in the student's undergraduate major. Recommendation Letter Forms are part of VSU's Graduate School Application packet and may be downloaded from the Graduate School's website at Valdosta State University Graduate School.
  • Interview
    • the applicant should schedule an appointment for an interview with the MS Sociology Program Coordinator. Contact the Coordinator via e-mail by clicking here

Admission Statuses for Our Program

Graduate students may be admitted to the program in one of two statuses. A description of these statuses will be provided in the acceptance letter sent by the Graduate School.

  1. Regular Status:These students have met all admissions requirements and the faculty have voted to admit them into the program.
  2. Probationary Status: Applicants failing to meet one or more of the requirements for regular admission may be considered for probationary admission under conditions specified at the time of admission by the MS Sociology Program and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Students admitted as probationary students are eligible for financial aid and graduate assistantships.  Students admitted on a probationary basis remain in this category for 9 semester hours of work. The grade-point average for these 9 semester hours must be a 3.0 or higher, unless different conditions were specified at the time of admission. After completion of the probationary period, students may be reclassified as “regular” students, with the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School and the MS Sociology Program.

 

Graduation Requirements

The MS Sociology Degree is a 30 credit hour program. Click this link to view all requirements for the degree.

Financial Aid