The Doctor of Philosophy Program

All Ph.D. work in sociology is under the direction of the Department of Sociology and the Graduate School.  The Department offers the Ph.D. in Sociology, with faculty expertise and graduate courses concentrated in the following areas:

• Crime, Law, and Deviance
• Families, Aging, and Health
• Political Sociology and Social Movements
• Rural Sociology and Development
• Social Inequalities
• Work, Organizations, and Economy.
• Ph.D. students develop two areas of specialization, one of which must be within the discipline of Sociology.  The second specialization may be within Sociology or a related area.  Considerable flexibility exists to create a program of study and research tailored to individual student interests.
• The Department of Sociology offers Ph.D. students many opportunities for professional development to integrate them into the profession and to prepare them for their future careers as sociologists.  Opportunities exist to work as research assistants on funded faculty research projects and/or applied sociology outreach programs and to develop teaching skills through employment as teaching assistants.  Additional professional development experiences are offered through seminars and workshops organized by the department's Professional Development Committee and other university-wide professional development programs.

Program Requirements

Theory and Methods/Statistics Course Requirements

Theory Requirements

Required:

• SOC 651 (3 hrs.)         Classical Sociological Theory (Alternate Springs)*
  Prerequisite:    SOC 650 or equivalent.
• SOC 751 (3 hrs.)         Topics in Contemporary Sociological Theory*
  (Alternate Springs)
  Prerequisite:    SOC 651 or equivalent.

• Students are expected to take these courses at the first opportunity they are qualified to take them.  M.A. students are allowed to take two required courses (6 hoursBtheory and/or methods) that can be applied to the Ph.D. program.  Due to the current rotation, M.A. students planning to enter the Ph.D. program at UK may wish to take the Ph.D. theory course offered in the spring semester of their second M.A. year.

Minimum Methods/Statistics Requirements

Required:

SOC 681 (3 hrs.)         Multivariate Analysis (Fall)*
Prerequisite: SOC 303 or STA 570

• SOC 682A (3 hrs.)      Topics in Qualitative Methods (Fall)*
• SOC 682B (3 hrs.)      Topics in Quantitative Methods  (Spring)*
  Prerequisite: SOC 681

• Students are expected to take these courses at the first opportunity they are qualified to take them.  Students who have taken SOC 681 and SOC 682A or 682B as M.A. students have only one additional methods course to take in the Ph.D. program.

*Note: Course titles above differ from those currently entered in the UK University and Graduate School Bulletins.  We are in the process of changing bulletin descriptions to match course contents indicated by the current course titles above.

The requirements are satisfied if a minimum grade of "B" is achieved in the requisite courses.  If the minimum course grade is not achieved, the required course or its equivalent must be retaken and passed with a minimum grade of "B".

Prerequisites

Students who enter the Ph.D. program with a non-sociology master's degree or a professional degree (e.g., law or medicine) are required to take SOC 650 unless the Director of Graduate Studies approves an exemption.

Course Credit Requirements

The Graduate School sets no credit hour requirements for the Ph.D.   Students must satisfy the Graduate School residency requirements (as outlined on p. 11) prior to taking the qualifying exam.  In order to take the qualifying exam, the Department of Sociology requires that Ph.D. students must have completed all required Ph.D. theory and methods courses (as outlined on p. 10), and at least 12 hours of course work in each of the two declared specialization areas (as outlined on p. 13).

Research Requirement

Ph.D. students will acquire supervised experience in interviewing, systematic observation, or other sociological methods of data collection, and in processing raw data through coding, content analysis, statistical analysis, or other sociological methods of analysis.  At a minimum, this experience will be gained during the dissertation project, which will be an independent, scholarly contribution to the literature of sociology.  Students are encouraged to gain additional research experience by conducting research under the direction of a faculty member, writing and obtaining grants for independent research, or supporting the programs of Cooperative Extension.

Residence Requirement

The following are minimum residence requirements of the Graduate School for Ph.D. students.

(1) Pre-qualifying Examination Residency Requirement:
Each Ph.D. student will be enrolled for 9 hours of course work for at least 2 consecutive semesters prior to taking the qualifying exam.  A summer term may be one of these semesters.  (Students can gain only 12 hours total of course work if they register in both the 4-week and the 8-week summer terms.)
or - students may elect to enroll for 6 hours of course work for at least 3 consecutive semesters prior to taking the qualifying exam.

(2) Post-qualifying Examination Residency Requirement for students entering after Fall 2005:
Students first enrolled in a doctoral program in the fall 2005 semester and beyond will be required to enroll in the 2 credit hour course after successfully completing the qualifying examination – SOC 767 Dissertation Residency Credit.  They will be charged at the in-state tuition rate plus mandatory fees.  Students must remain continuously enrolled in this course every fall and spring semester until they have completed and defended the dissertation.  This will constitute full-time enrollment, as registered in SIS or later student information systems.  Students will be required to complete a minimum of two semesters of SOC 767 before they can graduate.  Continuous enrollment in SOC 767 will also apply to students whose programs of study or certification standards require an extended practicum or field experience.

(3) Post-qualifying Examination Residency Requirements for students entering Before Fall 2005:
Students who enrolled in a doctoral program before Fall 2005 but who have not taken the qualifying examination, may opt to follow either the new rules (2) above, or the old rules (3).   Graduate students who have taken the qualifying examination and have already enrolled under the old residency requirements should continue to enroll under these rules.

(a) For students completing their exam before June 2005 the student will register for 9 hours in each of the following 2 semesters (full-time option)  or students may register for 6 hours in each of the following 3 semesters (part-time option)

Students electing the full-time option may substitute a summer term for one of the semesters by enrolling in three credits in the four-week session and six credits in the eight-week session.

Students electing the part-time option may substitute a summer term for one of the semesters by enrolling in six credits of  SOC 769 in the eight-week session, only.

SOC 769 must be used for part or all of these hours, depending on whether courses are being taken.  The student does not have to be on campus.

Residence credit is given the semester of the qualifying examination if:
a) the student successfully completes the qualifying examination within 6 weeks after the first day of classes (3 weeks for the 8-week summer session); and
b) the student registers full-time, including at least 3 hours of SOC 769 residence credit and no more than 6 hours of course credit. 

As per Graduate School regulations, graduate courses taken for credit after the semester in which the qualifying exam is taken must focus on topics that are not directly related to the dissertation topic (but courses related to the dissertation can be taken for credit during the same semester that the qualifying exam is taken). 

(b) After fulfilling post-qualifying exam residency requirements of 18 hours according to either method, the student will register in SOC 769 or SOC 749 for zero credit hours each semester.  To request zero credit hours in SOC 749 or SOC 769, students must notify the Director of Graduate Studies regarding which of these course numbers is desired and the semester that the registration should commence.  The DGS in turn submits a list of the registration requests to the Graduate School.

• International students and students wishing to defer loans should be registered for SOC 749 for zero credits instead of 769 for zero credits.
• Students are eligible for enrollment in SOC 749 for three years following completion of post-qualifying residency credit.  During this 3-year period, SOC 749 can be taken for a maximum of six semesters (summer terms not included).  After this time, if the Ph.D. has not yet been awarded, the student will be registered for SOC 769.

See the current Bulletin of the Graduate School for a complete description of residence requirements.

The Advisory Committee

The Director of Graduate Studies will appoint an interim faculty advisor when a Ph.D. student first enters the program.  After a student has become acquainted with faculty interests, she or he designates an advisory committee that reflects the sociological interests of the student and informs the DGS in writing of committee composition by filing the requisite form (this form is   available on the Graduate School's web site at <www.rgs.uky.edu/gs/gsforms.html> and is also available from the Department's Administrative Associate).  See the current Bulletin of the Graduate School to determine how the advisory committee must be composed.

The student's advisory committee will guide the student's course of study and help the student define the two areas of specialization.  The advisory committee helps the student determine specific courses to be taken in specialization areas in addition to assuring that the minimum requirements for theory and methods/statistics are met.

Because of the importance of the advisory committee in the student's program, it is essential that this committee be formed as early as possible and that the student have a close working relationship with members of her/his committee.

The Graduate School requires that an advisory committee consist of three Graduate Sociology faculty members and one outside member from another department.  

Annual Review

The Graduate School requires that each student be evaluated annually and be given a written notification of the assessment.  The Director of Graduate Studies will set the time and ask each student to submit the “Ph.D. Planning and Progress Form.”  This form is available from the Department’s administrative assistant.  

Areas of Specialization

As soon as possible after beginning the Ph.D. program the student, in consultation with the advisory committee, will choose two areas of specialization, one of which must be in Sociology.  These areas of specialization may be changed with the approval of the advisory committee before taking the qualifying examination.  Changes in the student's areas of specialization may result in changes in the student's program requirements and delays in the qualifying exam.  Such changes may require changes in the student's advisory committee membership.  Consult the Director of Graduate Studies if committee membership must be changed.

The total minimum number of credit hours required for per area of specialization is twelve.  Credit hours are obtained through successful completion of formal courses in sociology, formal courses in related disciplines, and through independent study courses.  Students who have completed the master's in Sociology at the University of Kentucky may apply course credits earned in the master's program to PhD specialization areas where appropriate.  Students who receive the master's degree from another institution may apply up to nine credit-hours to specialization areas, with a maximum of six credit-hours taken elsewhere applied to a particular specialization area.  Such "carry-in" credit arrangements must be approved by the student's advisory committee.  Students may be asked by their advisory committee to supply syllabi for  evaluation of equivalence of course content to aid in committee deliberations about "carry-in" credit issues.  

The Qualifying Examination

The purpose of the qualifying exam is to demonstrate 1) mastery of core knowledge in sociology and in the student's areas of specialization; and 2) the ability to integrate, apply, and critique key sociological ideas, arguments, methods, theories, and empirical evidence.

All Ph.D. students are required to take a qualifying examination comprised of written and oral components.  The exam covers three areas: two areas of specialization and a theory and methods area.  Consistent with the Graduate School rules, qualifying exams (written and oral) can cover any material deemed appropriate by the student's advisory committee. The theory and methods component of the exam requires students to integrate theory and methods in analysis of research questions and may require application of theory and methods beyond their area(s) of specialization.

To help students prepare for the qualifying examination, core reading lists should be made available in specialization areas by the advisory committee, often in consultation with the student.  Questions for the theory and methods component of the exam will be constructed from the knowledge base acquired in the PhD required theory and methods courses. 

The student's advisory committee will create, administer, and evaluate the written qualifying exam and administer and evaluate the compulsory oral exam. The Department authorizes two exam procedures. First, the written exam can be closed book and last up to eight hours per day.  This closed book exam will occur within seven working days, with one day allocated for each exam area.  Second, the written exam can be a take-home open book exam to be completed in fourteen calendar days upon receiving the questions. 

The written portion of the qualifying exam will include questions in each examination area (two specialization areas and theory and methods) with some choice offered to the student (some questions may be required).  The recommended number of questions to be answered for both the take-home and the open-book exam format is two questions per exam area,  for a total of 6 questions.   It is recommended that advisory committees include instructions on the exam which convey to the student an approximate number of pages to write for each exam question and any style format the committee deems appropriate.

The student will notify the Director of Graduate Studies of the proposed timetable for the written and oral exams once the advisory committee has approved the timetable.  Such notification should indicate which exam procedure will be used. A qualifying exam begins once a student receives the questions and must follow through to an oral exam.

• All required courses in theory and methods/statistics must have been completed before the qualifying exam may be taken, as well as all courses in the student's two specialization areas.
• All "Incompletes" must have been removed.
• Before the student may schedule the qualifying exam, the permission of the advisory committee must be obtained by the student.
• The qualifying exam cannot be held until approval from the Graduate School has been received by the DGS.
• The oral portion of the exam must be held within 2 weeks from the date of the written portion of the exam.

Upon passing the qualifying examination, the student officially becomes a "candidate" for the Ph.D. and proceeds to the dissertation stage of the program.  If a student fails the qualifying exam on the first attempt, the student's advisory committee will require the student to do additional work to prepare for taking the exam again (e.g., additional courses or directed readings).  Upon completion of these additional requirements, the student should request and be granted a second qualifying exam.  Scheduling requirements for the second exam are the same as scheduling requirements for the first exam.

• If a student fails the qualifying exam on the first attempt, written permission of the student's advisory committee must be obtained by the student prior to any decision to switch to a new form of exam.  
• If a student fails the qualifying exam on the first attempt, the student will not be permitted to take a second exam before 4 months have passed; a second exam must be taken before 12 months have elapsed.
• A student is permitted two opportunities to pass the qualifying exam.  If the student fails both attempts to pass the qualifying exam, the student will be dismissed from the program.

See "Deadlines for the Ph.D. in Sociology" for Qualifying Exam deadlines,  as well as other important deadlines for the Ph.D.

The Dissertation

The Proposal

When the student and the chair of the student's advisory committee feel that the student's dissertation plans have been sufficiently developed, the student will draft a formal proposal, in consultation with other members of the advisory committee.  When the student and the chair of the advisory committee agree that the proposal is ready for official review, the student will schedule a meeting of the advisory committee for the formal proposal hearing.

At least one week before the proposal hearing, the student

• submits a copy of the proposal to the Director of Graduate Studies.
• submits a one-page notice of the hearing and an abstract of the proposal to the Department's Administrative Associate.
• makes a complete copy of the proposal available for interested faculty, in the office of the Administrative Associate.

The proposal hearing is chaired by the chair of the student's advisory committee and all members of the Sociology faculty are invited and given the opportunity to comment on the proposal.  At the conclusion of the hearing, the advisory committee will vote to approve or disapprove the proposal.

• If approved by a majority, the title page of the proposal will be signed by all members of the advisory committee.
• The chair of the advisory committee will transmit the signed proposal to the DGS  to be permanently placed in the student's file.
• If approval of the proposal is not given, another proposal hearing, which follows the same schedule requirements as the first hearing, will be held after suitable revisions.

Writing the Dissertation

The student's advisory committee will supervise the student's work during preparation of the dissertation, with the chair of the committee taking major responsibility.

• The dissertation will be prepared in the format used in journals published by the American Sociological Association.
• The student will consult the Office of Admissions and Records in the Graduate School and follow that office's requirements regarding the dissertation's format.

The Final Oral Examination

The final oral examination is conducted by a committee appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School.  This committee consists of the chair of the student's advisory committee, the other members of the student's advisory committee, and an outside reader appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The exam includes, but is not limited to, a defense of the dissertation.  A majority vote of the full committee determines the outcome of the exam.  In the event of a tie vote, the candidate fails.  In the event of failure of the final exam, a second exam will be scheduled if recommended by the student's advisory committee and if approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.  A third exam is not permitted.

Upon passing the final oral examination, the student has 60 days from the final exam date to make any revisions, additions, and corrections required by the examining committee, and to deliver two copies of the dissertation in final form to the Graduate School, with the signatures of the chair of the advisory committee and the DGS.  If this deadline is not met, the candidate must undergo a second examination. 

• Each graduating student must pay dissertation fees, payable at the University Billings and Collection office.  (Authorization forms to pay dissertation fees are issued in Room 331, Patterson Office Tower.)
• The student must supply to the Department's Administrative Associate one unbound copy of the dissertation for the Department library.  (This is in addition to the two unbound copies required by the Graduate School.)