Two master's degrees are offered, the Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Master of Science in Agriculture (M.S. in Agriculture), Rural Sociology Concentration.  Either degree may be obtained on a thesis basis (Plan A) or a non-thesis basis (Plan B).  Students should indicate their choice of degree and plan to the DGS no later than the end of their second semester.  Students may change to a different option at a later time with the approval of their advisory committee and the DGS.

Core Requirements

Core Departmental and Graduate School requirements are the same for either the Master of Arts or Master of Science in Agriculture degrees.  The following courses are required in the core areas of theory, methods, and statistics.  These are minimum requirements; more work may be required in certain cases.   

Theory (3 hours)

• SOC 650 (3 hours)     Concepts and Theories in Sociology (Fall)
  Prerequisite: SOC 304 and 305 or equivalent.

Methods/Statistics (6 hours)

• SOC 681 (3 hours)     Multivariate Analysis*
  Prerequisite: SOC 303 or STA 570
• SOC 682A (3 hours)     Topics in Qualitative Methods*
  or SOC 682B (3 hours)     Topics in Quantitative Methods*
  Prerequisite: SOC 681

*Note: These course titles, reflective of current course context, do not coincide with course titles found in the current UK course catalogs.  We are working to update these course descriptions in the catalogs.

These requirements are satisfied if a minimum grade of "B" is achieved in the requisite courses. If this minimum course grade is not achieved, the required course or its equivalent must be retaken and passed with a minimum grade of "B."  Only credit hours achieved with a "B" or above are counted in M.A. credit hours requirements.

Waiver of Core Requirements

If equivalent coursework has been taken elsewhere, students may petition the Director of Graduate Study for a waiver of required theory or methods courses.  Evidence of equivalence consists of a syllabus or other document from the equivalent course that shows parallel content in addition to transcript documentation of satisfactory completion of the course with a grade of "B" or better.  The DGS is the final arbiter of a waiver decision.  Action may be taken in consultation with the Graduate Committee, the student's advisory committee, and/or instructors of required theory and methods courses if questions arise about equivalency criteria.  A waived course does not count toward the Master's degree hour requirements.

Additional Requirements

Plan A 
Requirements include a thesis and completion of at least 24 semester hours of course work with a cumulative standing of 3.0 ("B") or better.  Two-thirds of the 24 hours of course work must be in Sociology, and three-quarters of the courses must be at the 600-level or above.  (The minimum of 24 hours of course work includes the 9 hours of required courses in theory and methods/statistics.)

Plan B 
Requirements under Plan B include a written product and completion of at least 30 semester hours of course work for the Master of Arts and 36 semester hours for the Master of Science  with a cumulative standing of 3.0 ("B") or better.  Two-thirds of the course hours must be in Sociology, and three-quarters of the courses must be at the 600-level or above.  In addition, the Graduate School stipulates that two-thirds of the minimum course requirements be in regular courses, as opposed to special problems or independent research.  (The minimum hours of course work listed above include the 9 hours of required courses in theory and methods/statistics.)

Advisor/Committee

Plan A
As noted above, after identification of the general subject area for the thesis, students should select, in consultation with their interim advisor and the DGS, a faculty member to ask to serve as advisory committee chair and thesis director.  If the person agrees to serve in this capacity, the DGS must be notified so that the appointment can be confirmed and recorded.  The advisory committee chair should be appointed by the end of the second semester of residence.  In consultation with the advisory committee chair, the student asks two additional faculty members to serve on the student's advisory (thesis) committee.  At least one member of the Committee must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty; another should be a full or associate member.  This committee will guide the student in the completion of the program and serve as the final oral examination committee.  As noted above, the student needs to fill out and submit the departmental form which lists the committee members when the committee has been formed.  (See the section below pertaining to Review Meetings.)

Plan B
The student should discuss with the interim advisor and the DGS the selection of a chair and two other appropriate faculty members to serve as an Advisory Committee.  The DGS will formally appoint the committee.  This committee will guide the student in the completion of the program and serve as the final oral examination committee.  (See the section below pertaining to Review Meetings.)

Annual Review/Advisory Meetings

To facilitate students' progress in the program, master's students are required to meet with their interim advisor or advisory committee at least once a year to complete an annual progress review. This review should be completed by February 1 following the end of the fall semester.  To facilitate this review, students should fill out or update the "M.A. Planning and Progress Form" (available from the Department's Administrative Assistant), listing the courses taken to date, grades received, and other information related to degree progress (e.g., thesis proposal defense plans, thesis defense plans).  One copy shall be filed with the Department's Administrative Associate, one copy should be sent to the DGS, and other copies distributed to the advisor and committee members.

It is important that this document be filed by February 1, as information about student progress is used to evaluate requests for continued departmental financial assistance (teaching and research assistantships) for the coming academic year.

Planning and Progress Forms will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee.  In the event that problems in student progress are noted, the Graduate Committee will write a letter to the student and her/his advisor informing them of the Committee's concern and inquiring about steps the Department might take to address the problem.  The Graduate Committee may decide to schedule a Graduate Faculty meeting at the end of the spring semester to discuss graduate student progress in the event that a Departmental discussion seems warranted.    

Students should consult their interim advisor or advisory committee chair as needed for pre-registration advice about which courses to take.  Consultations with their advisory committee about prospective thesis (Plan A) or paper (Plan B) topics should begin during the second semester of the first year in order to ensure completion of the MA within a two-year time frame (for full-time students). 

Written Product

A written product is required of all master's degree candidates.  This product will take the form of a thesis for students selecting Plan A.  Students selecting Plan B will be required to submit a research paper or other written product as agreed upon with the Advisory Committee.

Plan A : Thesis

Topic
The master's thesis is intended to be a relatively limited research exercise on a focused and manageable topic.  It does not have to be a completely new contribution to knowledge.  It can be a restudy of an earlier investigation or an attempt to extend an established hypothesis.  It should be focused on a well-defined topic with restricted scope.  At the same time, it must be carried out with care and rigor.

Proposal        
When the student and the advisory committee chair feel that the student's thesis plans have been sufficiently developed, the student will draft a formal proposal, in consultation with other members of the advisory committee.  The student will then schedule a meeting of the advisory committee for the formal proposal hearing.

See the appendix "Deadlines for the M.A. in Sociology" for deadlines to submit the proposal as well as other important deadlines for the M.A.

The proposal hearing is chaired by the advisory committee chair 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 advisory committee chair will transmit the signed proposal to the Administrative Associate 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, must be held after suitable revisions.

Writing the Thesis

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

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

Plan B: Non-Thesis

Under Plan B, the written product most often takes the form of a research paper, policy paper,  or evaluation paper. This manuscript need not be judged "publishable" but must be based on extensive independent research and conform to scientific standards.  It may have an applied or program-planning orientation.  The paper must be approved by a majority of the Advisory Committee and submitted to the DGS for final approval.

Final Oral Exam

A final oral examination is required of all master's candidates and is conducted by the student's three-person advisory committee.  Upon completion of the thesis/other written product described above, the student should arrange in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and their committee a suitable time and place for the examination.

The exam includes, but is not limited to, a defense of the written product.  A majority vote of the full committee determines the outcome of the exam.  In the event of a failure of the final exam, a second exam will be scheduled if recommended by the student's 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 thesis in final form to the Graduate School, with the signatures of the Thesis Director  and the DGS.

Completed Copy of the Thesis/Written Product

Plan A
The student must supply to the Department's Administrative Associate one unbound copy of the thesis for the Department library.  (This is in addition to the two unbound copies required by the Graduate School.) 

Plan B
The student must deliver a final copy of the written product to the Administrative Associate to be placed in the student's permanent file.

Timing
Students should identify a topic and start work on a thesis or other written product ideally by the end of the second semester in residence.  In any case, this decision must be made by the end of the semester prior to the one in which the student expects to receive the degree.  For full-time students, the written product should be completed by the end of the fourth semester.  The following rule is intended to encourage timely completion of the master's degree:

Before a student's master's degree requirements (including the thesis) are completed, a candidate for this degree is permitted to register for or take NO MORE THAN six semester hours of course work BEYOND the specified number of hours required for the master's degree.

The student's advisory committee chair may petition the DGS to allow an exception of a specified number of hours.  Only if recommended by the DGS and approved by the Graduate Committee would additional hours be allowed.

Students should also note the Departmental policy limiting assistantship or fellowship financial support for master's degree candidates.

Admission from Master's to Ph.D. Program in Sociology

Students nearing completion of the M.A. who wish to continue in the Department's graduate program must apply for admission to the doctoral program.  To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, a letter from the student's advisory committee chair is needed, which assesses the student's performance in the master's program and provides the advisory committee's recommendation regarding whether the student should be admitted to the Ph.D. program.    

Student admission from the master's to the Ph.D. program shall be officially registered in the student's Graduate School record AFTER the student has successfully defended the master's thesis.  Admission to the Ph.D. program for continuing students may occur in either the fall or spring semester.