An important component of graduate study in the Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky is research training. Opportunities to acquire research skills during the course of graduate training are available through:

RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS WITH GRADUATE FACULTY

Graduate students have opportunities to work with Graduate Faculty as paid research assistants on faculty grants and in ongoing research projects at several research centers on campus.  Sociology graduate students are presently employed as researchers at the Appalachian Center, the Center for Prevention Research, and the Center on Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

PRESENTATION OF PAPERS AT CONFERENCES AND PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS

The Department of Sociology encourages all graduate students to present original papers at conferences and professional meetings.  During the past year, students have presented papers at the annual meetings of the American Sociological Association, the Rural Sociological Society, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, and the Southern Sociological Society (among many others).  The Graduate School at the University of Kentucky provides travel support for presentation of papers at both domestic and international conferences.

DISSERTATION ENHANCEMENT AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

The Graduate School at the University of Kentucky provides funding for graduate student research through Dissertation Enhancement Awards that provide up to $3,000 to support research off campus and Dissertation Year Fellowships that carry a stipend of $16,000 for dissertation research and writing.

BEERS SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS

Through an endowment provided in honor of the late Professor Howard Beers, the Department of Sociology provides summer stipends for graduate students to work collaboratively with faculty on research projects.

EXTERNAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH FUNDING

Department faculty encourage graduate students to apply for dissertation fellowships awarded annually by grant agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Social Science Research Council.  Both the Department of Sociology and the Graduate School at the University of Kentucky make every effort to inform graduate students of grant program opportunities and provide grant proposal workshop training sessions on a regular basis.