Graduate
Student Handbook*
Guide to the Graduate Program and Rules, Policies,
and Procedures of the
Department of Sociology and The Graduate School
University of Colorado at Boulder
Fall, 1996 Edition
(no changes from 1995 edition)
*Graduate students are subject to the rules and expectations described
in the Handbook that is in effect when they are admitted to the program.
Contents
- The
Department of Sociology
- Introduction
- Admission
to the Program
- Areas
of Specialization
- Norms
- Society
and Politics
- Graduate
Degrees Offered
- Transfer
of Credit
- The
Department Advising System
- Assistantships
- Overview
of Requirements and a Typical Program of Study
- Enter
Program
- Year
One
- Year
Two
- Years
Three and Four
- Years
Five and Six
- Graduate
Student Vitae and Annual Assessments
- Preregistration
for Graduate Students
- Graduate
Student Petitions
- The
M.A. Degree
- The
Graduate School
- Assistantships
- Admission
Procedures
- Time
Limit for Completion of Degree
- Courses
Acceptable for Graduate Credit
- Independent
Study and Guided Research
- Time
Out Program
- Program
Checklist
- Contact
Information
See
also, Faculty Information
The
Graduate Program in Sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder
seeks to educate and graduate people who are creative and productive scholars,
quality teachers, and able to make useful contributions to society. The
program provides for the common good, and fosters high morale and cohesion
among its students. To the greatest extent possible, the program seeks
to:
- foster
faculty/student mentor relationships: we seek one-on-one faculty-student
relationships as a means of teaching graduate level sociology
- give
students clear and informed feedback on progress toward their degrees:
we seek to provide graduate students with clear information about
their progress in the program
- socialize
students into the norms of the profession: we seek to inform students
about professional expectations and procedures not traditionally covered
in seminars
- insure
that students have adequate time to devote to the program: we want
as many students as possible to devote 100% of their time to graduate
studies while in the program
- provide
for the integration of knowledge: we want to help students master
sociological knowledge and develop their capacity to create new knowledge
- guarantee
sound basic training in theory and methods: we want to be sure that
every student is firmly grounded in the basic theoretical and methodological
knowledge of the discipline
Students
are only admitted to the Graduate Program during the fall semester. Completed
applications and supporting documents must be on file by January 1st to
be considered for fall admission.
The
Department maintains a strong emphasis in the theories and methods of
the discipline to provide students with sound basic training regardless
of their area of specialization. These include classical, contemporary,
and modern theory, and qualitative and quantitative research methods and
analysis techniques.
The Department supports efforts in eight other university units by maintaining
faculty with diverse interests to contribute expertise and conduct research
in those programs. These university units include:
- Institute
of Behavioral Science
- Program
on Political and Economic Change
- Program
on Population Processes
- Program
on Problem Behavior
- Program
on Environment and Behavior
- The
Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
- The
Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center
- The
Center for Studies of Ethnicity and Race in America
- The
Department of Woman's Studies
Consequently,
faculty can be found in the Department of Sociology with interests in
these topics.
The Department offers students an opportunity to pursue specialized
interests in sociology if they fall into one of the two general areas
of Norms or Society and Politics, but students may pursue a variety
of disciplinary interests within these areas.
- Norms
This area is devoted to the sociological analysis of the formation
and violation of norms, and social reaction to norm violation. The
area can be approached by specialized study into one of a variety
of topics including deviance, social control, law, delinquency, and
criminology.
- Society
and Politics
This area is devoted to the sociological analysis of social and political
change, e.g., economic, social, political, demographic, and cultural.
It is also concerned with the sociological analysis of the macro and
micro level processes leading to the emergence and development of
social movements seeking change. This area can be approached by specialized
study in the structural and dynamic conditions for change in, for
example, the environment, race relations, social stratification, population,
gender relations, science and technology, and institutions and international
systems.
The
Department does not operate separate M.A. and Ph.D. graduate programs;
the only available course of study is designed to end with the Ph.D. degree.
An M.A. degree is available if students wish to obtain one "in transit"
toward the Ph.D., but then only if students meet M.A. degree requirements.
Obtaining an M.A. degree should not delay a student's progress toward
the Ph.D. An M.A. degree may also be made available under circumstances
when students are unable to meet Ph.D. degree requirements.
Request
for transfer of credit forms to submit for Graduate Committee consideration
are available from the Graduate Secretary. In accordance with Graduate
School policy, the Department accepts a maximum of 21 graduate level credit
hours from another college or university for transfer toward fulfilling
the requirements of the Ph.D. degree. Request for transfer of credit forms
to be applied to the Ph.D. degree may not be submitted until the "preliminary
examination" (decribed in a subsequent handbook section) has been successfully
completed. The Department may recommend to the Graduate Dean a maximum
of 9 graduate level credit hours from another college or university for
transfer toward fulfilling the requirements of the M.A. degree. Request
for transfer of credit forms to be applied to the M.A. degree may not
be submitted until a student has completed a satisfactory record of performance
over at least one semester in residence.
Students
are assigned a faculty member to act as their temporary advisor upon entering
the program. Students are not expected to keep this faculty member as
their permanent advisor, and students may change advisors at any time.
Only a regular member of the graduate faculty of the Department of Sociology
can act as a graduate student advisor. The procedure for changing advisors
is as follows: select a new advisor, have him/her agree to serve in that
role, and notify the Graduate Secretary and former advisor in writing
of the change within one week. Students should work with their advisor
to select other faculty members to be members of their advisory committee.
Graduate
students in good standing are eligible for graduate assistantships. Students
may apply for an assistantship for an upcoming academic year by submitting
an application to the Graduate Committee by March 15th. Applications are
available from the Graduate Secretary. Criteria used to determine awards
include:
- adequate
progress is being made toward the degree
- active
status in the department
- financial
need
- conformity
to Graduate School rules
- performance
on prior assistantships
- equity
of distributed assistantships among students
- in
the case of teaching assistantships, suitability for the teaching
position under consideration
The
Graduate Committee considers all student requests, and every attempt is
made to allocate awarded assistantships consistent with the preferences
and information that students present in their applications. Students
are notified of assistanships for the next academic year in writing by
the end of May. Students offered an assistantship must then sign a binding
contract accepting the appointment and assuming responsibility to uphold
it. The department can not obligate itself to asssistantships for more
than one academic year at a time. Assistanships received in one academic
year do not guarantee that an assistanship will be made available in subsequent
years. The committee does not accept applications for assistanships beyond
a graduate student's 6th year in the program.
The
following text outlines program requirements, provides deadlines for meeting
them, and gives an example of "adequate progress toward the degree." The
Graduate Committee recognizes that alternative paths for adequate degree
progress exist that differ from the illustration provided below, that
students who enter the program with an M.A. degree could move through
the program more quickly than others, and that differences exist between
students that will impact individual courses of study.
Students
must maintain a vitae to facilitate development of their professional
credentials, and to enable review of student degree progress by the Graduate
Committee. A one-page vitae entry is due to the Graduate Secretary on
the 15th of May for each year that a student is in the program. These
one-page vitae should contain the following categories even if "none"
is entered in a category.
- name
and student number
- advisor
and committee members names
- academic
year number that this report documents
the number this academic year constitutes since you entered the program
- department
support received
- %
time department support received by semester
- type
of job(s) for which support was received
- other
university jobs and means of support received
- %
time support
- character
of job for which support was received
- course
work
- list
title, professor, credits, grade earned for each course including
W and I
- cumulative
GPA while in the program
- course
credits completed/left to complete
- dissertation
credits completed/left to complete
- courses
taught evaluations
provide the grades received on course evaluation questionnaires
- papers
presented at professional meetings
provide authorship, title, meeting and session names, and date presented
for each
- work
submitted for publication or actually published, e.g., books, articles,
chapters in books
provide authorship, title, date submitted for publication, and review
outcome if known, e.g., rejected, revise and resubmit, accepted and
forthcoming, in-print
- prelims
status
describe information on status, e.g. courses left to complete, passed,
failed to reach 3.5 GPA and re-taking courses
- theory
and methods comps
provide information on status, e.g., studying for, passed, failed
and re-studying
- specialty
area comps
- CEC
membership (provide names)
- describe
information on status, e.g., studying for, passed, failed and
re-studying
- dissertation
prospectus
provide information on if started, progress made, if defended and
outcome of defense
- dissertation
research and writing status
describe status in terms of problem statement, literature review/hypotheses,
methods, data collection and analysis, findings development, conclusions
- other
significant benchmarks and information
grants applied for and outcome, and anything else you want to list
All
graduate students should register as soon as possible after receipt of
their registration materials. Students who delay registration will be
financially penalized by the University for late registration and run
the risk of not being allowed to register due to a cap in enrollments.
Failure to complete registration as soon as is possible may also increase
the odds that graduate seminars will be cancelled due to insufficient
enrollment numbers.
Students
may petition the Graduate Committee to request exceptions to rules when
extenuating circumstances exist. Petitions are available from the Graduate
Secretary to whom all such petitions should be submitted.
All petitions, which should be addressed to the Graduate Committee and
signed by the student and the Chair of the student's advisory committee,
should include:
- the
nature of the petition
- whether
the student wants the elected graduate student representatives to
be included in the review of the petition -- elected student representative
to the Graduate Committee will be included in the committee's deliberations
of the student's petition only by request of the petitioner
- the
names of the student's committee members.
Petitions
are routinely placed on the agenda of the next readily available Graduate
Committee meeting. The Graduate Committee routinely meets during the academic
year, but not during summer. Petitions to the committee should be planned
so that they are submitted in time for consideration during the Fall and
Spring semesters.
All petitions are considered on a case-by-case basis. The outcomes of
past student petitions submitted to the Graduate Committee do not constitute
policy and in no way indicate the possible outcome of future petitions
submitted to the committee by other students.
The
Department of Sociology does not operate an M.A. degree program. Students
may obtain an M.A. degree in transit to their Ph.D. if they wish (the
department does not provide extra time to pursue an M.A. degree); and
students unable to complete Ph.D. requirements may be given the opportunity
by the Graduate Committee to pursue a terminal M.A. degree.
- Requirements
There are four requirements for an M.A. degree and these are: satisfactory
completion of 24 credit hours of course work with grades of B or better
(no specific courses are required); preparation of a written thesis;
completion of 6 thesis credit hours; and successful oral defense of
the thesis.
- Thesis
Preparation
A candidate for an M.A. degree must write a thesis which demonstrates
competent and independent scholarship that makes a useful contribution
to sociological knowledge. An M.A. thesis is shorter and entails less
original research than a Ph.D. dissertation. A format for the M.A.
Thesis is found in "Specifications for Preparation of Master's Theses
and Doctoral Dissertations" which is available from the Graduate Secretary.
The thesis is supervised and evaluated by a Thesis Advisory Committee
(TAC) consisting of at least 3 regularly appointed graduate faculty
members from the Department of Sociology. Members of the TAC are
chosen by the student, who also designates the TAC chair. A candidate
may, with the approval of the TAC chair, place additional members
on the TAC. The appointment of additional members must be consistent
with the rules of the Graduate School. The composition of the TAC
must be reported to the Graduate Committee before any actions of
the TAC can have official standing.
- Completion
of Thesis Hours
Students must be registered either for thesis credit hours or M.A.
candidacy hours in the semester they plan to defend the thesis. No
more than 6 thesis hours can be completed up to and including the
semester in which the thesis is defended. Please see the Graduate
Secretary for details about M.A. thesis and degree hours.
- Thesis
Defense
The thesis defense is an oral and public event at which the candidate
explains and defends the thesis. The TAC, here constituted as an examining
committee, assesses the adequacy of the thesis and the candidate's
competence in the areas of sociological knowledge that relate to it.
The candidate fails the defense if more than one TAC member votes
against passing. Candidates who fail the defense will be given a second
opportunity to make a successful defense. The TAC must specify what
the candidate should do in preparation for the second defense. If
the candidate fails the second defense, the Department of Sociology
is under no obligation to provide her or him another opportunity.
The TAC can require modifications in the thesis even if the candidate
passes the defense. Satisfactory completion of these modifications
is a condition of passing the defense.
The
rules of the Graduate School are binding on all academic departments.
Graduate students should be aware of how these rules affect them. The
following is a summary of some of the rules of the Graduate School that
apply to graduate students in the Department of Sociology.
Teaching
assistantships and instructorships, as well as research appointments,
are made by the Department of Sociology and approved by the Graduate School.
Depending upon the type of appointment and the percent time involved,
the assistants will receive a tuition waiver for a specified number of
credit hours. Such appointments are contingent upon "continued adequate
progress" in a degree program. The Graduate School interprets adequate
progress as the completion (receiving a letter grade and not an I or IF)
of at least 5 graduate credit hours per semester, or 8 credit hours combined
graduate and undergraduate course work.
Students may hold appointments in more than one department; however,
the total of all appointments may not exceed 50%. Under extraordinary
circumstances, appointments may be made in excess of 50% with the approval
of the Department and the Graduate School.
The Graduate School stipulates that the total number of semesters of
teaching support for a Master's student is eight semesters, not including
summers. For all Ph.D. students, regardless of whether they received
a Masters' degree at C.U. or elsewhere, the total number of semesters
of teaching support is twelve semesters, not including summers.
Prospective
students must apply for admission first to the Department of Sociology.
If accepted by the Department, the application is then submitted to the
Graduate School for acceptance. Acceptance into the graduate program in
the Department of Sociology does not guarantee Graduate School admittance.
A student may be admitted provisionally by the Department or by the Graduate
School. If admitted provisionally, the Graduate School normally requires
that, in the first year, a student complete 12 hours of graduate work
with a GPA of 3.25 or better. In addition, a student may be required to
fulfill departmental requirements for provisional acceptance.
The
Graduate School allows six years from the commencement of course work
in a graduate program for completion of requirements, including the filing
of the dissertation. Under extenuating circumstances, a graduate student's
advisor or the Chair of the Department of Sociology may request by letter
an extension of the time limit from the Dean of the Graduate School.
All
courses taken within the Department of Sociology must be numbered 5000
or above in order to be accepted for graduate credit. Courses may be taken
in another department for graduate credit up to 6 credit hours at the
4000 or 3000 levels if taught by a current graduate faculty member and
approved for graduate rank by the Chair of the Student's advisory committee;
in accordance with the rules of the Graduate School, 3000 level courses
must also be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
According
to Graduate School rules, there is no limit to the number of guided research
hours or independent study hours that doctoral students can take. Students
seeking an M.A. degree can take 25% of the coursework toward that degree
as independent study (25% of 24 hours = 6 credit hours).
The
Time Out Program allows pre-comprehensive exam students to leave their
graduate program for a specified time period without penalty. Students
in good standing who wish to go on Time Out must follow two steps. These
are:
- petition
the Graduate Committee for approval
- apply
through the Registrar's Office.
The
six year graduate program clock does not run while a student is on time
out. If you wish to go on Time Out and are post-comprehensive exam, please
see the Graduate Secretary.
- Enter
Program
- Year
One
- FALL
SEMESTER
- Begin
Studying for Methods and Theory Examinations
- Sociology
5001
- Sociology
5031
- Sociology
6821
- SPRING
SEMESTER
- Sociology
5011
- Sociology
5021
- Sociology
6831
- Successful
Completion = Preliminary Examination
- Year
Two
- AUGUST:
Take Methods (and Theory) Comprehensive Examinations
- FALL
SEMESTER
- SPRING
SEMESTER
- Take
13 Hours of Electives for a Total of 30 Credit Hours
- Year
Three
- AUGUST:
Take Theory Comprehensive Examination (If Not Taken)
- FALL
SEMESTER
- Form
Specialty Area Comprehensive Examination Committee (SCEC)
- Submit
SCE Reading List to Graduate Committee by Semester's End
- Years
Three and Four
- Complete
Required 48 Hours of Coursework
- Application
for Admission to Candidacy
- Year
Four
- AUGUST:
Take Specialty Area Comprehensive Examination
- Year
Five
- Form
Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC)
- JANUARY:
Defend Dissertation Prospectus
- Years
Five and Six
- Finish
Dissertation Hours for a Total of 30
- Defend
Dissertation Research
- Exit
-- Ph.D.
Additional
information, forms, and answers to questions about the graduate program
can be obtained by contacting:
Michele
Noe
Graduate Secretary
Department of Sociology
Campus Box 327
University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado 80309
TEL: 303-735-2335
FAX: 303-492-8878
EMAIL: Noem@spot.Colorado.EDU
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