|
|
STATEMENT OF GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM
MISSION STATEMENT:
The primary objectives of the Ph.D. program in sociology are to provide a broad background in general sociology and to create
the capacity for the development of rigorous research, teaching, and/or applied skills in at least one area of specialization.
Although faculty interests are wide-ranging, four areas of specialization are offered at the doctoral level: criminology and
deviance, demography, family studies, and social psychology. The program is unique in that it concentrates faculty, students
and research activities in these four niche areas, rather than dispersing them more thinly over a broader range of sub-areas
within the discipline. This focused orientation has resulted in the emergence of four nationally prominent areas of concentrated
study and research.
The program is comprised of 19 graduate faculty and approximately 40 funded graduate students, about half of whom are currently
in the Ph.D. program. The program features small classes (5-12 students per seminar) and a high level of interaction between
faculty and students in a friendly, informal environment that stresses excellence in both research and teaching. Faculty are
accessible to students and students are regarded as motivated junior scholars. The program offers an abundance of formal and
informal opportunities to share ideas, and faculty and students regularly collaborate on research and co-author papers presented
at professional meetings and published in scholarly journals.
The department has excellent research and data processing facilities, including a computer laboratory and the Center for Family
and Demographic Research (CFDR). The department’s computer laboratory provides PC and Apple desktop computers with word processing
and data analysis software, high-speed Internet connectivity, and laser printers, all available for graduate student use at
no cost. The CFDR, affiliated with and sponsored in part by the Sociology Department, is dedicated to examining the health
and development of children, youth and families. The Center brings researchers together from several disciplines and hosts
seminars with invited speakers. It also provides easy access to relevant materials for faculty and student research by storing
and disseminating census and other secondary data as well as assisting and training students and faculty in the use of various
data sets and analytical techniques.
ADMISSION STANDARDS:
Admission requirements for the program include a master's degree in sociology from an accredited college or university and
a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4 point scale. Students who have a master’s degree in an area other than sociology may
be admitted to the Ph.D. program conditionally, subject to the completion of a specified sequence of graduate level courses
during their first year in the program. All candidates for admission are evaluated on the basis of their academic transcripts,
letters of recommendation, a personal statement detailing their academic and career objectives, and scores on the Graduate
Record Examination. Admission and funding is highly competitive with 10 to 15 new students (M.A. and Ph.D. combined) funded
each year from among 80-100 applicants. In recent years funded students have had an average combined (verbal, quantitative
and analytical) GRE score of 1750 and an average undergraduate GPA of 3.7 (4.0 scale).
ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE STATE/REGION:
The Ph.D. program in sociology serves the needs of the state in a variety of ways. This is accomplished primarily through
the training of students to assume leadership roles as researchers, teachers and practitioners, and through the basic research
of our faculty, most of which has important policy implications. Students in each of our four programmatic areas receive sound
theoretical and methodological training in preparation for careers in university, business, service, or governmental settings.
The curriculum provides all students with a range of knowledge and skills which are readily applicable to a variety of work
settings and occupational roles. Ongoing faculty research focuses on issues of vital state and national concern: the initiation,
escalation and persistence of delinquent, criminal and other antisocial behaviors; factors associated with desistance from
crime and antisocial behavior; the effects of race, ethnicity and gender on criminal sentencing decisions; mentally ill criminal
offenders; criminal violence and the help-seeking strategies of crime victims; the nature of peer influence during adolescence
and its effects on problem behaviors; family violence; marital and cohabitation arrangements and their effects on the well-being
of children; patterns of child socialization; the family relations of the elderly and the implications of these relations
for psychological well-being; infant mortality; issues of child support and adult children’s support of their parents; self-concept
development and issues of self-esteem, self-efficacy and depression; the economic and psychological consequences of cohabitation
and marriage throughout the life cycle; the fertility behavior of cohabiting, single, and married women; the economic implications
of cohabitation for children; non-marital childbearing; adolescent sexual behavior; contraceptive use and its efficacy among
adolescents; adolescent pregnancy; problems faced by ethnic minority groups in the United States; sexual harassment among
high school students; marital quality and the risk of divorce; attitudes toward divorce; patterns of internal and external
migration; immigrant settlement and public policy; welfare usage among immigrants; the impact of immigration on American schools
and the schooling experiences of domestic students; stigmatization of the physically disabled; and adjustment problems faced
by the physically disabled. The department has been committed to such consequential and policy-relevant research historically,
and we plan to continue our concentration on these important state and national issues. Future recruitment efforts will focus
on attracting both faculty and students who are committed to the study of these issues.
PLACEMENT OBJECTIVES FOR GRADUATES:
We intend to maintain the high quality of incoming students by increasing the department's visibility nationally via our research
efforts and by sustaining our 100% employment rate for graduates in positions that are appropriate to their training. Beyond
providing solid training in theory, methods and research, our orientation toward professional development attends to the placement
of our graduates in several ways. First, students who plan careers as university faculty or as researchers in business, service
or governmental settings gain valuable first-hand experience as research assistants for individual faculty and on extramurally-funded
research projects. In addition to their involvement at all stages of the research process, students also collaborate with
faculty as co-authors on articles presented at professional conferences and published in scholarly journals. Second, students
who plan careers in teaching at the college or university level receive training through a specialized teaching seminar. In
addition, they have the opportunity for considerable practical teaching experience. Through a series of assignments during
their time in the program, students are given increasing responsibility and independence in teaching introductory courses.
These first two strategies have paid high dividends, and the department takes pride in the placement record of it graduates.
Graduates have obtained faculty positions at such institutions as Arizona State, Central Florida, Dayton, Iowa State, Kansas
State, McGill, Miami, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Northern Michigan, SUNY-Albany, Syracuse, Texas Christian and
Western Illinois. As a third method by which to prepare for the world of work, students are encouraged to develop skills which
are marketable beyond the academic sphere. Courses regularly offered by the department, as well as by other departments at
the University, provide opportunities to prepare for careers in demographic analysis, market research, statistical data analysis,
juvenile and adult corrections, gerontology, evaluation research, and other areas. Fourth, students are encouraged to gain
practical experience in their chosen specialty through internships in actual work settings. Students earn academic credit
and gain valuable on-the-job training through these internships. Finally, the sociology faculty take a personal interest in
the professional development, placement and accomplishments of our students. We understand that one of our most important
contributions to the field of sociology is to assist each student to find a niche in which that student will be able to develop
and contribute to his or her fullest potential.
PROGRAM REVIEW:
In a comprehensive evaluation of the department conducted in 1999-2000 according to the Ohio Board of Regents’ guidelines,
which included a review of our doctoral program, our graduate programs were singled out for particular praise by external
evaluators: “The Sociology Department is a solid teaching and research organization that is on a rapid upward trajectory.
Undergraduate and graduate students are receiving good quality training by a dedicated faculty…. The … faculty are making
solid contributions to knowledge through their publications in refereed outlets. External research funding is on the upswing….
The administration of the department is in the hands of a capable chair, and faculty morale is high. The Department is underrated
nationally…. [but] has the opportunity to achieve greater recognition and resources by continuing current initiatives as well
as beginning new ones.” Consistent with this assessment, our goal is to continue to recruit quality faculty and graduate students
to strengthen our program even further. With the next OBOR review scheduled for 2006-07, we look forward to building on and
exceeding our past accomplishments.
Contact Information:
Gary R. Lee, Chair
Steve Cernkovich, Graduate Coordinator
Room: 222 Williams Hall
Phone: 419-372-2294
Back to Top
|
|
