Skip Section Navigation

Undergraduate Program

 
Question: What classes are being offered?
Answer: Courses offered each semester are listed on our website. The page with current course information is linked here.
 
Question: How do I apply for departmental scholarships?
Answer: The scholarship window opens on September 1 and closes on March 1. Most departmental scholarships can be applied for using the general scholarship application. Applicants should also include a resume or CV. Submit both documents to sociology@unt.edu with the subject line: Undergraduate Scholarship Applicant. Scholarship award notices are sent by April 1 and recipients must accept or decline by April 15. For more information, please contact the department at 940-565-2296 or visit the undergraduate scholarships page of the department website.
 
Question: How do I make an advising appointment?
Answer: Please email Dr. Helen Potts (Helen.Potts@unt.edu), the department's Undergraduate Program Advisor, to schedule an advising appointment.
 
Question: Where do I go for office hours?
Answer: The department's main office is located in Sycamore Hall, Suite 288. All faculty offices are located inside the suite.
 
Question: How do I join the Sociology Club?
Answer: Email sociology@unt.edu to express your interest. The club is open to all undergraduate and graduate students regardless of major. 
 
Question: What certificates does the department offer?
Answer: The department offers an Applied Sociology & Career Readiness Certification, but many certificates in other departments have required Sociology courses.
 

Graduate Program

 
Question: What is the application process for your graduate program? When are applications due?
Answer: Information about application processes and deadlines for all our graduate degree programs can be found here.
 

Question: Are there funding opportunites? How is funding allocated? 
Answer: Funding is offered through TA (Teaching Assistant), TF (Teaching Fellow), and RA (Research Assistant) positions and is awarded based on merit and experience. Pass-through MS-to-PhD students are generally funded for 5 years, while PhD-only students are usually funded for 3 years. Additionally, terminal master's students may receive funding if resources are available. Funding details are provided on the department website's graduate funding page and in funding offer letters emailed to students individually.

Graduate program applicants may apply for funding as part of the regular degree program application process. Continuing students who wish to receive funding for the upcoming academic year must complete the TA/TF/RA funding request form by March 1 preceding that year. Fall semester positions are paid starting October 1, and spring semesters positions are paid starting February 1. 

Question: Are funds available for work during the summer?
Answer: Students should apply for summer TA funding late in the spring semester, and funding decisions are usually finalized in May. The department is typically able to fund about 10-11 graduate students in the summer, and the compensation ranges from about $2400 to $2800 for a 5-week position.
 
Question: Is a sociology master's degree required before a PhD?
Answer: Yes. To apply to the PhD-only program, you must have already completed a master’s degree in sociology with a thesis. If you are currently finishing your master’s, you may apply as long as the degree and thesis will be completed prior to the start of the semester in which you would enter the PhD program. Applicants with a master’s degree in another field may request to place out of core master’s-level courses such as statistics and methods if they have completed equivalent graduate-level coursework elsewhere. The department may also accept transfer credit for sociology courses from other institutions, such as Texas Woman’s University (TWU).
 
Applicants for the MS-to-PhD pass-through program do not need to have a master’s degree before applying. Students admitted to this track will earn an MS on the way to completing their PhD.
 
Question: How often are courses taught?
Answer: Required graduate courses are generally taught on a two-year course rotation, although some courses are offered on one- or three-year rotations depending on demand.
 
Question: How should I choose my courses?
Answer: The core required theory, methods, and statistics courses for the MS and PhD must be taken at UNT, and should be taken whenever they are offered, as they are generally taught on a 2-year course rotation. Texas Woman's University (TWU) also offers specialized elective graduate courses that may count toward your degree. 
 
Information about specific course requirements for each degree can be found in the degree plans template on the graduate forms and resources page of this website and also in the UNT Graduate Catalog. The schedule of classes is available here.
 
For more in-depth questions about graduate courses, contact Dr. William Scarborough (William.Scarborough@unt.edu), the department's Graduate Program Advisor.
 
Question: Can I begin graduate study in the spring semester?
Answer: Students are generally expected to begin in the fall. Spring admissions are considered on a case-by-case basis.
 
Question: Are funds available for travel to conferences?
Answer: Yes. Priority (and higher funding levels) are given to students presenting at the American Sociological Association (ASA) annual meeting and other major conferences.
 
Question: Does the department offer merit-based graduate scholarships?
Answer: Yes. The department offers a number of scholarships. Click here for details.
 
Question: How important are grades in graduate courses?
Answer: Students are expected to earn A's and B's in graduate coursework. Earning C's, Incompletes, and/or Withdrawals may be grounds for removal of funding and possible dismissal from the graduate program.
 
Question: When will I become ABD (all but dissertation) status and how do I register for dissertation hours?

Answer: Students are recognized as ABD only after they have completed all required coursework, had their qualifying paper approved, and submitted the QER form to the Toulouse Graduate School. Only at that point are they eligible to enroll in dissertation hours. To request enrollment, students must first email their major professor for approval. Once they receive a positive response, they should forward that email to sociology@unt.edu with a brief explanation and a request to be enrolled in a specific number of dissertation hours.

NOTE: If students have completed their coursework but haven't yet completed their qualifying paper, they will need to enroll in a Special Problems course with their major professor and do so each semester until they have an approved qualifying paper and are granted ABD status.

Question: What is the expected timeline for completing the graduate program? 
Answer:
 
MS-to-PhD Pass-Through Timeline
Year 1
  • Take 18 hours of coursework, prioritizing required classes.
  • Develop relationships with 1-3 faculty members who may eventually serve on your advisory committees.
Fall: Choose a primary research topic. Find a faculty advisor.
Spring: Form advisory committee and submit committee composition form. File degree plan. Defend MS thesis proposal.
 
Year 2
  • Work with faculty advisor to set roadmap.
  • Take 18 hours of coursework.
  • Defend MS thesis.
  • Apply to present research at one professional meeting/conference.
Year 3
  • Take 18 hours of coursework.
  • Attend one professional meeting/conference.
  • Submit an article related to thesis research to a journal.
Year 4
  • Finish coursework
  • Attend at least one professional meeting.
Fall: Complete qualifying paper. Form dissertation committee.
Spring: Defend PhD dissertation proposal.
 
Year 5
  • Complete and defend dissertation.
  • Attend at least one professional meeting.
  • Submit at least one article related to dissertation research to a journal.
PhD-Only Timeline
 
Year 1
  • Choose a research topic.
  • Take 18 hours of coursework.
  • Develop relationships with 1-3 faculty members who might serve on your dissertation committee.
  • Find a faculty advisor.
  • Form an advisory committee and submit a committee composition form.
  • Submit a paper related to your master's thesis.
Year 2
  • Finish coursework.
  • Complete qualifying paper.
  • Defend dissertation proposal.
  • Present at a professional meeting/conference.
Year 3
  • Complete and defend dissertation.
  • Submit at least one article related to dissertation research.
  • Present at a professional meeting/conference.