Supporting materials should be sent to the Graduate School at:
UNH Graduate School
Thompson Hall
105 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824
To apply to the Sociology Program, you must apply online through the Graduate School. Collect and submit all additional supporting materials in one packet and send to the Graduate School, not to the Sociology Program.
In addition to meeting the general Graduate School requirements, applicants must submit current scores (within five years) from the general test of the GRE.
Undergraduate majors in other fields may be admitted. However, if the student’s undergraduate work has not included an introductory course in sociological theory, research methods and statistics, these courses must be taken, or equivalent knowledge demonstrated, in addition to the requirements outlined above.
All students entering the program must complete the M.A. before admission to the Ph.D. program. The department welcomes applicants who plan to continue for the Ph.D. as well as students planning for the M.A. only.
Ph.D. applicants must submit a copy or at least a chapter of their master's thesis for department review. If there is no thesis, applicants should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.
February 15 for financial assistance
July 1 for fall session (April 1 recommended for fall session)
No summer admission
For students finishing their M.A. work at other institutions during their application process, application for admission to the Ph.D. program is contingent upon completion of all requirements for the M.A.
For students finishing their M.A. work at UNH, application for admission to the Ph.D. program is contingent upon completion of all requirements for the M.A. and involves a separate, new review of a student's achievement and potential for advanced graduate work. This application will be reviewed in relation to all other applicants to the Ph.D. program. A student in residence for the M.A. degree must apply to the Graduate School for admission to the Ph.D. program. Application is made through the Graduate School and is then forwarded to the department for approval. THIS MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE MASTER'S IS AWARDED, AND MUST BE SUBMITTED BY MARCH 15 (OR THE MIDDLE OF THE FOURTH SEMESTER AT THE M.A. LEVEL) TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. A "Request for Change in Degree Program," obtainable from the Graduate School's web site, should be submitted to the Graduate School together with letters of recommendation from two faculty in sociology. It is not necessary to have a letter from either the department chairperson or the chairperson of the Graduate Committee. It is essential, however, that a copy of the most recent draft of the M.A. thesis be provided to the Graduate Committee for review.
For students with M.A.s in Sociology from other institutions, again, in addition to the regular application form, the Graduate Committee requires the submission of the thesis or other written work before recommending admission. Students with M.A.s who did not write a thesis should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.
For students with master's degrees in other fields, under special circumstances, it is possible for a student who has already completed a master's degree in a related field to apply for admission into the Ph.D. program without completing an M.A. in Sociology. Provided that the student's previous master's degree involved completion of a social science research thesis comparable to what we expect for a Sociology M.A., this option can be requested at the time of application. A subcommittee will review the academic record and read the master's thesis of the student before making a recommendation to the Graduate Committee. Additional course work or research may be required as a condition of acceptance.