In any given year, Sociology admits 6-8 students into the cohort, and there are close to forty graduate students in the program overall. Graduate education is highly individualized, and candidates for advanced degrees benefit from close relationships with their major professors and other mentors. We are extremely proud of our graduate students’ awards and accomplishments and placements, both inside and outside of academia.
We offer an exceptional funding package gfor graduate students, and we fund all of the graduate students we admit. The combination of guaranteed funding and Ithaca’s low cost of living allows all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, to focus on their studies and research. Guaranteed and equal funding also fosters a collaborative and supportive community of graduate students.
In addition to the regular PhD in Sociology, the Field offers a track that allows students to earn a PhD in Sociology with a focus on public policy. Students apply to Sociology, and, if admitted, complete all the requirements for and earn a Sociology PhD. Their special committee should be chaired by a faculty member in the Field of Sociology. However, for students in the public policy track, TA and RA funding would come from the Brooks School for Public Policy. This means that in years 2-4 they would primarily TA for Brooks courses and/or serve as research assistants for faculty members in public policy. This track is ideal for students who want to earn a PhD in Sociology with a policy focus.
Sociology students can also earn a PhD Minor in Demography through the Cornell Population Center.
Need more Information?
On the pages linked at left you will find much more information about the graduate program in sociology. Prospective and current students should also read the official procedures described in the Graduate School’s Thesis and Dissertation Guide, whose information this guide supplements.
If you still have questions after perusing these pages, feel free to ask our Director of Graduate Studies or Graduate Administrator.