Cornell’s Graduate Field of Sociology provides exceptional training toward the PhD in Sociology and has long been known for its emphasis on both theoretical innovation and methodological rigor. Our graduate training is highly individualized, and candidates for advanced degrees benefit from close relationships with their major professors and other mentors. Its graduates have achieved professional success in academia, industry, and the non-profit and public sectors.
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 for graduate students, and we fund all of the graduate students we admit. Guaranteed funding 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. For students in the public policy track, TA and RA funding come from the Brooks School of Public Policy. Sociology students can also earn minors in affiliated fields, such as the 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 Sociology's Graduate Student Handbook.
If you still have questions after perusing these pages, feel free to ask our Director of Graduate Studies or Graduate Administrator.