Graduate Courses at UTSA

Admission Requirements / Degree Requirements / Course Descriptions

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY

The Master of Science degree in Sociology (M.S.) is a professional degree designed to prepare graduates with the skills necessary to enter the professional workforce as sociologists or to pursue further study at the doctoral level. Graduates will have the opportunity to acquire a knowledge base in sociological methods and in growing areas of community concern, such as health, aging, civil-military relations, socioeconomic development, gender issues, and race and ethnic relations. They will have the necessary research skills to define social issues and problems, select data collection techniques, establish appropriate analysis methods, develop statistical reports, and undertake organizational policy analyses for business, industries, and governmental organizations.

Program Admission Requirements. In order to qualify for unconditional admission, applicants must satisfy University-wide graduate admission requirements, submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and be recommended for admission by the Graduate Studies Committee. Applicants must have completed 18 semester hours of undergraduate courses, 12 of which must be at the upper-division level, in the area of sociology or in related areas, including a course in theory and a course in research methods or statistics. Applicants who do not meet these requirements will be considered for conditional admission. Conditional applicants must submit the GRE Sociology Test or other indicators of preparation for graduate study, such as completion of additional undergraduate course work to remove deficiencies, and completion of 9 or more semester credit hours of graduate courses, and the achievement of a 3.0 grade point average. An applicant not eligible for either unconditional or conditional admission may be recommended for admission as a special graduate student. This status does not guarantee subsequent admission as a degree-seeking student. Such students must reapply for degree-seeking status.

Degree Requirements. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for

the M.S. degree, exclusive of course work or other study required to remove deficiencies,

is 36.

All candidates for the degree must complete:

A. 12 Semester credit hours of core courses:

SOC 5003 Sociological Theory
SOC 5013 Advanced Conceptualization and Measurement
SOC 5023 Quantitative Research Methods
OR
SOC 5033 Qualitative Research Methods
SOC 5043 Evaluation Research

B. 12 Semester credit hours of prescribed electives:

SOC 5103 Complex Organizations
SOC 5113 Civil Military Relations
SOC 5123 Family Contexts and Social Change
SOC 5133 Sociology of Health and Health Care
SOC 5143 Demography and Community Trends
SOC 5153 Sociology of Tourism and Leisure
SOC 5203 Social Stratification
SOC 5213 Race and Ethnic Relations
SOC 5223 Mexican Americans
SOC 5233 Gender and Society
SOC 5243 Aging and Society
SOC 6903 Topics in Advanced Sociology
SOC 6951-3 Independent Study
SOC 6961 Comprehensive Examination

C. 6 Semester credit hours of electives must be taken outside of sociology

D. 6 Semester credit hours of Internship or Thesis

1. Internship option

Students may participate in an internship (the nonthesis option) after completion

of 18 semester credit hours. Internships offer work-oriented experiences within local organizational settings where the principles, theories, concepts, and methods

of the discipline can be applied. A research paper under the supervision of assigned

faculty is required.

2. Thesis option

Students may select the thesis option after 24 semester credit hours.

E. Comprehensive Examination.

All candidates for the degree are required to pass

both written and oral comprehensive examinations. Examinations are scheduled after a

student has completed at least 30 semester credit hours in the program.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS: SOCIOLOGY (SOC)

5003 Sociological Theory (3-0) 3 hours credit.
The nature of sociological theory, the major varieties of theory, the theorists who developed them, and the social and historical contexts of theory development and construction. Issues concerning the relation of theory and research are also explored.

5013 Advanced Conceptualization and Measurement
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: 3 semester hours of undergraduate research methods.
Advanced quantitative research methods. Topics may include index construction and scaling, analysis of variance, multiple correlation, and regression, with use of applicable computer programs to analyze local, state, and/or national data sets.

5023 Quantitative Research Methods (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
Analyses will be pursued using a variety of multivariate statistical techniques developed to meet specialized research problems. Topics may include log-linear analysis, factor analysis, path analysis, discriminant function analysis, logistic regression and/or LISREL, among other applications.

5033 Qualitative Research Methods (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
Qualitative strategies and techniques used in conducting social science research, including field methods such as participant observation, in-depth interviews, and the collection of documents. Emphasis is on understanding the ways in which people interpret their experience and construct and share their reality.

5043 Evaluation Research (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
Theory and practice of evaluation of public policy and social service programs. Evaluation theories, models, and key evaluation studies are reviewed. Practical and political issues involved in the design and implementation of evaluations are addressed. Evaluation of a social agency or program may be included.

5103 Complex Organizations (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisites: SOC 5003 and SOC 5013.
Structure and dynamics of large organizations, with emphasis on outcomes related to varying organizational contexts. The influence of culture and society on organizational behavior also is examined.

5113 Civil Military Relations (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
Theories of military organization, and the impact of military on societies and communities. Topics may include race/gender relations, military unions, coup d'etat, war and technology.

5123 Family Contexts and Social Change (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Family system organization and process within the broader context of community and society. Emphasis given to the changing historical roles of families, as well as to cross-cultural, socioeconomic, race and ethnic, and gender variability in the family. The impact of education, the economy, and politics is also considered.

5133 Sociology of Health and Health Care (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
The relation of social behavior to health status, epidemiology, and the social organization of medicine within the United States. Emphasis is given to the development of the health care industry and problems associated with the delivery of health care services.

5143 Demography and Community Trends (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
Basic demographic perspectives and data; methods of analysis of population size, distribution, and composition; determinants and consequences of population trends. Applications of computer programs for demographic analysis may be included.

5153 Sociology of Tourism and Leisure (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
Interdisciplinary survey of current theories and research on leisure activity. Leisure trends and their effects on tourism and economic development are examined.

5203 Social Stratification (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Theory and research pertaining to structures of social inequality -- their causes, forms, and consequences. Emphasis is given to the distribution of power, prestige, and economic privilege, and patterns of social mobility within the United States.

5213 Race and Ethnic Relations (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Dominant-subordinate relations between various racial and ethnic groups, from cross-cultural theoretical perspectives. Models of assimilation, cultural pluralism, and colonialism are investigated, as are their implications for minority and majority group members.

5223 Mexican Americans: Community, Culture, and Class
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
Sociological focus on the Mexican American population. Emphasis is given to the theories used to interpret the experiences of this group, particularly those oriented to issues of stratification and social mobility.

5233 Gender and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: SOC 5003 and SOC 5013.
Interdisciplinary survey of theory and current research on gender and gender-related issues. Gender-based theories are examined and compared to explanations for other forms of social stratification. Implications for family dynamics, the labor force, and the economy are explored.

5243 Aging and Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: SOC 5013.
Theory and research on the structure and dynamics of age stratification. historical and cross-cultural differences in the status of the elderly are emphasized, as are the policy implications of demographic shifts toward an aging population.

6903 Topics in Advanced Sociology (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisites: SOC 5003 and SOC 5013.
A seminar offering the opportunity for specialized study not usually available as part of the regular course offerings. Topics may include social gerontology, deviance, demography of aging, social psychology, religion, culture and society, mass communications, and research applications. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

6951-3 Independent Study
1-3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission in writing (form available) of the instructor and the student's graduate advisor of record. Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. For students needing specialized work not usually available as part of the regular course offerings. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to the
master's degree.

6961 Comprehensive Examination (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Prerequisite: Approval of the appropriate Graduate Studies Committee to take the Comprehensive Examination.
Examinations will be scheduled after a student has completed as least 30 hours in the program.
Independent study course for the purpose of taking the Comprehensive Examination. May be repeated as many times as approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Enrollment is required each term in which the Comprehensive Examination is taken if no other courses are being taken that term. the grade report for the course is either CR (satisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination) or NC (unsatisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination).

6963-6 Internship 3 or 6 hours credit.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and 18 semester credit hours of graduate work.
Work-oriented experience within a local organizational setting where the principles, theories, concepts and methods of the discipline can be applied. A research paper under the supervision of assigned faculty is required.

6973 Special Problems (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Consent of instructor.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not usually available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Problems courses may be repeated for credit when the topics vary, but not more than 6 hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to the master's degree.

6983-6 Master's Thesis 3 or 6 hours credit.
Prerequisite: Permission of the Graduate Advisor of Record and thesis director, and 24 semester credit hours of graduate work.
Thesis research and preparation. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 hours will apply to the master's degree. Credit will be awarded upon completion of the thesis. Enrollment is required each term in which the thesis is in progress.

Further information can be obtained at the College of Social and

Behavioral Sciences Home Page .

Welcome Page
Questions or comments can be directed to Linda Lambert: lindalam@flash.net
Construction began August 16, 1997. Updated 09/13/98.