College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Program Director : Liliana Goldin

Department’s Phone Number : (305) 348-3341
Department’s FAX Number : (305) 348-3605

For More Information, go to

• Program's web site
• College of Arts and Sciences web site

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Brief Description of the Program:

        The Comparative Sociology Graduate Program at Florida International University provides a unique opportunity to integrate the traditional strengths of sociology and anthropology by combining theory and empirical research with qualitative and quantitative methods. The Program's faculty is especially noted for studying ethnic minorities, international development, gender, human ecology, labor, migration, theory, medical sociology and anthropology, and the sociology of disasters. Area emphasis includes the Caribbean, Latin America, and the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural South Florida area. Research opportunities abound at FIU as graduate students have access to the resources provided by funded research projects, centers, and institutes at the University. Situated at the hemispheric crossroads to the Caribbean and Latin America and home to a large migrant and diaspora population from these regions, the Miami area itself offers myriad research possibilities. The Comparative Sociology Graduate Program provides professional training in social science research and theory for careers in higher education, government service, and the private sector.

        The Ph.D. program in Comparative Sociology incorporates and builds on the M.A. program. The Ph.D. program consists of 90 semester hours or course work that includes the 36 hours necessary to obtain the M.A. degree in comparative sociology at FIU. The 90 hours of course work are divided into three major areas: Core courses, Substantive area courses, and Specialty/elective courses. The remaining course work will be made up of thesis/dissertation hours. In addition to course work, students are required to meet successfully the following: a thesis requirement; a written candidacy examination; a post-thesis review, a dissertation proposal; a dissertation and a dissertation defense.

Application Requirements:

• Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
• Students who do not have a Masters in Anthropology, Sociology, Comparative Sociology, or a closely related field which includes a written thesis must obtain the Masters in Comparative Sociology at FIU on their way to completing the requirements of the Ph.D.
• Applicants must have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or higher
• A combined score of 1000 or higher on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required. Information on the GRE and TOEFL is available directly from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 98541 or through FIU's Testing Center.

Additional Requirements for International Students:

• Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and obtain a score of 550 or higher.