COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY
GRADUATE PROGRAM
Overview of M.A. & Ph.D. Graduate Programs
The Comparative Sociology Graduate Program at Florida International University (FIU) provides a unique opportunity to integrate the traditional disciplines of sociology and anthropology. We believe that students will be better prepared for careers by gaining competencies in research methods, theoretical approaches and other critical tools needed for social inquiry offered by both disciplines. The Program's faculty is particularly strong in several subfields: environment; international and transnational migration; globalization and transnationalism; development and social change; applied research; and the social constructions of identities including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and nationality. Faculty research is exceptionally strong in the Americas including the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, and the diverse local urban region of South Florida. FIU is situated in the one of the most interesting regions of the world - a hemispheric crossroads of social and natural resources bridging the United States to the rest of the Americas and across the Atlantic to Europe. Miami is home to millions of immigrants; it has the highest percentage of immigrants of any metropolitan area in the United States. Our graduate program capitalizes on this unique location by bringing students into local, regional and transnational research projects. Faculty members are directly involved in research occurring at many of FIU's centers and institutes including the Latin American and Caribbean Center, the Center for Labor Research and Studies, the Immigration and Ethnicity Institute, the Women's Studies Program, the Cuban Research Institute, the Institute for Public Opinion Research, the African New World Studies program, and the Center for Transnational and Comparative Studies. The Comparative Sociology Graduate Program provides professional training for careers in higher education, non-governmental organizations, government, and the private sector.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY (FIU)
Florida International University is a part of the State University System in Florida and is the largest university in South Florida with an enrollment of approximately 35,000. Metropolitan Miami has become the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, and FIU is a leading academic institution in these regions. FIU is one of the most diverse campuses in the world: Nearly sixty percent of FIU's students are of Hispanic origin, another fifteen percent are African American and/or of African descent from the Caribbean and Latin America and five percent identify as Asian. FIU also attracts a large number of international students.
GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION
DEGREES OFFERED (See below for greater detail):
The program is designed to facilitate the process of obtaining a doctorate in Comparative Sociology. Students may decide to obtain only an M.A., or they may obtain the M.A. while working toward their Ph.D. The regular M.A. requires 36 hours of course work and a completed research/grant proposal but no thesis. The Ph.D. program incorporates the M.A. requirements and includes additional core courses, electives and substantive area concentrations, and a dissertation based on original research. Please see below for more detail on degree requirements.
(Please note that the information provided here is for the new curriculum approved by the Faculty Senate in April 2005 and to become effective for students enrolling in the fall semester of 2005. Students who enrolled before that semester may need to consult the old program which can be obtained by clicking here.)
ADMISSION PROCESS & REQUIREMENTS
All applications for admission must be submitted on-line through the University Graduate School process. Please see http://www.fiu.edu/~ugs/ for all the necessary information. Please do not contact the department for application forms. A list of the minimum requirements for admission to FIU can be found at http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/register/catalog/graduate/ and should guide you in preparing what you will need to file your application on-line. The application for admission to FIU as a graduate student must be submitted and the application fee of $30 paid before the Comparative Sociology Graduate Program Committee may consider the applicant for admission.
IN ADDITION to filing an on-line admission application, please send the following directly to the Graduate Program Director of the Department (address below):
(1) A separate letter of application. This letter should include a statement expressing the applicant's academic and professional objectives.
(2) Applicants must request three (3) letters of recommendation from individuals able to comment on their academic ability and promise. These letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the Director of the Comparative Sociology Graduate Program. The department will then forward copies to the Admissions Office.
(3) Applicants are strongly encouraged to send written examples of academic or other relevant professional work that may support their application. Similarly, applicants are encouraged to send as part of their application any evidence of contact with departmental faculty with whom the applicant would likely work.
Application Deadlines: We offer rolling admissions but recommend that students apply early (before January 15 for the Fall semester) in order to qualify for the widest array of FIU funding. We admit students throughout the year but prefer that they enroll for the first time in the fall whenever possible. The deadlines for receipt of applications--including all supporting materials and letters of recommendation--for those seeking admissions are:
Fall Semester:
January 15 (for consideration for Presidential Fellowships)
February 15 (early acceptance)
April 1 (for teaching assistantship)
July 1 (final deadline)
Spring Semester:
October 15
Summer Semester:
April 1
Application Standards: To be admitted into the Comparative Sociology Graduate Program a student must meet the University's graduate admission requirements which can be found in the University Graduate School's website: http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/register/catalog/graduate/. Although a baccalaureate major in Sociology or Anthropology is helpful, it is not required for admission to the program. However, newly admitted graduate students who have no prior course work in sociology, anthropology, or statistics will be provided with readings to help them bridge their background to the demands of our program.
FINANCIAL AID
Applicants to FIU may qualify for one of several different opportunities to finance their studies:
- FIU's Presidential Fellowships for outstanding applicants (see http://gradschool.fiu.edu/financial.html
- Departmental Teaching Assistantships (TAs). The department has a limited number of TA positions. To qualify for these, you must apply on or before April 1. Teaching assistantships are allocated on a competitive basis and typically pay for tuition (but not fees), medical insurance and provide a stipend (approximately $5,000 per semester). To be considered for an assistantship, the applicant must make such a request in writing to the Graduate Program Director. The awarding of teaching assistantships will be made by the Graduate Program Committee. Students receiving an assistantship are required to perform approximately 20 hours of teaching related duties per week and are required to attend several days of a seminar on teaching. TA positions are renewable on a competitive basis by application.
- External Funding: There are innumerable additional sources of funding for graduate students but must be researched by applicants. A good start is the UGS website at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/financial.html The department also maintains webpages for enrolled and admitted students with additional information. Upon admission, applicants will be given access to these pages.
McKnight Fellowship for Minority Students,
DEADLINE JANUARY 15, CLICK HERE.
- Graduate students are routinely employed as Research Assistants on faculty grants. Students in their second or later years are particularly encouraged to seek RA positions to enhance their research skills and career options. The hiring of research assistants is at the discretion of the project's principle investigators. While these arrangements vary, they usually cover the student's tuition and provide a stipend.
- Out-of-State Tuition Waivers for International Students: Students from the following countries /areas should apply for the out-of-state portion of their tuition to be paid by a Florida Linkage Institute: Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, China, Costa Rica, Eastern Europe, France, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Western Africa. See http://www.fiu.edu/~isss/linkages.htm for more details.
TRANSFER OF CREDITS
Credits may be transferred in accordance with the FIU Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual (consult this page for transfer credits). Students are responsible for making sure that their credits are transferred correctly and at the University Graduate School level. While a student may transfer credits into the program, the substitution of transferred credits for specific core and substantive area requirements is not generally allowed. A student seeking to transfer credits must submit a written petition to the Graduate Director detailing the courses and hours of credit s/he is seeking to transfer. In addition, students requesting substitution of transferred credits for program requirements must include supporting documentation such as course descriptions, syllabi, examinations, papers, and other relevant documentation as part of the petition. The screening and initial decision regarding transferring of credit and substitution will be made by the Graduate Director and the Graduate Program Committee. Final approval will be made by the Office of Graduate Admissions.
List of important addresses and telephones for your convenience:
OFFICE OF GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
Florida International University
University Park Campus, PC 231
Miami, Florida 33199
Telephone: (305) 348-7442
Fax: (305) 348-7441
Email:gradadm@fiu.edu
http://www.fiu.edu/gradadm/
FINANCIAL AID
Florida International University
University Park Campus, PC 125
Miami, Florida 33199
Telephone: (305) 348-7272
Main Webpage: http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/finaid/
Graduate Webpage: http://www.fiu.edu/~ugs/financial.html
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY
Dr. Jean Rahier, Director
Comparative Sociology Graduate Program
Department of Sociology/Anthropology
Florida International University
University Park Campus DM 332B
Miami, Florida 33199
Telephone: (305) 348-2246
FAX: (305) 348-3605
Email: socantgr@fiu.edu
Any additional information regarding the Comparative Sociology Graduate Program can be obtained from our department staff:
M. Cristina Finlay
Comparative Sociology Graduate Program
Department of Sociology/Anthropology
Florida International University
University Park Campus DM 334
Miami, Florida 33199
Telephone: (305) 348-3638
Email: socantgr@fiu.edu
NEW CURRICULUM
Approved by Faculty Senate in 2005; applicable to New Students as of Fall 2005
And to Previously Enrolled Students who Opted for this Curriculum
Students Under Old Curriculum Click Here
THE MASTERS DEGREE PROGRAM
The 36-credit M.A. program is designed to provide students with a sound background in research skills, research/grant proposal writing and training in social science theory that will equip them for careers in both the public and private sector. It is also designed to provide the necessary foundation for students desiring to continue on into the Ph.D. program. Full-time students are expected to complete the M.A. degree in two years.
M.A. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
CORE COURSES:
The core curriculum includes six required courses (this is the same core for the Ph.D. degree):
SYA 6125 .....Sociocultural Theories A.........................3 hrs
SYA 6126 .....Sociocultural Theories B.........................3 hrs
SYA 6305 .....Research Methods I ...............................3 hrs
SYA 6306 .....Research Methods II * .............................3 hrs
ANG 5496 ....Social Research & Analysis ....................3 hrs
SYA 6959 .....Writing Research Proposals....................3 hrs
Six (6) elective graduate courses at the
5000 level or higher**..................................................18 hrs
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: ............................................36 hrs
*SYA6305 is a prerequisite.
**A minimum of three of these courses must be taken within the department and two may be taken outside the department. We highly recommend that students take courses outside the department to provide additional perspectives and skills in their training. Students may petition the Graduate Program Director, who, in consultation with the Department Chair, may increase the number of courses that may be taken outside the Department.
Students are expected to take the first four of the core courses during the first year of full-time enrollment (SYA6125 and SYA6305 in fall; SYA6126 and SYA6306 in spring). ANG 5496 and SYA 6959 are to be taken in this order, the first in the fall and the second in the spring, of the student's second full year.
ELECTIVE THESIS:
Students may elect to write an M.A. thesis and, if so, dedicate two of their elective courses (6 credits) to the thesis. This is optional; there is no thesis required for the M.A. degree. If a student wants to write a thesis, then by the end of a student's first year in the program, s/he should form a thesis committee. This committee will consist of a thesis director (the committee chair) and two additional committee members. The thesis director and one other committee member must be faculty of the Department of Sociology/Anthropology and all must be members of the Graduate Faculty (see UGS regulations at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/faculty.html). The remaining committee member will generally be a faculty member at FIU, although with the approval of the thesis director and the Graduate Program Director, the third member may come from outside the Department or University. The thesis will generally be 50 pages (± 25 pages). The student may collect original data if s/he and the thesis director consider it appropriate. However, a thesis may be based on secondary sources or on library research. All M.A. theses, whether based on original data or not, must make an original contribution. By "original contribution" we mean that the thesis cannot simply summarize the arguments or work of others. It must involve the student's unique interpretation. Continuous Enrollment Requirement: Once students begin taking thesis credits, they must continuously enroll each semester for at least one (1) thesis credit, including during the summer, until graduation. NOTE: Students doing research that involves human subjects in any capacity must file an application for clearance with FIU's Institutional Review Board (IRB) and attach the approval to his/her proposal. NO proposal will be accepted by the University Graduate School or the Department without this approval form unless the dissertation involves no human subjects.
CORE COMPETENCY EXAMS:
Full-time students are expected to complete four Core Courses ( SYA 6125, SYA 6126, SYA 6305 & SYA 6306) by the end of their first year. At the end of that year, they will be given two competency exams in (1) sociocultural theory and (2) research methods. Students must receive a passing grade in each exam to graduate with an M.A.
Students who fail the exam(s) may petition the Graduate Committee to repeat (‘re-take') the same exam. Students granted the privilege by the Graduate Committee to re-take the Theories Competency exam will do so at the end of the summer following their initial attempt and their subsequent petition, unless otherwise agreed to by the Graduate Committee. Students receiving passing grades on the exam(s) will not be allowed to repeat it or to take any subsequent exam in order to obtain a higher grade. The Graduate Committee reserves the right to grant or deny such a petition. Students attending the program part-time will be expected to take their Core Competency Exams during the semester in which they complete the theory ( SYA 6125, SYA 6126) and/or research methods ( SYA 6305 & SYA 6306) sequence(s).
Full Description of Theory Competency Exams (click link)
Full Description of Methods Competency Exams (click link)
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
To remain in good standing and to qualify for graduation, students must maintain a graduate GPA of 3.0 of higher. All M.A. course requirements must be met and a research or grant proposal be completed and successfully defended before the student's proposal committee. All requirements for the M.A. in Comparative Sociology, including the successful defense of the proposal and the Core Competency Exams should be completed in two years for those attending full-time
MA Worksheet (click link)
THE DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAM
The Ph.D. program in Comparative Sociology incorporates and builds upon the M.A. program. The Ph.D. program consists of 75 semester hours or course work including the 36 hours contained in the M.A. degree in Comparative Sociology at FIU. Students are expected to acquire competencies in theory and research methods during the M.A. program. After being admitted into the Ph.D. program, students will pursue their own research interests by taking elective courses and by working with their committee to prepare a doctoral dissertation. This section will discuss each of these requirements.
ADMISSIONS AND POST-M.A. REVIEW
Applicants for the PhD must exceed admissions requirements for the M.A. program as stipulated by the University Graduate School. Students who originally applied to the M.A. program must apply separately to be admitted into the Ph.D. program. A positive evaluation of the student's performance at the M.A. level (hereafter called the post-M.A. review) will be the most important of the factors considered in evaluating applications to the Ph.D. program. All students, including those who originally applied directly to the Ph.D. program, must undergo a successful post-M.A. review upon completion of the Masters Program requirements in order to continue into the Comparative Sociology program toward the Ph.D. The Graduate Committee conducts these reviews. The purpose of the post-M.A. review is to determine the ability of the student to do Ph.D. level work with the department's faculty. Among the information considered during the review are students' performance and grades in courses, passing of competency exams in theory and research methods, quality of MA proposal and faculty recommendations.
Students who have obtained a Masters degree at another institution may be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. However, students admitted from other programs must pass the Core Competency Exams in theory and research methods competencies as described above under the M.A. Program.
PH.D. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The Ph.D. curriculum in Comparative Sociology consists of a total of 75 semester hours. Course work is divided into three areas: Core Courses (24 hrs), Specialty/Elective Courses (36 hrs.), and 15 hours of Dissertation credits. (As of May 2006).
CORE COURSES: ............................................................................18 hrs.*
SYA 6125 .....Sociocultural Theories A.........................3 hrs
SYA 6126 .....Sociocultural Theories B.........................3 hrs
SYA 6305 .....Research Methods I ...............................3 hrs
SYA 6306 .....Research Methods II**............................3 hrs
ANG 5496 ....Social Research & Analysis ....................3 hrs
SYA 6959 .....Writing Research Proposals....................3 hrs
One additional Methods course from this list or another approved course:...3 hrs.
ANT 6497 ...Qualitative Methods
SYA 6307 ...Research Methods III
One additional Theory course from this list or another approved course:......3 hrs.
ANT 7491 ...Advanced Anthropological Theory
SYA 7205 ...Foundations of Social Theory
TOTAL CORE COURSES………………………………………………………24
SPECIALTY/ELECTIVE COURSES ……………………………………….36 hrs
- A maximum of one Independent study course per academic year and no more than three such courses in the doctoral program
- A maximum of 6 credits of Preparation of Doctoral Exams (SYA 7967)
DISSERTATION HOURS (SYA 7980) .................................................15 hrs
(As of May 2006)
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: ..........................................................75 hrs.
* These are the same as the Department’s Core M.A. requirements
** SYA6305 is a pre-requisite.
Ph.D. GENERAL EXAMINATION (Qualifying Exams)
After successfully completing all core, advanced and elective course work for the Ph.D., including the Competency Exams at the MA level, each student will take the written Ph.D. General Examination. This examination will be conducted in accordance with the FIU Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual and the Department's General Examination guidelines detailed below. The General Examination will insure that students are thoroughly familiar with several theoretical and substantive fields within sociology and/or anthropology. A student forms a committee of at least two members from the department and one additional member who may be from another department or, with the permission of the student's major professor, be on the faculty at another university but whose credentials have been reviewed as meeting FIU's Graduate Faculty status. This committee usually will later serve as the student's Doctoral Research Committee (see below) though this is not obligatory.
The student will be examined in two research areas as determined by the dissertation committee and based on a preliminary dissertation proposal. For each substantive area the student will (1) put together a bibliography under supervision of his/her committee.
2) Once coursework is almost complete and when the student indicates s/he is ready to take the exams, the student will be given exam questions designed by his/her Doctoral Committee and based on the student's review of the literature. The exam will be administered in a take-home format.
Doctoral Qualifying Exams (click link)
DISSERTATION PROPOSAL AND PROPOSAL DEFENSE
After passing the General Examination, students will develop a dissertation proposal. Frequently, the dissertation proposal will be an expansion of the proposal the student has developed at the M.A. level. Students are expected to produce a proposal that is 20-30 pages; however, the University Graduate School requires a 5-page proposal to be submitted and approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies at least one full semester prior to defense of the dissertation. Note: If the dissertation research involves human subjects in any capacity, the student must file an application for clearance with FIU's Institutional Review Board (IRB) and attach the approval to his/her proposal. NO proposal will be accepted by the University Graduate School or the Department without this approval form unless the dissertation involves no human subjects. For more details on all aspects of the dissertation refer to the regulations manual of the University Graduate School : http://www.fiu.edu/ugs/gpm/gradsec7.htm . Upon completing the proposal and all other degree requirements, the student must orally defend the dissertation proposal before his/her Doctoral Research Committee. The proposal defense will consist of a comprehensive oral defense of the dissertation proposal and relevant literature as determined by the student's research committee. The proposal defense serves as the candidacy examination for the Comparative Sociology Graduate Program. Upon passing the dissertation defense, the student is admitted to candidacy status. Only after successfully defending the dissertation proposal may a student register for dissertation credits (SYA 7980).
REQUIREMENT FOR CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION FOR DISSERTATORS
Once a student has registered for dissertation credits, the student is required to take at least three (3) credits each semester, including summer, until graduation.
DOCTORAL RESEARCH COMMITTEE
One of the most important decisions made by a student is the constitution of their Doctoral Research Committee. The research committee may or may not have the same composition as the General Examination committee but must have a minimum of four faculty members. It will consist of at least three faculty members from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. One of the Departmental members will be designated the chair (Major Professor). The chair must hold Dissertation Advisor Status within the University and all committee members must belong to the Graduate Faculty at FIU to serve (consult the following webpage for details: http://gradschool.fiu.edu/faculty.html regarding who can serve on and also chair graduate committees). The Chair is the director of the student's dissertation, will be the student's key advisor, and will also serve as the administrative head of the committee, documenting the expectations and agreements between the student and the committee. The committee may include members from other departments at FIU or from another university but must still meet all UGS rules, and be approved by both the Chair of the student's research committee and the Director of the Comparative Sociology Graduate Program. The Chair and members of the dissertation committee, will determine appropriate courses and readings for the student's specialty area, and will assist the student to prepare for the defense of both the dissertation proposal and the dissertation itself. The committee must be officially documented by completing the correct UGS form (see UGS website for details http://gradschool.fiu.edu/index.html ), which must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and included in the student's file. Any alterations in committee membership must be registered by submitting the appropriate form.
DEFENSE OF THE DISSERTATION
The defense of the dissertation will consist of a public comprehensive oral examination focusing on the dissertation and relevant literature, as determined by the student's Doctoral Research Committee. The exam will be administered by the student's committee and coordinated by the committee's chair. The committee will determine whether the student passes or fails to pass the defense; there are no conditional passes. A failure to pass the defense on the second attempt will result in dismissal from the program. The timing of the defense, or retakes, will be determined by the Research Committee. In general, only the student's committee will ask questions. Others may attend the defense and the committee chair may invite comments from these individuals .
PhD Worksheet (click link)
Summary of all Doctoral Requirements Including Forms
Complete Graduate Regulations and Student Handbook
NOTE: The University Graduate School website maintains the calendar of dates by which all forms (e.g., M1, D1, graduation, etc.) must be filed in a timely fashion. The Sociology/Anthropology Graduate Program Director requires that these forms be submitted for review and action ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE UGS DEADLINES .
