PhD Sociology at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

The Department of Sociology and the Department of Community & Environmental Sociology conduct a combined graduate program in sociology designed to prepare students for scholarly research, teaching, or applied work. The program leads to the Master of Science degree with a major in sociology and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in sociology. It also offers a minor to students earning a doctoral degree in other departments.

Department: Sociology | Duration: 51 credits | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Fall (deadline December 15) | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires a minimum of 51 credits. Courses listed in the requirements include SOC 700 Introductory Proseminar for Graduate Students; SOC 362 Statistics for Sociologists III; SOC 754 Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology; SOC 773 Intermediate Classical Theory; SOC 674 Demographic Techniques I; SOC 756 Demographic Techniques II.

Career pathways

The Sociology graduate program offers students an array of professional development opportunities. provides an overview of the discipline and the graduate program and addresses such professional development issues as teaching strategies and grant proposal writing.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Not required; Letters of Recommendation Required 3. The program receives a large number of applications each fall from highly qualified individuals, requiring the admissions committee to be extremely selective. The Departments of Sociology and Community & Environmental Sociology offer graduate study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in sociology. The departments do not admit applicants wishing to pursue a master’s degrees only. Applicants admitted to the PhD program earn an MS degree en route to the PhD. A cohort of approximately 20 students is ideal, in terms of providing mentoring and training to all admitted applicants as well as making financial support available to them. Total graduate enrollment in the program is roughly 140 students. An undergraduate major in sociology is not a prerequisite.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Entry terms (spring, summer or fall) vary by programme and are listed on each programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. An applicant may have active applications in only one entry term at a time.

Application deadlines vary by programme and are listed on the programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. Applications are submitted through the Graduate School application portal. The application fee is $75 US, non-refundable, payable by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or debit/ATM; international applicants pay an extra $6 processing fee. Up to three programmes in the same entry term can be applied to for one application fee.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/

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