Stanford undergraduates, regardless of undergraduate major, who wish to pursue an M.A. in Sociology may apply for the coterminal master’s program. The coterminal M.A. in Sociology is a flexible, self-designed program. Most students complete their M.A. in a fifth year at Stanford; occasionally students are able to complete their B.A. and coterminal M.A. in the fourth year.
Requirements
Coterminal M.A. students are required to take 45 units of course work during their graduate career; 8 courses must be Sociology courses. All units for the coterminal M.A. must be taken at or above the 100 level; advanced-level course work is encouraged and a minimum of 20 units must be taken at the 200 level. Students who wish to take courses outside the department must seek prior approval from the Sociology student services office; coterminal master’s students are limited to 5 units from outside of the department; outside courses must be taken in other Social Science departments. Students may transfer a maximum of 10 units from their undergraduate career; to be eligible for transfer, courses must have been taken in the two quarters preceding admission to the M.A. program. Courses cannot be transferred after a student's BA has been conferred. All units applied to the coterminal master’s degree must be taken for a letter grade, and an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or better is required for the degree. Because research methods are an important component of graduate training in the social sciences, coterminal students are encouraged to take SOC 180A Foundations of Social Research, and SOC 180B Introduction to Data Analysis, in sequence when possible. These methods courses provide skills for research opportunities within the department and in academic or professional careers. Coterminal M.A. students should meet with their assigned faculty adviser upon acceptance to the program.
How to Apply
Stanford undergraduates must be admitted to the program and enrolled as a graduate student for at least one quarter prior to their B.A. conferral. A cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 in previous undergraduate work is required for admission; GRE test scores are required. It is highly recommended that applicants have completed at least one Sociology course at the 100 level with a grade of ‘B’ or better. The department accepts applications once a year; the application deadline is January 15th for admission in the Spring quarter immediately following. There are no exceptions to this deadline. All application materials are submitted on-line. The department does not fund coterminal M.A. students. To apply for admission to the Sociology coterminal M.A. program, students must submit the on-line coterminal application which should include the following:
- Transcript: Official Stanford transcript is requeted and submitted throught the on-line application. Please do not request an official transcript from the Registrar's Office.
- Statement of Purpose
- Letters of Recommendation: 2 letters of recommendation are required and should come from Stanford faculty.
- GRE scores: Official GRE scores are required and must be reported direclty to Stanford from Educational Testing Service (ETS). Stanford's ETS institutional code is: 4704; an individual department code number is not necessary. Please be sure to list Stanford University as a Score Recipient in addition to listing it as your Graduate Institution (GI).
Course Transfer Policy
