Overview of the Sociology Graduate Programmes

The graduate programme in Sociology at NTU offers MA and PhD degrees by research. Candidates pursuing graduate degrees by research work closely with their supervisors toward a thesis on an approved topic and also take courses. Our graduate programmes are suitable for those pursuing careers in research and teaching.

Main areas of research

Cultural Sociology
Economic Sociology
Political Sociology
Social Inequality
Organisations
Globalisation
Development and Social Change
Migration
Science and Technology
Environmental Sociology
Media
Cities and Urban Life
Religion
Language
Deviance and Subcultures
Popular Culture
Social Psychology
Family
Gender and Sexuality
Tourism
Education
Sociology of Southeast Asia
Chinese Societies

Admission Requirements

For MA in Sociology by Research

• An undergraduate degree, preferably in a social science, especially sociology, from a recognised university. Note: Students with little or no prior sociological training may be granted admission conditional on their satisfactory completion of additional reading courses. Students in this category will therefore be required to submit additional documentation concerning their undergraduate training. This should include official syllabi from their previous training, bearing the signature or stamp of the relevant authority or institution. Letters of reference from previous instructors should also be supplied, detailing the character and scope of their undergraduate training in sociology or other relevant social-science fields. Students with no social-science background are unlikely to be admitted.
  
  
• A personal statement indicating your rationale for pursuing graduate training in sociology.
  
  
• A statement of proposed research area that refers to some specific set of empirical problems. This statement should include some discussion of the relevant social-scientific literature.
  
  
• Three sealed reference letters testifying to (1) your academic preparation, (2) your aptitude for research in sociology, and (3) your sound personal character and motivation to pursue a career in sociology.

For PhD in Sociology by Research

• A good Masters degree in sociology or a closely related field from a recognised university is preferred
  
  
• GRE General Test: The Division requires students to submit scores from GRE general test. Students may wish to submit scores from the GRE sociology test, but this is not compulsory.
  
  
• Candidates should include with their application a research proposal in which they outline what they intend to study and why they intend to do so, together with a sustained justification of their chosen methodology. This statement should include some discussion of the relevant social scientific literature. Length: up to 3,000 words.
  
  
• A copy of your Master's thesis or an equivalent sample of written work (e.g. papers, articles)
  
  
• Three sealed reference letters testifying to (1) your academic preparation, (2) your aptitude for research in sociology, and (3) your sound personal character and motivation to pursue a career in sociology
  

Coursework and Thesis Requirements

Master of Arts (by Research)

MA candidates are required to complete three courses and to submit a thesis. Two of the courses will focus on classical and contemporary sociological theory, and the third will focus on research methods.

Some MA candidates may be required to take additional methods courses at the discretion of their MA supervisor and depending on the nature of their proposed research. Candidates must complete any remaining coursework by the end of the second semester. They are expected to carry out their research, submit a thesis and pass an oral examination.

Doctor of Philosophy (by Research)

PhD candidates are required to complete six courses approved by their supervisors, to attend all designated events as instructed by their supervisors, to pass a confirmation exercise (at a stage between 1 and 2 years of beginning research), to submit a thesis of up to 85,000 words, and to take part in an oral defence of the thesis.

Assessment

Graduate sociology subjects at NTU are assessed through a combination of continuous assessment and exams. The core graduate courses (7001, 7002, 7003) have a 50/50 CA/Exam assessment structure. Consistent with PhD sociology programmes elsewhere, graduate electives are entirely based on term-paper and other continuous assessment marks.

Graduate Scholarships

Information on scholarships for NTU graduate studies is available here.You may contact the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, or the Division Secretary, for further funding possibilities.

Hours of Contact

Each graduate course is based on the standard semester calendar of 13 weeks/3 contact hours per week.

Graduate Courses

HS 7001 Classical Sociological Theory and Research
This course examines the theoretical foundations and research traditions of sociology as a discipline. In particular, the contributions of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber are discussed against the backdrop of the social and intellectual contexts of their times. The course considers these and other classical theorists' continuing relevance for the analysis of social change and the development of social theory. Examples of course themes include:

Students will take this course in their first semester.

HS 7002 Contemporary Sociological Theory and Research
Legacies of classical theory are critically reviewed in light of 20th century developments. New schools of social theory are examined. The syllabus centers on contributions of the following contemporary sociological theorists. Examples of course themes include:

Social Theory in the 20th century and beyond
The Social Theory and Research of Major Theorists:
e.g. Michel Foucault, Jürgen Habermas, Pierre Bourdieu

Additionally, students will consider contributions of other theorists from a secondary list according to the discretion of the faculty.

HS7003 Theory and Method in Social Research
The syllabus for this course will be determined by the individual faculty subject to the approval of the Division Head. It will focus on theoretical methods in social research; that is, the relationship between theory and data in the process of doing sociological research (Note: Some students may be required to take HS9910 in addition to or instead of this course). Course themes include: (1) Philosophy of Social Science, (2) The Logic of Social Research, (3) Applications of Social Research, (4) Research Design and Research Methods.

HS7101 Graduate Seminar: Economy and Society
'Economic man' is not an isolated individual but is embedded in networks of social relations. This course examines social aspects of economic life historically and in the contemporary context. Course themes include:

Further details of the syllabus will be dictated by the individual faculty subject to the approval of the Division Head.

HS7102 Graduate Seminar: Political Sociology
Power is a fundamental feature of social life, and it is manifested most obviously in the role of political institutions, especially in the modern nation-state. This course examines the nature and exercise of power and political control. In tracing the making of the modern state, it considers the ideological processes that legitimize political rule and government authority, especially in relation to nation-building and citizenship. Course themes include:

Further details of the syllabus will be dictated by the individual faculty subject to the approval of the Division Head.

HS7103 Graduate Seminar: Sociology of Cultures
Culture is transmitted by the institutions and processes of 'socialization' and is drawn into the social construction of personal and collective identities. The graduate seminar will be organized by the following themes: Identity and social change; Ideas, culture, and social change; Contemporary culture in sociological perspective; Culture and tradition in a global age

HS7104 Graduate Seminar: Social Organization
Social organization is a central feature of any society. This course engages different traditions of research in both the broader field of social organization and the narrower field or organizations. The latter is more specifically concerned with features of bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations and relations between organizations and their environments. This course examines theories and types of social organizations, especially in terms of hierarchy, control, authority, decision-making, and accountability.

HS7910 Special Topic: Advanced Quantitative Methods in Social Research
A PhD in sociology will require competence in advanced research methods. Students lacking necessary quantitative methods training will be required to take methods class prior to enrolling in HS9910.

This course (or equivalent) will equip students with analytic competencies necessary for completion of their masters or PhD research. The syllabus for this course will be determined by the individual faculty subject to the approval of the Division Head.

The two basic options for satisfying the methods requirement are:

Completion of guided reading on quantitative methods and philosophy of science within the Division of Sociology. Successful completion of a designated course in quantitative methods within NTU (NBS, psychology, economics)

Option one will be organized around the following themes: