Graduate http://sociology.la.psu.edu daily 1 2011-12-20T10:23:07Z Frequently Asked Questions http://sociology.la.psu.edu/graduate/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions 1. Do you have a master's program?

We do not offer a terminal masters degree. All of our students earn a masters degree as they fulfill the requirements for the Ph.D.

2. What GRE test should I take?

The General Test.

3. As an international applicant, what test or tests should I take?

The GRE (General Test) and TOEFL.

4. What is the average GRE score of students admitted to your program?

The vast majority of students admitted to the program score above 310 on the GRE (verbal and quantitative combined). Most students admitted to the program have GPAs above 3.7.

5. What is the cut-off point for GRE scores and GPA?

There is no cut-off. We weigh GRE scores and GPA against other qualifications and achievements.

6. How many are admitted to your program each year? How many apply?

The department will admit about 25 students each year to its graduate programs. About 175 students apply.

7. Can I apply to start in the winter or spring?

Because of the required course sequence, all incoming students must start in the fall.

8. I was an econ, French, English, etc...major. Can I apply? Is an undergraduate degree in sociology or criminology required?

Our programs are interdisciplinary; you can apply with any major. Most of our students have undergraduate degrees in sociology, psychology, political science, criminology, criminal justice, or education.

9. I will need financial aid. How does that work?

All students admitted to the program receive research assistantships or teaching assistantships. This funding package includes a stipend and a tuition waiver. We also have a strong record of providing summer support.

10. Are there funds available outside of the standard funding package?

Yes, for those with outstanding qualifications and/or achievements. See the Penn State Graduate School for more information:http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/prospective/

11. How and when does the department make admissions decisions?

Admissions decisions are made by a committee of faculty and advanced graduate students. Most admissions decisions are made by the end of February.

12. Can I transfer credits that I've taken in another graduate program?

Yes. Transfer requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

13. What if I am admitted and then want to delay entering the program?

Although most students start immediately, a delayed admission is possible. Such requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

14. When do you need to know whether or not I will attend?

By April 15.

15. How long does the program typically take?

Five years for those entering with a bachelors degree; four years for those entering with a masters degree.

16. What kind of jobs do people get with a Ph.D. from this program?

Most of our graduates obtain academic positions. Others work as researchers in government agencies, in the private sector, and for think tanks and nonprofits.

]]> No publisher admin Link Farm Graduate 2011-08-30T19:35:00Z Page How to Apply http://sociology.la.psu.edu/graduate/how-to-apply/how-to-apply Degree Admission

Degree admission is granted jointly by the Graduate School and the graduate program. Each program has its own procedures for evaluating applications. An applicant must apply for admission to a particular program of study. Applicants may apply to only one graduate program at a time. The Graduate School will not consider concurrent applications for admission to more than one program and does not act upon an application without a program's recommendation.

Please note:

  • U.S. applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution to apply for admission.
  • International applicants must have a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree to apply for admission. This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates.
  • You may only apply to one graduate program and campus at a time.
  • If you currently hold a doctorate, you are not encouraged to apply for a second doctorate.

Degree Application Process

Applying for graduate admission is a two step process. Applications must be submitted to the Graduate School and the program. When the Graduate School receives your degree application, your information will be made available to the program to which you are applying. The program reviews your program application and supporting documents and makes a recommendation to the Graduate School. Upon receiving the nonrefundable application fee and a recommendation from the program, the Graduate School reviews your file to verify that the minimum admission requirements have been met. The Graduate School does not act on your application without a recommendation from the program. Questions regarding the completeness or status of your application should be directed to the program.

Applications are accepted from September 1st to January 10th for admission the following fall semester. Selection is based on transcripts, three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic performance, a statement of goals, a sample of written work such as a term paper or thesis, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. International applicants must also submit TOEFL scores. Please do not submit information with your application that cannot be used in the admission decision process, e.g. Individual Education Plans (IEPs), medical records, statements from physicians or psychologists, or legal documents. Such information will be returned.

The Graduate School Online Application

  • For general information, click on how to apply.
  • When you are ready to begin the application process, click on the Graduate School Admissions and Information Portal
  • Three letters of recommendation are required for admission. Your references will be contacted electronically to complete a recommendation for you.  In addition, they should either copy and paste a formal letter of recommendation into the comments section of the electronic form OR mail a formal letter directly to the program.  The mailing address is given below.
  • A personal statement and at least one writing sample should be uploaded when completing the online application.

Materials Sent Directly To The Department

  • Demography Program Application:  If you wish to apply to the dual-degree program in Sociology and Demography, please also complete a brief supplemental dual-degree program application. Send the Sociology and Demography Dual-Degree Program Application to the address given below.
  • Transcripts:  Transcript Request Form.   (Two official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended, both undergraduate and graduate, are required.  International applicants must submit official or attested university records, with certified translations if the records are not in English. )
  • Official GRE and TOEFL (International Applicants Only) scores should be sent directly to the department at the address given below. The GRE Subject Test is not required.
]]> No publisher admin Link Farm Graduate 2011-08-30T19:40:00Z Page On the Job Market http://sociology.la.psu.edu/graduate/on-the-job-market Graduate students currently on the job market. No publisher clt16 Link Farm Graduate 2012-01-19T14:20:00Z Collection The Graduate Program in Crime, Law and Justice http://sociology.la.psu.edu/graduate/programs/crime-law-and-justice/the-graduate-program-in-crime-law-and-justice-1

Penn State's Crime, Law, and Justice graduate program is one of the nation's top programs in criminology and criminal justice. During the last four academic years alone, our students have won five national paper competitions, three nationally competitive dissertation fellowships, and two competitive pre-doctoral fellowships from the National Consortium on Violence Research. These accomplishments demonstrate the high-quality advanced education that we offer to students interested in careers involving research, teaching, and scholarship.

The graduate program provides training in theory, methods, statistics, and substantive issues related to crime and its control. For students with strong interests in methodology and statistics, we also offer a graduate certificate in quantitative crime, law and justice. Related departments (such as political science, psychology, economics, history, and statistics) provide a wide range of graduate courses of interest to Crime, Law and Justice students.

Our program is unique. Like the best graduate programs in the country, we possess a large faculty with specialized expertise in criminology and criminal justice. Unlike those departments, however, we possess a strong theoretical and methodological foundation due to our close relationship with an outstanding sociology program. Indeed, because we are part of Penn State's prestigious Department of Sociology and Crime, Law and Justice, our students can receive Ph.D.s in sociology and pursue careers as sociologists. Moreover, because we are also an interdisciplinary program incorporating a broad range of perspectives on criminology and crime and justice, our students can receive Ph.D.'s in crime, law, and justice while obtaining a top-quality education from a major research university.

John Kramer, Professor of Sociology and Crime, Law and Justice.Research

Faculty members are conducting research on a wide range of topics in criminology and crime, law,
and justice, including: justice system decision making (such as sentencing); relations of gender, race, and age to crime; violence and victimization; violence and mental disorder, criminal careers; organized crime; deterrence; communities and crime; juvenile delinquency; and evaluation of programs and policies in the justice system.

Faculty research has been or is supported by funding from the National Institute of Justice, the National Institute of Mental Health, The Ford Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Faculty

Faculty members have authored or edited many books, including: Social and Psychological Consequences of Violent Victimization, Violence and Gender Reexamined, Rethinking Risk Assessment: The MacArthur Study of Mental Disorder and Violence, Social Worlds of Sentencing, The American Prison, The Cycle of Juvenile Justice, The Fence, Poisoning for Profit: The Mafia and Toxic Waste Disposal in America, Motivation and Delinquency, Interpersonal Violent Behaviors: Social and Cultural Aspects, After the Crime: Victim Decision Making, and Personality and Peer Influence in Juvenile Corrections.

Faculty have published articles in the leading journals in the field, including American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Criminology, the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Criminology and Public Policy, Justice Quarterly, Law and Society Review, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Violence and Victims, Social Forces, Criminal Justice and Behavior, and Law and Human Behavior.

Program Requirements

The Crime, Law, and Justice program is limited to full-time students who intend to pursue the Ph.D. and who are interested in graduate training that emphasizes research, teaching and scholarship. Admission is highly selective. Six to eight new students enter the program each year, ensuring that students have close interaction with the faculty. All students receive financial aid.

Master's Degree

The M.A. program is intended for students who plan to go on to pursue a Ph.D. Over 30 credits of course work and a master’s thesis are required for the master’s degree. This course work includes four 500-level methods courses: two in statistical methods, one in general research methods, and one in research methods for crime, law, and justice; a crime theory course; a course on the criminal justice system; a seminar covering a range of sociological topics; and at least two 500-level substantive crime, law, and justice courses. Finally, the Graduate School requires that M.A. candidates complete 6 thesis credits. These are earned while the student writes his or her M.A. thesis.

Doctoral Degree

Doctoral students must complete all courses required for the M.A. degree or their equivalents. In addition, they must take at least four 500-level courses in crime, law, and justice and a 1-credit lab in teaching.

Doctoral students must also select, in consultation with their advisory committees, 12 credits of course work outside the Crime, Law, and Justice program. This concentration must consist of 500-level courses that provide a solid grounding in a social science discipline that can be applied to the study of crime, law, or justice. Examples would include urban sociology, social psychology, human development, and American government institutions, among many other possibilities.

All Ph.D. candidates must pass a comprehensive exam and complete a high quality scholarly dissertation.

The Crime, Law, and Justice program has no formal foreign language or communication requirement.

]]> No publisher clt16 Link Farm Graduate 2012-01-30T15:20:00Z Collection The Graduate Program in Sociology http://sociology.la.psu.edu/graduate/programs/soc/the-graduate-program-in-sociology

During a typical year, between 50 and 55 students are engaged in full-time graduate training in sociology at Penn State. Those working toward the M.A. must complete 36 credits, including at least one course in theory, three in statistics and methods, and a breadth requirement. Students occasionally enroll in larger classes, but most of their course work takes place in seminars with six to twelve members. A thesis prepared in journal-article format is required for the M.A. as well.

The Graduate Program in Sociology

Once the M.A. has been received (generally at the end of the second year), the emphasis of the program shifts to building competence in major and minor specialty areas. Doctoral students typically specialize in our areas of major strength, including:

 

Penn State also offers the unique opportunity for students to earn a Dual-Title Ph.D. in Sociology and Demography. Students in any area of specialization may earn a Certificate in Quantitative Methods or a Certificate in Survey Methodology. Formal graduate minors in Social Thought, Women's Studies, and other disciplines are also available.

Certification in the Sociology major and minor specialty areas is achieved by taking additional courses, passing a comprehensive examination, and writing a doctoral thesis on a topic relevant to the major area. Students are expected to defend the thesis and complete requirements for the Ph.D. by the end of the fifth year.

Beyond formal training, our program offers numerous chances to sharpen practical skills. For example, students with an M.A. who have taken the teaching workshop (required for the Ph.D.) may solo-teach undergraduate courses in the department. Many also take the department's seminar on writing for publication. And all students are encouraged to collaborate with faculty on research projects, participate in colloquia, and develop papers for presentation at professional meetings and submission to scholarly journals.

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