Academic Program Requirements & Required Courses

Required Courses

A total of four courses are required to complete the certificate program. A grade of a “B” or higher must be earned in the four required courses for the certificate. A prerequisite for all courses is admission to the certificate program or the M.A. program in Applied Sociology. Other prerequisites may apply for individual courses.

SOCY 600: Research Methodology  (3.00)
This course is designed to advance graduate students’ knowledge of the modes of inquiry in the social sciences and to familiarize them with research methods and techniques.
Prerequisite: An undergraduate course in statistics in any department in any college.
This course is offered in the fall semester.

SOCY 604: Statistical Analysis (3.00)
An introduction to the concepts and methods of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Bi-variate and multi-variate statistical techniques will be examined.
Prerequisite: SOCY 600
This course is offered in the spring semester.

Additional Course Requirements

Two three-credit graduate course in social research methods or statistics (choose two):

  • SOCY 608: Advanced Statistics (3.00)
  • SOCY 618: SAS for Social Scientists (3.00)
  • SOCY 619: Qualitative Methods in Social Research (3.00)
  • SOCY 680: Applied Sociology (3.00)
    This course focuses on the “practical side” of sociology: using sociological insights and research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative) in an applied setting to examine local social conditions and social organizations or programs that address them. The course prepares students to become “embedded sociologists,” who conduct change-oriented research in communities or organizations. Course content includes conceptualization of applied research projects, an introduction to community-based research, training and practice in various applied field methodologies, conducting an applied research project, and practice in communicating applied research results to local stakeholders.