Graduate Admissions

Introduction

The screening and selection of graduate students and the decisions regarding financial support for their studies are critically important tasks. Success in attracting the most qualified students has long range implications for the effectiveness of our program, the quality of our research and our impact on the profession. The constantly changing budgetary position of the Department as well as the changing job market for our graduates demand a flexible yet efficient set of procedures by which these critical decisions are made. The following procedures constitute Departmental and Sociology Program policy regarding admissions and financial awards for graduate students.

Deadlines

December 20	All application materials must be on file with the School of Graduate Studies in order to receive full consideration for admission and for potential assistantship and fellowship awards.
February 15	Initial commitments for assistantship or fellowship awards made by the Department. Accepted applicants not receiving commitment of financial support will be notified of their position on priority ranking of applicants.
April 15	Final date for notification of acceptance of financial aid made by the student to the department.

Admissions and Awards Committee

The Graduate Executive Committee of the Sociology Program functions as the Admissions and Awards committee, with the Director of Graduate Studies serving as chair. The responsibilities of this committee are as follows:

1. Make recommendations to the School of Graduate Studies regarding the admission of all incoming graduate students and, when necessary, prepare a ranking of students for awarding of financial aid to incoming and currently enrolled graduate students.
2. Establish a target number of new graduate students to be admitted to the MS and PhD programs each academic year and assist in recruitment of students.
3. Review the annual funding plan for incoming and continuing students prepared by the DGS.

General Policies

1. New graduate students will normally be admitted for Fall Semester only. First preference will be given to students completing their application file on or before December 20. A “late application deadline” of April 1 is utilized for possible admissions of qualified candidates who apply after the December date.
2. A limited number of waivers of the required application fee are available each year in cases of significant financial hardship. These waivers are granted at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies.
3. Graduate students entering the PhD program with a master’s degree from another institution will be required to complete a minimum of 51 graduate-level credits at USU. Those who have completed the MS degree in the USU sociology program must complete a minimum of 48 additional graduate-level credits. Students completing a master’s degree in the USU Sociology program who desire to pursue a PhD in the Sociology Program must make formal application to the PhD program.
   
   Applicants who have not completed the MS degree at Utah State should arrange to have all application materials (including the on-line application form, a letter of intent/statement of interest, three letters of reference, official transcripts for prior university-level work, official GRE scores (if applicable), official TOEFL or IELTS scores for most international applicants, and an example of written work) submitted via the School of Graduate Studies on-line application system by December 20. Late applications will be considered for admission until April 1, but may or may not be considered for full academic funding.
   
   Students who have completed or will complete the Sociology MS degree program at USU and who wish to be considered for continuation in the PhD program should submit a letter of intent and online application to the graduate school.
4. In most instances students who have completed only an undergraduate degree will be considered for admission to the MS program. Students initially admitted to the MS program may subsequently apply for admission to the PhD program when masters-level degree requirements are nearing completion or have been completed.
5. Exceptionally well-qualified applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree in Sociology or a closely-related social science discipline and who demonstrate outstanding potential for success in the pursuit of doctoral-level training may be considered for admission directly into the PhD program. Admission into the PhD program rather than the Master’s program at the time of entry will occur only for those applicants who specifically request such consideration, and who can demonstrate a record of consistently excellent performance in undergraduate coursework overall and sociology coursework specifically. If admitted to the PhD program at the time of entry, students will be required to complete a minimum of 69 graduate-level credits. Continuation in the PhD program past the second year of study is conditional upon successful completion of a Master’s degree.
6. The decision to grant admission to an applicant will normally be made only on the basis of a complete file. Files lacking key information such as English-language test scores, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. will not be reviewed until all required information has been received or explicitly waived.
7. Criteria for Admission Evaluation:
   1. Grades achieved in previous work, with more weight assigned to the last two years of undergraduate work and to any existing graduate work. Particular emphasis is placed on grades in Sociology and other social science courses.
   2. Three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant's accomplishments and potential for success in graduate school.
   3. Evidence of strong writing ability, as evidenced by a submitted example of the applicant’s written work.
   4. TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for international applicants, with a minimum TOEFL score of 100 (internet-based test) or a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 (and minimum score of 5 on each subscale) deemed acceptable by the Program. International students with a prior degree from an English- speaking university in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Europe are exempted from the TOEFL or IELTS exam.
   5. Evidence of commitment to, and a clear rationale for pursuing, a graduate degree with a focus consistent with the Program’s areas of specialization, as reflected in the candidate's statement of educational objectives and career plans.
   6. Ability of the Program to provide training in the areas in which the student has expressed interest.
   7. GRE scores may be provided as part of the application if the applicant feels that they strengthen the overall application package, but are not required for admission.
   
   All of these criteria are examined carefully in evaluating a student’s acceptability for admission to the program. No single criterion is used as the primary determinant of the admission decision; in some cases students who show exceptional promise according to some of the criteria listed above may be recommended for admission even if they may fall short on one or more of the other criteria.
8. On the basis of a thorough evaluation of the application with respect to the above criteria the Program will recommend to the Vice-Provost for Graduate Studies whether an applicant should be: (a) admitted as a matriculated student; or (b) rejected. USU does not offer a “provisional” or “non-matriculated” admission option.
9. Official decisions on admission are made by the School of Graduate Studies. The DGS and/or Department Head typically send out the notice of acceptance decisions after approval of the School of Graduate Studies. Applications submitted for fall semester admission consideration received by the December 20 application deadline are generally reviewed as a group in early January with admission decisions announced between the end of January and early February. Files submitted at other times of the year are considered only if the current class if not yet filled and may not be reviewed un the following December.

Frequently Asked Questions

Application

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