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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Department of

Sociology

Graduate Resources

 

The Sociology Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is an active research department comprised of 19 faculty members and 45 graduate students. One of the oldest sociology departments west of the Mississippi River, the department has a long history of excellence since the first sociology course was offered in 1884. The program offers students unique opportunities to work with a strong group of active research scholars, both in the classroom and in individual research projects.

 

Resources and Facilities for Research Training

  • Faculty/graduate student study groups in the areas of Family, Social Inequalities, and Health/Mental Health. Each study group organizes a bi-weekly brown bag series that provides faculty and graduate students an opportunity to discuss their research and the central issues in their fields in an informal setting.
  • Major data sets provide students with opportunities to do independent or collaborative research. The department conducts an on-going national panel study of families and statewide panel studies concerned with mental health, drugs, and other topics. We also have major data sets collected elsewhere, e.g., the National Survey of Families and Households, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, General Social Surveys, and AddHealth. Excellent computer support services are available to students.
  • Outstanding survey research and statistics/methodology training. The Bureau of Sociological Research uses state-of-the-art computer technology to conduct dozens of survey projects each year. Students may gain hands-on experience by participating in these projects or may use these facilities to field their own research. A linkage to the Gallup Research Center and cross-listed courses from the M.A. and Ph.D. program in Survey Research and Methodology provide additional training opportunities.
  • Training in field work and support for qualitative research, including video equipment, transcription machines and analysis software including QSR NUD*IST, ETHNOGRAPH, and ATLAS/ti.
  • Strong support for individual and collaborative research by graduate students. Partial funding is available for students giving papers at regional and national meetings.

 

Resources for Learning

  • A diverse group of faculty and graduate students that exemplifies and welcomes diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation.
  • A collegial, responsive, and supportive environment for learning enhanced by a low student-to-faculty ratio, graduate students and faculty with offices in the same building, and over 90% of graduate students with funding.
  • A department library that carries 18 of the top journals, a computer in every graduate student office plus a computer lab.

Resources for Teacher Training The Department of Sociology recently received a major University-wide departmental teaching award to honor our commitment to strong classroom teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level and our strong program of teacher preparation at the graduate level. This program includes:

  • Required course on preparing for college teaching. The course covers nuts and bolts issues such as syllabi and planning, but also pedagogy, multimedia technology, and teaching critical thinking.
  • An elective one-year course in the Preparing Future Faculty program that allows students who intend to teach in smaller colleges or universities to get hands-on experience by mentoring with sociologists who teach in these schools.

 

Funding

All graduate student applications are automatically considered for funding and over 90% of the students we accept for full-time work are funded. Most funding is in the form of a graduate teaching assistantship, which entails teaching one course each semester. Students may also receive research assistantships that are supported by faculty grants or university or national fellowships. In recent years, students also have been supported by the American Sociological Association Minority Fellowship Program, the Ford Foundation, and Fulbright Scholarships. Academic year funding includes full remission of tuition and fees (including out-of-state tuition), health insurance (click on the link to learn more about health insurance), and a stipend beginning at $13000.

 

The Community

Lincoln is a smaller metropolitan area with 235,000 people. It is home to state government, a large insurance industry, The Gallup Organization, and agri business. It offers readily available employment opportunities for partners and spouses, good public schools, and a low cost of living. Latinos, African Americans, and Asians total approximately 10% of Lincoln's population, and the university has growing ties to each of these community groups.