Guide to the Graduate Program

This document describes the procedures and expectations of the Graduate Program in the Department of Sociology. These Guidelines supplement the requirements published in the Graduate Catalog of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Students are advised to study the requirements set forth in that document as well as the Sociology Guidelines. Keep in mind that the final responsibility for following all policies and meeting all requirements and deadlines for graduate programs rests with the student. 

Students are subject to the Guidelines in force at the time they begin course work. Procedures may be changed or modified during the year. Consequently, careful attention should be given to the departmental communications as they are circulated. If the Guidelines change during their program, students may elect to follow subsequent revisions or modifications of the Guidelines.

Goals of a Sociology Graduate Education

The Sociology graduate program aims to equip students with the following knowledge, skills, and values. The procedures and expectations described throughout the rest of this document are designed to reach these goals.

Knowledge

• Foundational: An understanding of the foundational theory and methods within the discipline. 
• Substantive Specialty: Depth of knowledge within a substantive specialty area of the discipline. An area of expertise within a field in which the student is aware of the debates among scholars, where their research fits, and the gaps in the literature. 
• Breadth: A breadth of substantive knowledge across the discipline, providing the ability to discuss the discipline more broadly and converse with other sociologists not in one’s area of study.
• Interdisciplinary: Understanding of how the discipline of sociology interacts with other disciplines outside of the student’s primary area of substantive research focus. 

Skills

• Comprehension: The ability to read the academic literature within the student’s substantive research interest area, the wider discipline of sociology, and work in other disciplines that overlap with the student’s primary substantive interest areas. 
• Original Research: The ability to develop ideas for and propose original research along with the methodological skills necessary to carry out a research project, including proficiency in qualitative and advanced quantitative data analysis techniques.
• Communication: The ability to communicate to a diverse audience both within and outside of the discipline of sociology. Effectively communicate one’s research ideas and express their value and significance in presentations (oral and poster) and academic writings (e.g., research proposals and empirical manuscripts). 
• Teaching: The ability to fully develop undergraduate courses by writing a syllabus, creating lesson plans, developing instructive assignments, and managing the classroom. Having a strong teaching philosophy statement that corresponds to classroom practices.

Values

• Professional Engagement: Understanding the importance of engaging key sociology professional associations (e.g., ASA, SSSP, MSS) as well as interdisciplinary associations closely related to the student’s substantive specialty area of research focus (e.g., NCFR, PAA, ASC, SRA). 
• Collaboration: The need to establish strong collaborative connections as well as establishing clear role expectations within these relationships. Prior to leaving graduate school develop a network of actual or potential coauthors while bringing in a clear independent contribution to any group research project. 
• Mentoring: Recognition that developing cultural capital and attaining career aspirations must come from more than just the advisor/advisee relationship to also include the entire supervisory committee and near peers (i.e., other graduate students).
• Governance: Recognizing the importance of faculty governance by exercising leadership skills and being a good citizen in service to the department, university and discipline. 
• Ethics: Ethical conduct of research and accurate reporting of research findings. Having an attitude of respect toward your students and sustaining a fair and impartial classroom, while enforcing high standards of academic integrity.

Research Areas 

Core Areas of Emphasis

Many Faculty concentrate their research on one of these four core areas (with sub-areas noted).

Health

• Physical Health
• Mental Health
• Health Disparities
• Behavioral Health

Inequalities and Institutions

• Race 
• Class
• Gender
• Sexuality
• Religion

Research Methods

• Quantitative Data Analysis
• Survey Methodologies
• Qualitative Methods

Additional Areas of Faculty Expertise

At least one faculty concentrates their research in these areas. These areas may change in response to the composition of the faculty.

• Crime and Deviance
• Demography
• Family
• Homelessness
• Social Movements
• Social Psychology
• Sociology of Media
• Sociology of Religion

Interdisciplinary Program Specializations

UNL offers many specializations and/or minors to accompany a sociology M.A. and/or Ph.D. Specializations will connect graduate students to faculty outside of the sociology department. Students apply to specialization programs after admission to the UNL sociology graduate program. Many of UNL’s sociology graduate students apply to:

• Women's and Gender Studies Program
• Institute for Ethnic Studies 
• Environmental Studies

Graduate Courses

For all SOCI classes, the department maintains a regular course rotation for: a) the core graduate-only seminars, b) the 400/800 courses, and c) the 900-level substantive graduate-only seminars. The course rotation schedule is available upon request and is subject to change depending on faculty availability and student interest/enrollment. The course rotation principles include: (1) regular rotation of seminars in the department’s core areas of emphasis, (2) rotation of seminars in the additional areas of faculty expertise, as possible, and (3) requests from graduate students regarding their program needs and interests. The department does not set the course schedule for courses listed with a department designation other than sociology. 

Core Graduate-Only Coursework 

These courses fulfill requirements for the M.A. or Ph.D. program.

• SOCI 862. Basic Regression Analysis 
• SOCI 867. Advanced Regression Analysis
• SOCI 864. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory
• SOCI 863. Advanced Social Research Methods 
• SOCI 995a. Teaching Sociology
• SOCI 995b. Graduate Study and Careers (1-credit)
• SOCI 995d. Publications

Substantive 400/800 Sociology Coursework

These classes are combined graduate and undergraduate courses. 

• SOCI 835. Mass Communication
• SOCI 842. Personality and Social Structure 
• SOCI 843. Sociology of Mental Health
• SOCI 844. Population Dynamics
• SOCI 849. Perspectives on Families 
• SOCI 852: Sociology of Religion
• SOCI 854: Physical Health Disparities (cross-listed with ETHN)
• SOCI 860. Education and Society
• PSYC 871. Human Sexuality and Society (cross-listed with Sociology)
• SOCI 874. Sociology of Deviance and Social Control
• NRES 875. Water Quality Strategy (cross-listed with Sociology)
• ANTH 878. Pro-seminar in Latin American Studies (cross-listed with Sociology)
• SOCI 880. Social Inequality: Stratification and Life Chances 
• SOCI 881. Minority Groups (cross-listed with ETHN)
• SOCI 882. Sociology of Leadership
• SOCI 883. Political Sociology
• SOCI 886. Sociology of Gender
• SOCI 892. Special Topics in Sociology

Substantive Sociology 900-Level Graduate-Only Coursework

The topic of these seminars may vary each time they are offered. Thus, students are allowed to take up nine hours under each seminar number.

• SOCI 901. Seminar in Sociological Theory 
• SOCI 903. Seminar in Health
• SOCI 904. Seminar in Family
• SOCI 905. Seminar in Stratification, Class, and Inequality 
• SOCI 906. Seminar in Race and Ethnicity
• SOCI 907. Seminar in Sex and Gender 
• SOCI 998. Special Topics Seminar

Additional Methods Coursework

Courses labeled below with an asterisk (*) are not graduate-only seminars.

• SOCI 807. Strategies of Social Research: Qualitative Methods *
• SOCI 865. Survey Design and Analysis*
• SOCI 902. Seminar in Research Methods 
• PSYC 947. Questionnaire Design (cross-listed with Sociology)

Non-Coursework Credits

SOCI 897. Field Work in Sociology

Students may enroll for 1 to 6 credit hours. This course is designed to allow graduate students to apply the concepts and methods of sociology while working for public agencies, non-profit groups, or businesses. Their work may be as paid employees or as volunteer interns. Students wishing to take SOCI 897 hours must complete a brief form describing the nature of the work, obtain approval from the Graduate Chair, and file the form in the Sociology office prior to enrolling. 

SOCI 899. Master’s Thesis

Students may sign up for a maximum of 10 credit hours for work on their master’s thesis during the regular academic year. However, only 6 hours of M.A. thesis credit may be applied to the Ph.D. program. 

SOCI 996. Research Other Than Thesis/Dissertation

These credits entail independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. To be effective, the faculty member and graduate student must negotiate a set of written guidelines for the work to be completed with these hours. A written agreement must clearly articulate (but need not be limited to): a) the graduate student’s goals, b) expectations that the faculty member and graduate student have about their separate responsibilities (e.g., division of labor, monthly meetings, written work, feedback, and so forth), c) a timeline for when the work will be completed, and d) the grade type for the credits (i.e., pass/fail or letter grade) as well as how a grade will be determined. Students wishing to take 996 hours must complete a brief form, obtain approval from the Graduate Chair, and file the form and written agreement with the Sociology office prior to enrolling. Students should consult with their advisors or committees before taking 996 hours. 

SOCI 999. Doctoral Dissertation

Students are required to have a minimum of 12 doctoral dissertation credits in their Program of Study.

Procedures for the Master of Arts Degree in Sociology

The minimal requirements for the M.A. degree consist of: a) completing 24 hours of graduate coursework, b) meeting a distribution requirement, c) submitting a Memorandum of Courses and forming an M.A. thesis committee d) preparing and defending a M.A. thesis (for which six to ten additional hours of credit are given). At least one-half of the credits presented for the M.A. must be in the Department of Sociology. The work required for the M.A. degree is expected to be completed in two years but must be completed in five consecutive calendar years. The steps in obtaining the M.A. degree are outlined below.

Core Curriculum Requirements

1. Students must pass SOCI 995b (Graduate Study and Careers) during their first year. In the first two years of the program (full and part-time) students must also pass SOCI 864 (Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory), SOCI 862 (Basic Regression Analysis), SOCI 863 (Advanced Social Research Methods), SOCI 867 (Advanced Regression Analysis), and SOCI 995a (Teaching Sociology) as part of the 24 hours of course requirements. The minimal acceptable grade for any credits at the 800 or 900 levels is a "B" (i.e., a grade of B- or lower does not meet this requirement). Credits completed with an unacceptable grade may not be used as part of the 31 credits required in a Memorandum of Courses (see below).

Six hours of coursework credits must be earned in sociology (i.e., registered with SOCI) graduate-only 900-level seminars. Core requirements (i.e., 995a, 995b), SOCI 996, and other non-coursework credit hours, may not be used for this requirement. In the second year of study, M.A. students are required to enroll in a minimum of three hours of graduate-only 900-level sociology seminars.

If students are unable to finish the required work for a course, excluding thesis credits, in the time period specified for the course (usually a semester) due to illness, military service, hardship, or death in the immediate family, they may request an “Incomplete” (I). These are given at the discretion of the professor and will be given only if the student has substantially completed the major requirements of the course (i.e., about 80% of course requirements). Should a student receive an incomplete, the work must be completed within a period of six months. If this is not done, the professor has the option of giving the student a failing grade, extending the time for completing the required work, or referring the case to the Graduate Committee for a decision.

1. Students are required to have a minimum of 6 thesis credits (SOCI 899) and may only count a maximum of 10 thesis credits toward their M.A. degree. 

Distribution Requirement

Each candidate for the M.A. degree must successfully pass one sociology course at the 800 or 900 level in each of the three core areas listed below:

• Health
• Inequalities and Institutions
• Methods

A single course may not be used for more than one area. Students must take three different courses with each attributed to a single area to meet the distribution requirement. Students have the option to request approval from the Graduate Chair to allocate a course that may fall under more than one area to their preferred area. The distribution requirement may not be satisfied through enrollment in SOCI 996 hours or required theory and methods courses. The Graduate Chair will determine if the courses offered under special topics count toward fulfilling the distribution requirement and, if so, which area(s) they fall under. 

Thesis and Degree Requirements

Students should select one willing faculty member in the Department of Sociology to serve as a Thesis Advisor. Students should then complete their Memorandum of Course form in consultation with their advisor. The Memorandum of Courses must be submitted to Graduate Studies during the semester in which a student will have accumulated a total of 15 hours of graduate credit. Students should also work with their Thesis Advisor to select two additional willing faculty members in the Department of Sociology to serve as committee members.

Under the guidance of their advisor, a student writes a master’s thesis. Although most theses should be written along the lines of a journal article, others may require greater length. 

There are several forms/items that must be filed with Graduate Studies in succession and with set deadlines in order to graduate in a specific term (see Graduate Studies website for all forms, procedures, and deadlines). Students are responsible for checking and meeting the Graduate College’s requirements and submission deadlines. This will require coordination and communication between the student and their thesis advisor. The thesis advisor, not the student, decides whether and when the thesis is of sufficient quality to schedule a final examination (i.e., oral defense), which will help determine if/when a student becomes eligible for graduation. Students should check with their advisor ahead of time to ensure that their understanding of where they are in the process and expectations regarding timing of events matches that of their advisor. The defense and graduation process will not be expedited for employment start dates, planned family travel for a graduation ceremony, or other personal circumstances. Rather, it is determined by completion of the thesis as judged by the thesis advisor and examining committee. To aid students in planning and meeting Graduate Studies requirements, advisors should be open and transparent with students about their progress toward graduation, remaining work to be done, and expectations.

An Application for Graduation must be submitted to Graduate Studies via MyRED at the beginning of the semester in which the student plans to graduate. 

Upon receiving approval of the thesis and abstract from the thesis advisor and prior to the oral defense of the thesis, the student must submit a Final Examination Report form to Graduate Studies. Students should work with office staff to route this form through DocuSign for needed signatures and submission to Graduate Studies. At this point in the process, this form informs Graduate Studies of the scheduling of the final examination and membership of the examining committee. 

Shortly after submitting the Final Examination Report form, the student must submit a rough draft of the thesis to Graduate Studies for formatting review. Students should check the Graduate Studies website for deadlines and submission instructions for the Final Examination Report form and rough thesis draft. 

Students must provide a copy of the thesis to all examining committee members at least three weeks prior to the scheduled oral defense to allow sufficient time for committee members to review the thesis. If the thesis advisor and examining committee members approve, students then proceed to the oral defense. The thesis advisor will advise the student about the format and requirements of the defense proceedings as these can vary across advisors. 

Upon passing the oral defense, the student may be required to make additional changes to the thesis. Once all changes are completed and approved by the advisor and committee, the student should work with the office staff to route the Final Examination Report form to committee members for final signatures and re-submit it to Graduate Studies being sure to comply with Graduate Studies deadlines.

Students should then upload their final thesis to UNL Digital Commons, submit the upload confirmation email to Graduate Studies, and pay the deposit fee as described on the Graduate Studies website.

Department on Campus Presence and Participation Expectations

M.A. students are expected to be present on campus during their M.A. program in its entirety for all classwork, GRA/GTA purposes, master thesis work, and departmental activities (e.g. colloquium talks, department meetings). Students should regularly attend and actively engage in department activities as these activities are central to training, professionalization, and the intellectual community in the department. To accomplish department goals, students present on campus and actively engaging in department activities will have higher funding priority in the department.

Students should take advantage of professional development and training opportunities offered outside the department as much as possible (e.g., Graduate Studies, Center for Transformative Teaching).

Procedures for the Ph.D. Degree in Sociology

The minimal requirements for the Ph.D. degree consist of: a) completing 90 credits of graduate courses with a minimum of 45 credits being coursework with an acceptable grade, b) meeting the residency requirement - see Graduate Studies website, c) forming a supervisory committee and submitting a Program of Studies, d) submitting a teaching experience and portfolio, e) passing one written comprehensive examination in a core content area, and f) preparing and defending a doctoral dissertation. At least one half of the credits presented for the Ph.D. must be in the Department of Sociology. The work required for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within eight consecutive calendar years of filing the student’s program of studies (see below) in Graduate Studies.

Core Curriculum Requirements

1. Students receiving the Ph.D. must complete the courses required for the M.A. (i.e., SOCI 862, 863, 864, 867, 995a, and 995b). For those who did not complete an M.A. in the department, SOCI 995a must be completed within the first two years of the Ph.D. program and SOCI 995b must be completed within the first year of the Ph.D. program. In addition to the M.A. course requirements, Ph.D. students must pass SOCI 995d (Publications), and one 800 or 900 level methods course beyond the required M.A. methods courses. The minimal acceptable grade for any credits at the 800 or 900 levels is a "B" (i.e., a grade of B- or lower does not meet this requirement). Credits completed with an unacceptable grade may not be used as part of the 90 credits required in a Program of Studies.

• Those entering with a M.A. degree from another institution are expected to take the required M.A. courses (except 995a) in their first year in the program. Students entering with an M.A. may request a waiver from specific course requirements. Waiver requests are due to the Graduate Chair at least four weeks prior to the beginning of the semester in which the course is being offered. Students requesting a waiver are required to provide various documents demonstrating the student’s mastery of the subject material. The Graduate Chair in consultation with faculty instructors of the requested course to be waived will deny or accept the waiver request. Students will be informed of the Graduate Chair’s decision no later than the week before classes start. 
  1. A minimum of 21 credits must be substantive 900-level sociology seminars. Students may not use non-coursework credit hours (e.g., 996) or professional development courses (e.g., 995d) to fulfill this requirement. 
     1. Full-time students must take at least one sociology seminar every semester until they have successfully defended their dissertation proposal (i.e., achieved candidacy). Part-time students should have a conversation with the graduate chair about this requirement.
     2. If students are unable to finish the required work for a course, excluding dissertation credits, in the time period specified for the course (usually a semester) due to illness, military service, hardship, or death in the immediate family, they may request an “Incomplete (I)” These are given at the discretion of the professor and will be given only if the student has substantially completed the major requirements of the course (i.e., about 80% of course requirements). Should a student receive an incomplete, the work must be completed within a period of six months. If this is not done, the professor has the option of giving the student a failing grade, extending the time for completing the required work, or referring the case to the Graduate Committee for a decision.
     3. A maximum of 45 non-coursework credit hours may be accumulated in a student’s Program of Study. Students, however, may not count more than six hours of M.A. thesis credits (SOCI 899) or more than nine hours of independent study credits (SOCI 996) in their Program of Study. Students are restricted from taking more than 6 hours of dissertation credits (SOCI 999) until they have successfully defended their dissertation proposal. Students are required to have a minimum of 12 doctoral dissertation credits in their Program of Study (SOCI 999).

Residency Requirement 

See the Graduate Studies website for more information.

Supervisory Committee and the Program of Studies

Prior to the formation of a Supervisory Committee, the student's program will be planned on a semester-to-semester basis in consultation with the Graduate Chair. Students in their first year will also be assigned one or more faculty as pro-tem advisors. Pro-tem advisors are temporary advisors who provide students with general mentoring serve as a resource students can draw on in their first year while they get to know the program and the department. 

Following admission to the Ph.D. program, the student should, as soon as possible, select a willing chair for the Supervisory Committee. The Supervisory Chair, in consultation with the student, forms a Supervisory Committee. 

• The Supervisory Committee must consist of at least four Nebraska University graduate faculty. 
• At least three Sociology graduate faculty must be on the committee.
• At least one Supervisory Committee member must be external to the Sociology Department.

The student submits the Appointment of Supervisory Committee form to Graduate Studies prior to completing one half of the doctoral coursework. For most students, this equates to 45 credits, including M.A. and transfer credits. 

Once the Supervisory Committee is established and approved and in the same semester that committee is established, the student and Supervisory Chair in consultation with the Supervisory Committee develop a Program of Studies. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they have planned a Program of Studies that conforms to all curriculum requirements. It is the supervisory committee’s task to approve the Program of Studies. When the Program of Studies form is ready for signatures, the student should work with office staff to route it for electronic signatures and to submit the completed form to Graduate Studies. After a Program of Studies is filed with Graduate Studies, the Supervisory Committee must approve any subsequent changes to the Program of Studies. Once approved, the changes are submitted to Graduate Studies by the Graduate Chair.

If a student will be submitting the Appointment of Supervisory Committee and Program of Studies forms after completing 45 credit hours, the Supervisory Chair needs to contact the Doctoral Programs Specialist in Graduate Studies before filing the paperwork and request an exception from having to complete more than 90 credits for the Program of Studies. 

After the Supervisory Committee has been constituted, the Committee has the primary responsibility for working with the student on their program. The Supervisory Committee may require a student to take any course which the Committee believes necessary for the student's successful completion of the Ph.D. program. This may include one or more research skills, including a foreign language. If applicable, it is the Supervisory Committee's responsibility to evaluate all transfer credit from other institutions or programs. 

The Supervisory Committee will meet with the student on a regular basis. The Supervisory Committee Chair will review and sign off on the student’s annual progress report (see below). 

Teaching Experience and Portfolio

Ph.D. students are required to obtain a significant teaching experience during their program as part of their overall professional development. For the vast majority of students, this will entail being the instructor of record for at least one class taught in the Sociology Department at UNL (fall, spring, or summer term). Before students teach as the instructor of record for a course, they must complete SOCI 995a, a 3-credit hour course on teaching development. In special circumstances, the teaching requirement may be fulfilled by working under the supervision of a faculty member for one academic year (two semesters) as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). The teaching requirement may be waived for part-time or unfunded students upon request to the Graduate Chair. The Graduate Chair, in consultation with the Graduate Committee and the student’s Supervisory Committee, decides if a waiver is granted or alternative assignment from being instructor of record may be pursued. 

To fully complete this requirement, students must submit a teaching portfolio for review and approval by their Supervisory Committee (excluding the outside committee member) and the Graduate Chair. Students are strongly encouraged to submit a Teaching Portfolio at the time of their 4^th year review; however, it must be submitted to the Supervisory Committee for review at least two weeks before the date of the Oral Dissertation Examination and approved by the Supervisory Committee (excluding the outside member) on or before the date of the Oral Dissertation Examination. Upon approval by the Supervisory Committee, the Portfolio is sent to the Graduate Chair for final approval. The following components must be included in the Teaching Portfolio to demonstrate the student’s ability to develop, teach, and reflect on an undergraduate course:

• teaching philosophy statement (not more than 4 pages)
• sample of one course syllabus as well as example assignments or tests
• summary of the student’s quantitative and qualitative evaluations for all courses taught at UNL
• a letter written by the Supervisory Chair or Committee Member evaluating the student’s teaching abilities based on a review of teaching materials and an observation of a class (the observation can be for either an in-person or online class)

Comprehensive Exam

Along with completing required coursework, the student must pass a comprehensive examination. Students who enter the program with an MA typically start the comprehensive exam process in the Fall of their 2^nd year in the PhD program. Students who enter the program with a BA typically start the comprehensive exam process in the Fall of their 3^rd year in the program (i.e. the Fall of their 1^st year in the PhD program). 

Structure and Goal of the Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive exam will take the form of a literature review article covering one subfield or large topic within a subfield in sociology. Similar to review articles in Sociology Compass, the Annual Review of Sociology, or “Decade in Review” articles such as those in the Journal of Marriage and Family, the comprehensive exam should be in the style of a journal article that is about 30 pages long (~10k words, excluding bibliography). The goal of the review article is for students to demonstrate a thorough understanding of a particular subfield in sociology, sufficient to develop an independent research project that would contribute to the subfield. Students will also demonstrate skills gained in developing arguments, making substantive connections, and learning to write in a clear, effective manner.

Ideally the review article will be submitted to a journal for publication, but that is not a requirement of the exam.

Prerequisites

Comprehensive exams may not be submitted before completion of the M.A., and core theory and research methods courses, except with the permission of the Graduate Committee.

Students are strongly encouraged (but not required) to complete appropriate coursework prior to developing their exam topic and reading list. Students are encouraged to take a minimum of one graduate-level course in the substantive area of the review article prior to submitting the exam.

Establishing the Comprehensive Exam Committee

The comprehensive exam committee is comprised of three members, a Chair and two Readers. Students must ask a Sociology faculty member to serve as Chair; faculty members are not required to accept this request. Students should ask an alternative faculty member to be Chair if their initial choice is unavailable. The Chair can, but need not, be the same as the student’s Supervisory Chair.

The Graduate Chair assigns the two Readers based on substantive expertise, as well as other factors (such as equitable division of labor among faculty). Faculty may be asked to grade exams as a general reader, even if they are not experts in the subfield of the review piece. Most likely, the grading committee will not be the same as the student’s Supervisory Committee; it is instead designed to represent the faculty as a whole. 

Committee and Student Responsibilities

The Comprehensive Exam Committee is responsible for (1) helping the student select an appropriate subfield, giving input on the development of the reading list that sets the scope for the review article, and giving feedback on the outline of the review article; (2) approving the students’ topic, reading list, and outline; and (3) grading the actual exam.

The student must have the approval of the Comprehensive Exam Committee on the topic of the article, the reading list, and the outline. The student is ultimately responsible for all of the content, writing and ideas of the article. Students may consult with the Comprehensive Exam Committee to discuss the readings on their reading list. However, the Comprehensive Exam Committee will not give feedback on students’ writing. Students may seek writing help from institutional resources, such as the UNL Writing Center, and may also seek writing help from graduate student peers. Individuals other than the student are not, however, allowed to directly contribute to (i.e., write) the review article. Students are not permitted to plagiarize any material from other sources, including review articles from current or past graduate students.

Steps to Completing the Exam

Comprehensive exams are offered once every academic year in August. Students should expect to submit the review article on the Monday that is one week prior to the start of classes for the semester, although the exact date will be set by the Graduate Chair.

Signing up for the exam

1. Each student needs to notify the Graduate Chair in writing of their intention to submit an exam by September 1 in the fall semester prior to their exam date (i.e., nearly one full year before the exam due date). This entails submitting a brief (1-page) description of the intended review article and the name of the Chair of the student’s Comprehensive Exam Committee to the Graduate Chair. By September 15, the Graduate Chair assigns the two Readers.

   1. Identifying and submitting the exam topic
      1. Creating and submitting the reading list
         1. Creating and submitting the outline
         2. Writing and submitting the exam
      2. Relationship of Exam Content to the M.A. Thesis and Ph.D. Dissertation

   Sections of the American Sociological Association (or a cognate professional organization) are a good starting point to identify subfields. Because subfields vary in how active they are, a subfield that is very research active such as Sex & Gender, Health, or Family might be too large and therefore the student needs to identify a topic within the field.

   Students need to identify a topic in which they have had deep enough training and there is at least one faculty member with subject matter expertise. Ideally students will have at least one seminar related to the comprehensive exam topic. Note that the review article is designed to be completed in 12 months (including the development of the reading list, outline, and writing the actual article). Focusing on a topic that emerges from coursework will facilitate this timeline.

   The Chair of the student’s Exam Committee must confirm with the Graduate Chair that the topic has been approved by the Committee.

   Students are expected to develop their own reading list appropriate for their subfield, but may draw on existing resources, such as course syllabi or reference lists from published articles. The reading list should include approximately 75 articles, books, etc., although this will vary from exam to exam. It is the responsibility of the student to develop the reading list, with input from the Comprehensive Exam Committee.

   Students must then submit their reading list to the Graduate Chair. The due date for the reading list will be November 1 in the fall semester prior to their exam date. The reading list must then be approved by the Comprehensive Exam Committee by December 1. The Comprehensive Exam Committee can approve the list with no additional changes or ask for revisions to the submitted list (e.g., adding specific readings). If changes are requested, they must be requested by November 15. The student must send a final, updated reading list to the Graduate Chair by December 15. The updated list should incorporate all requested changes.

   The student should then submit an outline of their article to the Committee by March 1 in the spring semester prior to their exam date. By April 1, the Committee will provide feedback and request changes to the outline. The student must send a revised outline that incorporates all requested changes by April 15. The Committee will then approve the outline by May 1, and the student will submit the final outline to the Graduate Chair by May 15. 

   The student should then write and submit their review article. The exact due date for the exam will be set by the Graduate Chair, but students should plan for a due date on or near Monday of the week prior to the start of fall semester classes.

   The review article needs to be more than a simple summary of the subfield; it needs to include a critical examination of prior research. Students need to develop and clearly describe their own argument about the major findings and ideas of the subfield, similar to published critical review articles. Focusing on contemporary scholarship, the review needs to describe foundational article/books, the broad evolution of the subfield/topic, recent controversies, debates and major findings, and an argument about where the field is and should be going. The review should include the major theoretical ideas, methods, assumptions and findings of the subfield. The review should also include specific empirical examples that illustrate the major theoretical ideas, methods, assumptions and findings of the subfield.

   The review article should be roughly 10,000 words (30-40 pages double-spaced), not including the reference list, using 1-inch margins and 12-inch Times New Roman font.

   Students must include proper citations for every article, book, etc. cited in the review article. This includes in-text citation and a reference list placed at the end of the article. The reference list must include all references used within the body of the review article. Any materials in the pre-approved reading list that were not used in the article should not be included. In contrast, sources used in the article that were not included in the original, approved reading list should be properly cited.

   Students must also include a short response letter to the Exam Committee, describing major differences between the final list of work cited and the reading list approved by the Exam Committee. It is expected that at least 80% of the readings in the preapproved list will be cited meaningfully in the review article. The response letter should include a list of all works in the approved reading list that were not cited in the review article, and a short description of why that set was not included.

   Students are expected to submit the exam (i.e., turn in the review article for evaluation) during the cycle for which they have registered for it. Failure to do so is counted as an automatic failure, unless it is due to special circumstances as determined by the Graduate Chair in consultation with the Graduate Committee. Requests for a waiver from an automatic failure must be submitted one month prior to the due date of the review, except in rare cases, as determined by the Graduate Chair.

The review article should be substantively different from a student’s M.A. thesis. Students are not permitted to directly use material from the M.A. thesis for the review article.

It is important to note that, while the specific subfield, reading list, and outline is determined by the Comprehensive Exam Committee and student, the review article must be broader than the intended dissertation topic and should be substantively different from a student’s dissertation proposal. As chairs will confirm, efforts to copy material directly from the review article into a dissertation proposal are strongly discouraged. 

Grading the Exam

The committee will review the article based upon the models provided by Sociology Compass articles in terms of the style, organization, depth, clarity, synthesis, critical analyses, and suggestions for relevant future research ideas. Therefore, students should closely study and model Sociology Compass articles. The committee will also review the article based on the department rubric. 

The Comprehensive Exam Committee members will receive the exam at the same time but may not consult with one another regarding their initial assessment. Within three weeks, the committee will meet and provide an assessment of the student’s review article. They must also reach agreement on an overall evaluation of pass or fail. The Comprehensive Exam committee will provide feedback to the student on their review article and an overall pass or fail assessment. This final assessment should be reported to the Graduate Chair within four weeks from receipt of the review article.

The student will receive a letter from the Graduate Chair reporting the results and providing the grader comments with CC’s to the Supervisory Chair, Department Chair, and Comprehensive Exam Committee Chair. Copies of this letter, the graders' comments, and the examination will also be placed in the student’s file. 

Students are encouraged to discuss the comments and results with their Comprehensive Exam Committee Chair. Students who receive a failing grade should take the comments of the committee into consideration and revise their review article, with the expectations that the revised review article will be submitted no later than the next exam period (e.g., no later than the following August). Students are not expected to ‘start over’ in a new area, but should revise the original submission, given the comments of the Exam Committee. The grading committee can, but need not, be the same as in the original attempt. The Graduate Chair will begin the process of degree termination for any student failing to pass the comprehensive exam on the second attempt, in accordance with Graduate Studies guidelines and UNL policies.

Summary Table of Comprehensive Exam Due Dates

Procedures for Comprehensive Exam Grade Appeals

If a student believes the comprehensive exam was not graded according to Graduate Program Guideline procedures, or that the grade was inappropriate for some other reason, the student should meet with the Comprehensive Exam Committee to present their evidence and discuss the disagreement in detail. Both the Exam Committee and the student are obligated to try to resolve their differences. If the student is not satisfied with the final committee decision, he/she may appeal to the Graduate Chair. At any time in the process, a student can move to a Graduate College appeals process. This process would follow established Graduate Studies policies for appeal of grades.

Dissertation and Degree Requirements

There are several forms/items that must be filed with Graduate Studies in succession and with set deadlines in order to graduate in a specific term (see Graduate Studies website for all forms, procedures, and exact deadlines). Students are responsible for checking and meeting the Graduate College's requirements and submission deadlines. This will require coordination and communication between the student, their chair, and the supervisory committee because the chair and the committee, not the student, decides whether and when the dissertation is of sufficient quality to schedule a final examination (i.e., oral defense), which will help determine if/when a student becomes eligible for graduation. Students should check with their supervisory chair ahead of time to ensure that their understanding of where they are in the process and expectations regarding timing of events matches those of the supervisory chair and committee. The defense and graduation process will not be expedited for employment start dates, planned family travel for a graduation ceremony, or other personal circumstances. Rather, it is determined by completion of the dissertation as judged by the supervisory chair and committee. To aid students in planning and meeting Graduate Studies requirements, Chairs and committees should be open and transparent with students about their progress toward graduation, remaining work to be done, and expectations.

An Application for Graduation form must be submitted by the student at the beginning of the term in which they plan to graduate. 

Dissertation Proposal and Defense

The student must submit a fully developed dissertation proposal and be prepared to defend the proposal as a contribution to knowledge. The purpose of the proposal is to provide a detailed explanation of the student’s proposed dissertation research so that their committee can evaluate the quality and feasibility of the work. Thus, dissertation proposals generally contain a statement of purpose and importance of the work, a review of relevant literature, a theoretical construct to be tested (where relevant), a discussion of the data or materials to be examined, and a specific outline of the planned analysis. Including a proposed timeline for the dissertation work can also be helpful for both students and committee members. 

The department does not have a specific required length. Students should work with their supervisory chair because the final length (and amount of detail or depth required) will be dictated by a combination of considerations. Among other things, these will include the nature and complexity of the proposed project and Supervisory Chair discretion about what is needed to maximize 1) student learning and 2) the likelihood of success with the dissertation. Students may also consult past proposals as examples, but in doing so, should work with their advisor to make sure the examples are suitable.

Because dissertations are specific to the student, the project, and the supervisory chair and committee, there will be variation in proposal requirements across students. Students should be aware that there are pros and cons to both less and more detailed proposals. Less detailed proposals can often be completed quicker but leave more work to be done in the dissertation and can leave the student with less guidance about how to move forward and what will ultimately be expected in the dissertation. This may be appropriate for some students (depending on their skills, abilities, and areas for growth) or some projects (depending on their nature and methods) but not for others. More detailed proposals often take longer to complete but give the student a bigger head start on writing the actual dissertation and provide a clearer road map for completing the dissertation. Again, this model may be appropriate for some students or some projects but not for others. 

Ultimately, the requirements of the proposal are at the discretion of the supervisory chair. Students should consult their supervisory chair about expectations early in the proposal writing process and seek feedback throughout the process as needed to strengthen the proposal and maximize personal learning throughout the process.

Copies of the student's dissertation proposal will be distributed to the members of the Supervisory Committee at such time as the Supervisory Chair decides the proposal is ready to be defended. The defense is to be held at the earliest convenience of the Supervisory Committee, but no later than four working weeks (excluding summer months) after the proposal is submitted to the committee for review. Although they can work on a shorter timeline if they are able, Supervisory Committee members should be given at least two weeks before the defense to read the proposal.

The defense of the dissertation proposal is an oral examination during which the student must defend the theoretical perspective and methodology of the proposal and any other substantive questions related to the proposal raised by the Supervisory Committee. Immediately following the oral examination of the proposal, the committee shall reach one of the following conclusions:

• Pass, the student may begin work on the dissertation as proposed.
  • Pass, the student may begin working on the dissertation following the completion of additional requirements (e.g., revision in the research design) determined by the supervisory committee.
    • Unacceptable, but the student will be allowed to submit another proposal.
      • Unacceptable, the student's program status will be reviewed by the Supervisory Committee in consultation with the Graduate Committee.

Admission to Candidacy 

After all requirements set by the Supervisory Committee in connection with the oral defense of the dissertation proposal have been satisfied (and Comprehensive Exam passed), the Supervisory Committee will recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies that the student be admitted to Candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree. For this process, the student should complete the Application for Admission to Candidacy form and work with office staff to route it through DocuSign for needed signatures and submission to Graduate Studies. This will normally occur immediately after the student has passed the oral defense of the dissertation proposal. Once candidacy is achieved, the student must register for a minimum of one-credit each semester (fall and spring) until they graduate. 

Doctoral Dissertation and Oral Examination 

The dissertation is of no fixed length. It should advance or modify existing knowledge by treating new material, finding new results, drawing new conclusions, or interpreting old material in a new light. 

The final draft of the dissertation and abstract must be submitted to the Supervisory Chair. Following approval by the Supervisory Chair, the dissertation and abstract should be submitted to two readers (two other Sociology faculty members on the Supervisory Committee). The readers should be given at least three weeks to review the dissertation. If the Supervisory Chair and two readers assess that the student is ready to proceed with an oral defense, the student should identify a suitable date and time for the oral defense that is agreed upon by all Supervisory Committee members and then complete the Application for Final Oral Examination form. The student should work with office staff to obtain the signatures of the Supervisory Chair and two readers by DocuSign and to submit the form to Graduate Studies. The Application for Final Oral Examination form must be filed at least two weeks before the scheduled defense (see Grad Studies website for deadlines). A rough draft dissertation should be submitted to Graduate Studies for document review at the same time.

The final oral examination is an integral part of the requirements for the Ph.D. All students must pass a final oral examination before being recommended for the degree. The examination consists of the defense of the dissertation and any other substantive questions relating to the field brought up by the Supervisory Committee. Once the final oral examination is scheduled, the student should inform the main office for department calendaring and tracking purposes. If the student would like the department to be invited to the defense, they should notify the main office of this desire as well. In that case, office staff will announce the event and invite all members of the department to attend. Students may invite additional friends or family at their discretion. Passing the Final Oral Examination is determined by a vote of the Supervisory Committee. Per Graduate Studies policy, a student passes if the committee agrees unanimously that they have passed or if only one member dissents. If more than one member of the committee dissents, the student fails to pass the exam. Supervisory Committee members record their pass/fail assessment by signing the Doctoral Report of Completion form. It is the student’s responsibility to bring this paperwork to the oral defense or to work with office staff to have it circulated for electronic signature immediately thereafter (see Graduate Studies website). The student should then submit the form along with the dissertation abstract to Graduate Studies, following Graduate Studies procedures. 

Administrative Procedures for Depositing the Dissertation

Students are responsible for checking and meeting the Graduate College's requirements for depositing the dissertation after the final oral examination has been passed. Graduate Studies will send students final instructions and a checklist after they submit an Application for Final Oral Examination. It is the student’s responsibility to follow all these final instructions and meet all deadlines. 

Time Limits

The time limit on granting the Ph.D. is eight years from the time of filing the student's Program of Studies in the Office of Graduate Studies. Extension may be requested from the Office of Graduate Studies. If all work for the Ph.D. is not completed within three years from the time of admission to Candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, the student will be required to retake the Comprehensive Examinations. All coursework expires after 10 years and would need to be retaken to count on the Program of Studies.

If a student has a break of two or more years in their graduate program (not continuously enrolled) prior to taking a comprehensive exam, they will default to the current graduate guidelines for curriculum requirements and comprehensive exam procedures. 

Department on Campus Presence and Participation Expectations

Students are expected to be on campus during their Ph.D. program for all classwork, comprehensive examinations, GRA/GTA purposes, dissertation proposal defense, dissertation defense, and departmental activities (e.g. colloquium talks, department meetings). Students should regularly attend and actively engage in department activities as these activities are central to training, professionalization, and the intellectual community in the department. 

After passing the comprehensive exam and defending the dissertation proposal, the student is considered ABD (all but dissertation). In rare situations, students may request to not be on campus after reaching ABD status but must make this request in writing and receive approval in writing from (1) their dissertation committee chair(s), (2) the Graduate Chair, and (3) the Department Chair. In this case, if the student is eligible for funding and funds are available, funding will only be provided if the department has available a work assignment that can be completed by the student remotely and that meets department needs. To facilitate department planning and thus increase the likelihood of a suitable work assignment being available, students who desire funding and who plan to request approval to be off campus should do so with as much lead time as possible. 

To accomplish department goals, students present on campus and actively engaging in department activities will have higher funding priority in the department. 

Students should take advantage of professional development and training opportunities offered outside the department as much as possible (e.g., Graduate Studies, Center for Transformative Teaching).

Graduate Student Reviews

In the spring semester of each year in the program, graduate students will undergo an annual review. For this review, the student will complete the Graduate Student Progress Report. This form-based report summarizes the student’s progress and activities from the prior year in the program (or from the first semester for first-year students). It is completed using the standardized report form and requires a signature and funding recommendation from the student’s Thesis Advisor or Supervisory Chair. For any students who do not yet have a supervising faculty member (e.g. students in the first year of the program), the Graduate Chair will provide the approving signature. The student will submit the Progress Report along with their CV and teaching evaluations. In addition, the Graduate Committee will solicit feedback from the student’s course instructors and, if applicable, assistantship supervisors. The Thesis Advisors of 2^nd year M.A. students who wish to continue into the Ph.D. program will write a letter to the Graduate Committee about the likelihood of their success in the Ph.D. program.

In their 2nd and 4th years in the Ph.D. program, students will also undergo a more formal and intensive review guided by the student’s Supervisory Chair. Supervisory Committees may, at their discretion, schedule additional reviews of this type in subsequent years. 

The Comprehensive Review will start with the student creating a review file that summarizes their program progress and professional development. The first draft of the review file should be reviewed by the student’s Supervisory Committee Chair. A full meeting of the Supervisory Committee with the student will then be held to provide feedback on the review file and discuss future goals. Participation of outside members of the committee in this process is optional. The Supervisory Chair will then write an evaluation letter to the Graduate Chair. The evaluation letter will be based upon the contents of the review file and the associated committee meeting. It will contain a summary of the Supervisory Chair’s and the committee’s assessment of the student’s progress and accomplishments and an assessment of the student’s overall potential for completing the degree program. The evaluation letter will be sent to the Chair of the Graduate Committee with a copy to the student. A copy will also be placed in the student’s file. The student will submit their review file along with their Student Progress Report.

To assess program progress and performance, the Graduate Committee will review all student- and faculty-submitted student review materials each spring semester. This includes annual review materials and, when applicable, the more extensive materials developed for the 2nd and 4th year Ph.D. student reviews. The Graduate Committee will assess whether a student is making satisfactory program progress. Examples of unsatisfactory program progress or performance include, but are not limited to: 

• consistently low or unacceptable (i.e., B- or lower) grades
• carrying one or more “Incompletes” for more than one semester
• specific to students on assistantship:
• poor performance in assistantship duties, especially if there is no improvement after receiving feedback
• specific to M.A. students (part-time students should adjust these guidelines accordingly):
• failure to successfully complete core required classes in the first year of study 
• failure to identify a thesis by the end of the first spring semester
• failure to file a Memorandum of Courses by the second-year fall semester
• failure to complete their degree in 2 years 
• specific to Ph.D. students
• failure to identify a dissertation topic after one year in the Ph.D. program
• failure to establish a Supervisory Committee and file a Program of Studies before completing 45 credits (coursework and non-coursework) 
• failure to register for a comprehensive exam prior to completing 50 hours of coursework credits
• failing a comprehensive exam and not following the resubmission guidelines
• failure to defend a dissertation proposal before completing 75 credits (coursework and non-coursework) 
• taking more than two years to complete the dissertation after passing the oral dissertation proposal defense
• failure to regularly attend and actively engage in department professional activities such as colloquia and department meetings
• failure to submit materials for the graduate student review

Upon completion of the review, the Graduate Committee will reach one of the following decisions for the student’s program status: a) permit the student to continue degree work, b) place the student on academic probation, c) allow the student to finish a terminal M.A. degree, but deny admission into or drop them from the Ph.D. program, or d) terminate the student from the program without completing degree work. The Graduate Committee will also determine a funding recommendation (see below). The Graduate Chair will prepare a letter for each student informing them of the assessment of their progress and funding recommendation for the coming academic year. This letter will be sent to the student with a copy to the Department Chair, Vice Chair, and the Thesis Advisor or Supervisory Chair. A copy of this letter will be placed in the student's file.

Students may appeal the Graduate Committee program status decision to the Graduate Chair. The appeal must be in writing within three weeks of receiving the review letter from the Graduate Committee. The appeal may only be based on an introduction of new information not originally considered by the Graduate Committee and/or a lack of due process. Following a meeting to hear the appeal, the decision of the Graduate Committee to uphold or change its earlier decision will be communicated to the student in writing within two weeks. Students may appeal a Graduate Committee’s program termination decision to the UNL Graduate Council within the Graduate Studies Office.

Funding Recommendations

Based on the outcome of the student’s review, the Graduate Committee will make one of the following funding recommendations to the Department Chair and Vice Chair: a) continued funding, b) probationary funding, c) wait list for funding, or d) discontinue funding. Funding will be recommended for students making satisfactory progress in the program. A recommendation for wait list funding will be made for students who have overdue incompletes and/or issues with completing program requirements on a timely basis. Discontinued funding will be recommended for students with unsatisfactory program progress/performance or who show low promise toward completing their degree program. 

Conduct 

Academic Integrity

The Department of Sociology views academic misconduct by its graduate students as a serious breach of professional ethics with implications for the student's continuation in the Department and their future career in the discipline. 

Students are expected to meet the highest standards of professional conduct in their academic work. As an academic community, we abide by many rules such as identifying information sources, accurately and fully describing the methods and results of our research, and protecting the rights of the participants in our studies. Students are responsible for knowing all of the standards of academic integrity set forth in UNL’s Student Code of Conduct. Examples of academic misconduct include intentionally representing others' work as one's own (plagiarism), the fabrication or falsification of data, and cheating. 

Graduate students charged with academic misconduct have a right to due process. Therefore, the following policy will guide the actions of professors and graduate students involved in cases of alleged or proven academic misconduct.

When a faculty member suspects academic misconduct, by a graduate student in the Department of Sociology, they will inform the student of this fact in writing and request that the student arrange a meeting to discuss the issue(s) within two weeks (not counting summer and semester breaks and university holidays). Both the professor and the graduate student may consult with other persons (e.g., the Graduate Chair, the Department Chair). Professors and graduate students are advised that their rights and responsibilities in matters concerning academic misconduct are outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, the Graduate Guidelines of the Department of Sociology, the Regents Bylaws, or other documents.

At the meeting, the professor will outline the evidence supporting a suspicion of academic misconduct and the graduate student will have the opportunity to reply to the charge(s) and challenge the evidence. If the student admits to academic misconduct at the meeting or within a reasonable length of time (not to exceed two weeks) thereafter, the professor will implement any relevant syllabus policies and report the violation to Student Conduct and Community Standards and the Graduate Chair. The Graduate Chair will place the report in the student's departmental file. The student will have the opportunity to write a letter concerning the case. The student’s letter will be sent to the professor and the Graduate Chair, and the Graduate Chair will place it in the student’s departmental file. 

If the graduate student fails to contact the professor to arrange a meeting within two weeks or denies that they are guilty of academic misconduct, the professor may report a violation to Student Conduct and Community Standards. When filing the report, the professor should request to receive information about the outcome(s) related to the report. Student Conduct and Community Standards will investigate the charge(s) and determine the student's guilt or innocence according to institutional standards and procedures as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. If the student is found guilty of academic misconduct, the professor will forward the resulting notification to the Graduate Chair who will place a copy of it in the student's departmental file. The student will have the opportunity to write a letter concerning the case. The student’s letter will be sent to the professor and the Graduate Chair, and the Graduate Chair will place it in the student’s departmental file. Decisions of Student Conduct and Community Standards are not subject to review or appeal within the Department of Sociology. 

If it is determined, either by student admission or via the Student Conduct process, that a student committed academic misconduct, the professor may request review of the case by the Graduate Committee. Upon receiving a request from the professor, the Graduate Committee will review the case and may impose additional penalties, including suspension or termination from the Graduate Program. The Graduate Committee will consider whether the graduate student has previously been guilty of cases of academic misconduct, the seriousness of the offense (e.g., failing to provide proper citation to sources, claiming a paper purchased from an individual or business as one's own work, fabricating research results), the nature of the work (e.g., a course paper, a comprehensive exam, a thesis or dissertation) and other factors in reaching its decision. The Graduate Committee will review written materials concerning the case and may ask the professor and/or student to appear at a meeting to answer questions. Students may appeal penalties invoked by the Graduate Committee to the UNL Graduate Council.

Both faculty members and graduate students are reminded that the process described in the above paragraphs is confidential until cases are resolved.

If a graduate student is employed as a graduate teaching or research assistant through the Department of Sociology at the time of suspension or expulsion from the Graduate Program for academic misconduct, they will be allowed to complete the duties of the employment contract through the end of the current semester or summer session. However, the student will be ineligible to receive any financial support, including but not limited to assistantships, fellowships, awards, and scholarships, previously awarded or committed by the Department for a future semester or summer session until the end of the suspension or expulsion. At this point, students may be considered for funding along with new students and current students without commitments for funding. A graduate student expelled for academic misconduct may not be considered for readmission to the Graduate Program of the Department of Sociology for five academic years from the time of their expulsion.

Professional Conduct

Professional behavior is essential to the functioning and success of the department and the university and to graduate student success. Thus, in addition to acting with academic integrity, graduate students are expected to act with a high level of professionalism in all university and professional roles they hold (e.g., student, mentor, supervisor, instructor, employee, colleague, etc.), with all members of the campus and professional community, and any time they are representing the department or university (i.e., on campus but also at community and professional events). To meet this expectation, students must abide by the standards and guidelines established in the following resources:

• The Student Code of Conduct 
• Guidelines for Good Practice in Graduate Education 
• The American Sociological Association Code of Ethics 
• Any professional code of conduct governing specific workshops, conferences, or other professional events students attend related to their professional development and graduate education or in which by their participation they are representing the department, the university, or the profession of sociology.

Breaches of expectations for professional behavior may be reported to the Graduate Committee and considered during annual evaluations and when determining if a student is making adequate progress. In serious cases, professionalism breaches may result in more immediate and severe consequences such as, but not limited to, changes in assistantship work assignments, termination of assistantship funding, and/or termination from the program.

Funding

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are generally awarded by the Department Chair at the recommendation of the Graduate Committee upon admission into the graduate program when entering as a full-time student. Graduate assistantships are offered for a maximum of one year only. Students entering with a bachelor’s degree are typically eligible for renewal of assistantship funding for five years (two years for completing the master’s degree and an additional three years to complete the Ph.D.). Students entering with a master’s degree in Sociology are typically eligible for renewal of assistantship funding for four years to complete the Ph.D. Additional years of renewal eligibility may be awarded to students who show significant merit. Renewal of assistantships is contingent on availability of funds in the department and satisfactory student performance in both the graduate program and in fulfilling assistantship duties. Unsatisfactory performance in the graduate program or in the performance of assistantship duties is grounds for early termination or non-renewal of a student’s assistantship. 

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA) are generally associated with a grant project supervised by a faculty member. Individual faculty members with the grant make these hiring decisions. Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) are appointed by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Department. Specific assignments are made in consultation with the Graduate Chair. Some GTAs assist faculty members in large courses, while others, who must hold the master’s degree, are eligible to teach their own courses if the department has need for instructors. 

Satisfactory Performance in Assistantship Duties

Graduate students whose duties include research assistance or other tasks are expected to meet high performance standards. Students who do not meet satisfactory standards may have their funding withdrawn. A GRAs performance quality is assessed by the supervising faculty member. 

GTAs are also expected to meet high standards of teaching quality. GTAs who are the instructor of record for a course must (1) conform to the department course description for each course assigned; (2) prepare and distribute to students a syllabus in accordance with university and department standards; (3) carefully prepare for classes; (4) meet all in-person classes where and when scheduled and attend to all online classes in a regular and timely way throughout the semester; (5) set and keep regular office hours in accordance with department standards; (6) submit university- and department-required teaching evaluations, assessments (e.g., ACE), and final grades by established deadlines, and (7) provide class materials as requested by the department. Teaching quality will be assessed through standard teaching evaluation instruments, inspection of syllabi and class material, and possibly course observations. Unprofessional and unethical conduct in the classroom is grounds for dismissal from the program. Guidelines for the ethical practice of teaching are found in the UNL Professional Ethics Statement. Additional resources are the ASA Ethics Statement and in Teaching Norms and the ASA’s Code of Ethics (Bayer and Braxton, 2000, ASA Footnotes).

GTAs who are not the instructor of record themselves but are assisting the instructor of record will engage in work that aids the instructor in delivering a successful course. This may include compiling or preparing lessons or materials, leading class (on a limited basis) or class activities, attending class to observe or help in the classroom, holding office hours, grading, assisting students, and other tasks to support the course. Such GTAs are expected to follow the instructions from the instructor of record, produce high-quality and timely work, and comport themselves with the highest level of professionalism in conducting all work. Performance quality is assessed by the supervising faculty member. 

All students with assistantships are expected to be present and available to work throughout the entirety of their appointment. Assistantship appointment dates are stated in the assistantship offer letter and agreed to when a student signs that letter. Unless otherwise stated in the offer letter, assistantships begin one week before classes begin to allow for preparation for the semester and end one week after finals week to allow time for final grades and other assessments to be submitted. Students should plan their travel to and from Lincoln to comply with these dates; exceptions, including for remote work, will require students to notify and get approval from their supervisor(s). If students have not heard from their supervisor(s) with initial work assignments by start of the week before classes, they should reach out to their supervisor(s) for guidance.

Assistantship work is essential to the operation and success of the university and the department. Failure to complete this work at a high level of quality and with integrity can have significant and widespread consequences (e.g., jeopardized grant funding, derailed graduation for undergraduates, etc.). Thus, all students with assistantships are expected to maintain regular communication with their supervisor and to promptly alert their supervisor and/or the vice-chair or department chair if difficulties arise that interfere with their ability to complete their work. Prompt notification will allow the department to seek solutions that will help keep research and instruction on track. 

English Proficiency and Teaching Training for International Students

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has established a minimum level of English language proficiency for all international graduate students with instructional assignments. It is not designed to eliminate all speaking accents, but to outline a reasonable and defensible method of ensuring that all of our international Graduate Teaching Assistants will possess effective verbal communication skills. An international student who had to submit evidence of English proficiency to the Sociology Department (i.e., TOEFL scores) as part of their application packet may be required to take an English Language Test (ELT) and/or enroll in the Institute for International Teaching Assistants. 

The Sociology Department strongly encourages all incoming international students to attend the Institute for International Teaching Assistants as it provides a valuable source of teaching information and is a great way to meet other international students upon arrival in Lincoln. The institute entails a two-week intensive training program focusing on instructional strategies, classroom management and active learning, English pronunciation and intonation, and cross-cultural communication. The Graduate Chair will enroll all international students in this training program. International students who scored 28 or higher on the speaking section of the TOEFL can be waived from the institute’s final oral exam. International students with scores lower than 28 must be certified as "ready to teach" by a panel consisting of a faculty member from the candidate's department, an ESL rater, a faculty person from an unrelated department, a faculty person with teaching expertise, and an undergraduate student. Candidates present a 10-minute lesson on a topic within sociology. Candidates who demonstrate spoken English proficiency and the ability to present their topic in a clear and organized fashion are judged ready for a teaching assignment. International students who fail to be certified or score below 85 on an ELT test will be required to take English as a Second Language coursework in their initial semester at UNL (i.e., ENGL 887). ENGL 887 is a 3-credit hour course to build English communication skills, with an emphasis on writing essays and research papers. 

Assistantship Registration Requirements

Students with assistantships are encouraged to enroll for nine credit hours in each fall and spring semester in which they hold the assistantship. Students must inform the Graduate Chair when falling below nine credit hours in the fall or spring semester. Additionally, students are strongly encouraged to make sure they understand how taking fewer than nine credit hours will affect their visa (for international students) and financial aid. 

Funded Ph.D. students who have completed 90 credit hours on their Program of Study should register for one credit a semester until the term of their graduation. Ph.D. students registering for only one credit may need to fill out a form to attain a Certification of Full-Time Graduate Status (see Graduate Studies website for guidelines for registration during doctoral candidacy) to keep student loans in deferment and prevent paying FICA and Medicare taxes. In registering for one credit, student fees will drop but students will have to pay to use the recreation center and the health center and will have limited access to libraries. Student health insurance will be unaffected by registering for one credit. 

Other Funding Sources

Because outside funding strengthens the Graduate Program and makes students more competitive on the job market, students are strongly encouraged to seek alternative funding. Funding is available from external government agencies, like National Science Foundation, and within the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Office of Graduate Studies (see websites for more information). 

The Sociology Department is fortunate to be closely connected to the Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR). BOSR provides data collection assistance to academic faculty and graduate student researchers, state agencies, and other not-for-profit groups. BOSR services include telephone surveys, mail surveys, web surveys, focus group facilitation, personal interviewing, data coding, data entry, transcription, evaluation, report writing and other data collection techniques as needed by BOSR clientele. BOSR sometimes hires graduate students over the summer to assist with providing these services. 

Qualified students may also have opportunities to teach their own classes over the summer or to work for faculty as paid research assistants. 

Professional development opportunities like conferences and workshops are not required for the master’s or Ph.D. degrees but can be very important for career building. Generally, students have to cover the costs of professional development opportunities from outside the department. However, because these opportunities can be so impactful for student careers, when funds are available, the department will subsidize graduate student professional development. The department will provide information about levels of professional development support on a yearly basis as part of the department budgeting process. Students are strongly encouraged to seek alternative funding to support participation in professional development opportunities. Examples are travel support from Graduate Studies, travel funds from professional organizations, room share programs provided by some conferences, and discounts in exchange for volunteering at conferences. 

The Department also provides support to students over and above their assistantship stipend through a set of awards, fellowships, and travel funds supported by the generosity of financial donors and available department funds. Below is a list of types of awards that are available annually for sociology graduate students who demonstrate evidence of (or potential for) outstanding scholarship in research and/or teaching:

• Summer Research Support provides financial support directly to the student so they can focus on research (i.e. working on a thesis or dissertation, developing a paper for publication, or gaining work related research experience).
  • Awards provide financial support for specific research–related expenditures, such as data collection labor (e.g., coders) and materials (e.g., mailings, incentives), books, software, or other materials necessary for research. 
• Travel Support provides financial support to defray expenses incurred by graduate students traveling to scholarly, scientific, or professional conferences to present papers, posters, or other scholarly material; to engage in job market activities; or to network with colleagues/collaborators. Travel support can also provide funds to support those traveling for data collection or to research- or teaching-related training workshops.
  • Awards for Excellence recognize high-quality empirical research papers written by graduate students and high-quality work in teaching, instructional development, and working with undergraduate students.
  • The J. J. and Eleanor S. Ogle Dissertation Fellowship is a non-service fellowship (i.e., one that does not require TA or RA work) that supports students in their final year of graduate study to complete their dissertation research. 

Academic and Workplace Accommodations

Academic and employment accommodations for disability are handled at UNL through two separate processes and offices. Graduate students who feel they need academic accommodations due to disability or who would like a confidential discussion of academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disability. Academic accommodations apply to academic work (e.g., courses, exams, etc.). They do not apply to employee work (i.e., assistantship work). Graduate students who feel they need accommodations for their assistantship work due to a disability or who would like to discuss possible workplace accommodations that would fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact Faculty/Staff Disability Services within the Institutional Equity and Compliance Office. 

Both of these offices have procedures in place to collect needed documentation and formulate accommodation plans without sharing students’ or employees’ personal and private information with the department, thus protecting confidentiality.

Admissions

Prospective graduate students should begin the online application process by visiting the website for the Office of Graduate Studies.

Application Requirements

Applicants will need to fill out the online application and provide electronic copies of: 

• Official transcript of all college work (an unofficial transcript may be temporarily submitted)
• A statement of purpose explaining why you want to attend graduate school in Sociology, the research you hope to pursue, and an idea of which faculty you might work with.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
• A sample of the student’s written work
• International students for whom English is not their first language must also submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). We will only consider students who score at least 550 on the paper-based TOEFL (we prefer above 600 and a minimum of 50 for the writing section) or at least 81 on the internet-based TOEFL (we prefer above 100 with a minimum of 20 for the writing section). 

Students should submit their completed applications by early January for admission in the following fall semester. Mid-year admissions will be considered only under unusual circumstances. 

Program Deficiencies

Students are generally admitted on a full-standing basis, but in certain instances provisional status may be granted to students who show potential for graduate work but have deficiencies in previous coursework with an M.A. or in other admission criteria. In the case of admission with provisional status, the Graduate Committee will specify deficiencies that must be removed within a given time before the student is admitted to full standing. 

The Sociology Department expects all incoming graduate students, including those entering with an M.A. degree from another institution, to possess expertise in an undergraduate course in statistics. Students entering without adequate preparation should remove this deficiency as soon as possible. This can be accomplished by completing the requirements for Sociology 206 (SOCI 206: Introduction to Social Statistics). Ideally, this course is taken the summer prior to admission to the program. If necessary, a student may take this class in the fall of their first semester. In this instance, three hours of course credit in SOCI 996 may be counted as part of the expected 9-hour course load for a funded student but cannot be counted toward the hours required for either the M.A. or the Ph.D. degree.

All Ph.D. graduate students are expected to have completed a master’s thesis in Sociology. At their discretion the Graduate Chair may waive the requirement that the thesis be in the discipline of Sociology if the student’s master’s thesis was in a closely related discipline and is similar enough in nature and style to a sociology thesis to demonstrate that the student has developed master’s-level research and writing skills. Students should consult with the Graduate Chair for further details.

Graduate Student Organization and Participation 

Nebraska Association of Sociology Graduate Students

The Nebraska Association of Sociology Graduate Students (NASGS) is an organization consisting of all persons holding graduate standing in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nebraska­Lincoln. Its purpose is to serve, protect, and further the interests of its members and to act as a forum for discussing graduate student affairs, including university and departmental policies pertaining to graduate students. Officers of the organization are selected annually by majority vote of the members. The President presides over all meetings of the organization, is responsible for communication between the departmental faculty and the membership and serves, along with the Vice-President, as the organization's official representative to faculty meetings. The remaining officers of the organization include a Secretary/Treasurer and representatives to the department Graduate Committee, Undergraduate Committee, and Resources and Planning Committee. Other committees and working groups may be formulated and maintained by NASGS per its organizational bylaws.

Graduate Student Participation in Choosing New Faculty

The process for faculty hiring is governed by the department Bylaws. To ensure graduate student participation in choosing additions to the Department Faculty, graduate students or their representatives are involved at several points throughout the process. 

The department Bylaws specify that a graduate student will be selected by the department chair to serve as a full and equal participant on the department hiring search committee. The search committee advertises the position, solicits applications, does an initial review of applicants, and develops a recommended short list that the full faculty will then narrow and rank to produce the final short list of candidates to interview. The search committee also meets with each candidate who is interviewed and assists with the interview process.

After the search committee produces its recommended short list, the full faculty and a graduate student representative specially selected by students for the specific search (see below) will meet to discuss the applicants and finalize the short list of candidates to interview. In preparation for this meeting, the students will select a three-person committee, one of the three being a student member of the Search Committee, which will have complete access to the files on those applicants recommended by the Search Committee for consideration. This three-student committee will examine the files and give its report to NASGS. NASGS will then rank or rate those applicants, using the same procedure employed by individual faculty members. One student from this three-student committee will be selected by NASGS to represent the graduate students in the meeting where faculty finalize the short list and in additional faculty meetings in which prospective candidates are to be considered. NASGS should notify the department chair about who will serve as the student representative to ensure they are included in communications about relevant meetings. The department Bylaws specify that the student representative may cast one ballot in any votes taken related to selecting the candidate for the position. The student representative will have the right to vote only on matters directly related to the choice of specific candidates.

During the interview process, the department will give graduate students the opportunity to meet with the candidate(s). Students are also expected to attend any formal presentation made by the candidate both in order to give input into the hiring decision and for the professional development value of these events. 

After all candidates are interviewed, the graduate students will meet collectively to discuss the candidates, determine whether each candidate is qualified for hire or not, and determine a rank ordering of those candidates qualified for hire. The previously selected graduate student representative will attend and vote in the faculty meeting in which final decisions will be made as to whether to offer a position to a candidate and the order in which offers should be made if multiple candidates are deemed qualified for the position. The student will have one vote and will be bound by the rule of confidentiality. 

To maximize the likelihood of a successful hire when a hiring opportunity arises, some parts of the process often happen quickly and with less time to prepare before meetings than is customary for other items of business in the department. Graduate students should be prepared for this faster pace.

All graduate students who will participate in the search process, whether in an official role (e.g., search committee member or representative in faculty meetings) or in less official roles (e.g., meeting with the candidate) must have met the UNL requirement for search process training prior to any involvement in the process. Those who have not completed this training within the UNL-required time period should not participate. 

Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities

The Department of Sociology subscribes to the Graduate Studies Graduate and Professional Student Bill of Rights and strongly urges both graduate students and faculty to familiarize themselves with and follow the Guidelines for Good Practice in Graduate Education.

Grade Appeals

The departmental grade appeals process reflects guidelines provided by the Office of Graduate Studies. Legitimate grounds for a grade appeal exist “for students who believe that evaluation of their academic progress has been prejudiced or capricious” (UNL Graduate Council; March 9, 1993; amended August 16, 2018).

Please direct questions about the process outlined below and submit documents related to a formal appeal to the Graduate Chair in Sociology. 

Ad Hoc Grade Appeals Committee 

The Graduate Chair will convene an ad hoc Grade Appeals committee of three members from the Graduate Committee and the graduate student representative on the Graduate Committee to consider grading-related complaints by graduate students. In the case of a conflict of interest, members for the ad hoc committee will be selected from the graduate faculty or graduate student body by the Department Chair in consultation with the Graduate Chair. 

18. The ad hoc Grade Appeals Committee of the Department of Sociology has been established in accordance with the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, Chapter V, Section 5.3 (effective August 20, 1973).
    1. Scope of Inquiry: The ad hoc Grade Appeals Committee is charged with protecting graduate students from improper evaluation of their academic performance. The Committee will not undertake to resolve disputes about a student's knowledge of a particular subject matter. Its responsibility, rather, is to ensure due process in grading procedures through an examination of evidence and consultation with both parties. If the committee agrees to hear a formal grade appeal, it means there is reason to suspect that the student’s due process rights were denied in the grading process. Denial of due process may be argued under the following conditions.

• The instructor used capricious or prejudicial standards to evaluate the student's performance.
• The instructor failed to inform the student of the course-specific requirements, standards, objectives, and evaluation procedures at the beginning of the semester or prior to the assessment at issue in the grade appeal.

Grade Appeals Process

A graduate student wishing to appeal a grade can request a hearing before the ad hoc Grade Appeals Committee of the Department of Sociology. 

Before initiating the formal grade appeals process, students are required to seek a prompt resolution by contacting the instructor within 30 days of the posting of the grade report by the Office of the University Registrar. 

Students who are dissatisfied with the decision of the instructor should seek to resolve the matter with the department chair within the first four weeks of the semester. 

If unsuccessful, the student may then initiate the formal grade appeals process by submitting to the Graduate Chair a written statement of the grounds for appeal. This appeal must be filed within 60 days of the posting of the grade report by the Office of the University Registrar. The student’s statement should provide detailed information as outlined below. The student’s statement should be as specific as possible with respect to the evidence introduced, giving dates, places, and times where feasible. The statement needs to provide evidence that the student unsuccessfully attempted to resolve the case in consultation with the instructor prior to initiating the formal grade appeals process. The statement should not be a vehicle for unsubstantiated charges and will be key to the decision-making process of the Grade Appeals Committee.

Upon receiving the student's written statement and request to appeal a grade, the Graduate Chair will convene an ad hoc Grade Appeals Committee. In case the Graduate Chair has a conflict of interest, the Department Chair will designate an ad hoc Grade Appeals Committee Chair from the Graduate Committee, who will convene the committee and move forward. The Graduate Chair (or functional equivalent as outlined above) will forward the student’s statement to the Grade Appeals Committee and to the instructor involved. 

The Graduate Chair (or functional equivalent as outlined above) will request from the instructor all available documentary evidence (exams, term papers, grade books, etc.), which will be forwarded to the Grade Appeals Committee. 

Prior to reviewing the case, the Grade Appeals Committee may also request verbal or written clarification from either the student or the instructor. Upon examination of the case, the Grade Appeals Committee may take any of the following actions:

• It may reject the case. In that case, the committee’s decision letter will provide a rationale for rejecting the case.
• It may refer the case back to the instructor, with the request to resolve the matter. In that case, the committee’s decision letter will provide suggestions to the instructor on potential solutions, if possible. 
• It may agree to adjudicate the case. In that case, it will hold sequential, separate meetings with each party, and additional parties whose testimony is deemed relevant. Prior to the meeting, the ad hoc committee may request additional information from either the faculty person and/or the student. If the Committee finds that the student received an inappropriate grade, they will recommend that the faculty member adjust the student’s grade accordingly and deliver this decision in a letter to the Graduate Chair who will then pass the letter on to the student and instructor.

Appeal

If the matter is unduly delayed or not resolved, the student may present the original appeal documentation to the Dean of Graduate Education who shall request a review by a subcommittee of the Graduate Council. A final appeal may be made to the full Graduate Council, if it agrees to hear the case. Since awarding grades in courses occurs at the individual campus level, the decision of the Graduate Council shall be final and is not subject to further appeal beyond the campus.

The timeline of the appeals process is determined by the Graduate College guidelines as outlined here. In case of a discrepancy between departmental practices and the Graduate College guidelines, the latter supersedes departmental practices.

If the instructor’s grade is overturned, the instructor of record has the right of appeal, in writing, at the same successive levels of review.