Master of Arts

Coterminal MA Program Requirements

Coterminal MA students are required to take 45 unduplicated units of coursework for their graduate career. All units for the coterminal MA must be taken at or above the 100 level; and at least 23 units must be at the 200 level or above. 

Students who wish to take courses outside the department must seek approval in advance. Coterminal master’s students are limited to five units from other Social Sciences departments (Anthropology, Communications, Economics, Political Science and Psychology). Up to five units can be taken as an independent study or directed reading (SOC 290 Coterminal MA individual study) with a faculty member appointed in Sociology, but no more than 12 units of coursework across the 290 series (including SOC 291, SOC 292) can be counted toward the degree.

All units applied to the coterminal master’s degree must be taken for a letter grade, and an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or better is required for the degree. Courses transferred to the graduate career can not longer count toward the BA.

The Department of Sociology provides a research-intensive curriculum to a limited number of coterminal Master’s students each year. It is highly recommended that students interested in a research-focused experience have completed SOC 180A/280A and SOC 202, or be enrolled. Upon acceptance into the program, research-track students will submit their research proposal to the coterm director for approval. Student in the research track can count up to 18 units across the SOC 290 series (SOC 290, 291, and 292) toward the Coterm MA.

For the M.A. degree, students must complete a minimum of 45 units of Sociology coursework with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or better.

• Of these units, 30 units must be taken in courses taught by faculty appointed in the Sociology department.

• Students may petition to use the remaining 15 units as flex units for courses not offered by faculty appointed in Sociology but are highly relevant to the discipline.

  • Five of these flex units can be taken as an independent study or directed reading with a faculty member appointed in Sociology.

  • All flex units applied to courses not taught by faculty appointed in Sociology must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

• All courses must be taken for a letter grade when possible. Workshops and colloquium do not count toward the MA.

• A thesis is not required, but many students work closely with a Sociology faculty advisor to develop a publishable paper.

• There is no teaching requirement for the MA in Sociology.