GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO GRADUATE STUDENTS

The Department of Sociology at Duke has designed a superior graduate program to prepare students for successful careers in academic and related fields that demand advanced research and teaching skills. The following materials, together with the University's Graduate Bulletin, should answer most of the questions students usually raise. You should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) if you are in doubt about how the statements made here or in the Bulletin pertain to you. Each student is responsible for knowing and meeting the requirements of the Department and the Graduate School.

UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

The regulations of the Graduate School of Duke University require students for the Ph.D. to register as full-time students for at least six semesters. "Full-time" is defined as twelve credit hours or "units". Each semester-length course typically earns three credit hours or units. The Graduate School grants one semester of credit (i.e. 12 units) to students who have already received a graduate degree from another institution. Once the full-time registration requirement is completed, students need pay only a registration fee each semester until they satisfy all the requirements for the Ph.D. The Graduate School requires that students spend a minimum of one year in physical residence at Duke. Finally, the Graduate School requires that students satisfy their department's special requirements for the Ph.D. and, in particular, pass preliminary examinations and successfully defend a doctoral dissertation. The departmental requirements for a Ph.D. in sociology are described below.

DEPARTMENTAL SPECIALIZATIONS

The Department offers seven areas of specialization at the Ph.D. level. Students must select two areas in which to specialize by the end of their first year. Students may also develop their own specialization.

Comparative and Historical Sociology
Economic Sociology
Medical Sociology
Population Studies
Social Psychology
Social Stratification
Sociology of Religion

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Doctoral students must take at least seventeen courses, twelve of which must be in sociology. The DGS determines whether courses taken in other departments are sufficiently related to count toward the seventeen required. All courses must be taken at the graduate level (200 or above), except for two in other departments at Duke, which may be taken at the 100-level. Graduate courses fall into four categories:

(1) Five required core courses - one theory, two methods and two statistics;
(2) three year-long professionalization seminars, required of all students;
(3) additional requirements imposed by a specialization;
(4) electives taken inside or outside the department.

More information is provided in Appendix A. Students who plan to use independent study courses or courses taken at another institution to fulfill specialization requirements should discuss their plan of study with their advisory committee, the faculty of the specialization, and obtain permission for this plan of study from the DGS. Students entering with a Master of Arts degree in Sociology can, with the permission of the DGS, substitute up to three courses for the departmental requirements. In the case of core requirements, substitution also requires the approval of the professor teaching the core course.

GRADES

Beginning with the fall 2004 semester, grades in the Graduate School are as follows: A,B,C, F, and I. I (incomplete) indicates that some portion of the student’s work is lacking, for an acceptable reason, at the time the grades are reported. The instructor who gives an I for a course specifies the date by which the student must make up the deficiency. If a course is not completed within one calendar year from the date the course ended, the grade of I becomes permanent and may not be removed from the student’s record. The grade of Z indicates satisfactory progress at the end of the first semester of a two-semester course. An "F"in any course leads to automatic academic probation by the Graduate School. A repetition of low grades (e.g., grades in the "C" range) will lead to a formal evaluation by the Director of Graduate Studies in consultation with the student's advisor and other faculty. This evaluation will consider the student's progress and prospects for continuation in the program. It could result in a decision to terminate the student in question.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Graduate students’ professional development occurs continuously from the time they arrive until they complete their dissertation. The graduate program at Duke is organized to provide students with experiences in a variety of professional roles, all under faculty guidance.

For the first year of residence, each student is assigned to a faculty advisory committee or individual preceptor with whom regular meetings take place. This relationship helps students learn more about sociologists' routine practices in research, teaching and administration. First year students also attend a professionalization seminar (Sociology 301), designed to acquaint them with the special interests and research activities of the departmental faculty, as well as with the current debates and controversies within the discipline.

At the beginning of the first semester of the second year, students must establish a three-member faculty advisory committee. Second year students without an advisory committee as of October 1 will be assigned one by the DGS. Students are encouraged to discuss their research interests with the faculty and to work out a mutually advantageous arrangement for participating in a joint research program wherever possible. Ideally, collaboration and publication are by-products of this relationship. More generally, second-year advisors play a crucial role in students’ preparation for the Preliminary Examination.

The Department encourages students to do original research at any point in their graduate careers. It partially supports travel to present papers at professional meetings and participate in research workshops. [Priority is given to students who have passed their Preliminary Examinations.] It also assists students in gaining outside funding and, in some cases, offers material support to acquire data and research materials.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Teaching is an integral part of the graduate program at Duke. Training for teaching begins in the first year, in Sociology 301. Graduate students usually get teaching experience through teaching assistantships in a regular course or, for more advanced students, independent instructorships. Assignments of students to courses reflect both the availability of qualified students and the course needs created by undergraduate enrollments. The Department Chair makes these assignments in consultation with the Directors of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies.

THE ANNUAL REVIEW

During the spring semester of each year (usually in mid-February), the faculty assesses all students' academic performance in an Annual Review of Graduate Students. Before the review, all students beyond their first year should inform the Director of Graduate Studies, their advisory committee or their dissertation supervising Committee of any aspects of their activities as graduate students, not available in their records, of which the faculty should be aware.

The faculty considers the following materials at the Annual Review:

(1) A succinct (usually two-page) statement by the student. This statement should include relevant achievements, inside and outside of the Department. It should put the student's program and activities into a general intellectual framework. Ongoing research, participation in professional meetings, paper submissions to journals, work done elsewhere (especially for students who have transferred from other graduate programs), should be enclosed in this statement.

(2) A summary of the graduate courses taken at Duke and grades earned.

(3) Written and verbal comments from the faculty concerning the student's course performance and the quality of other supervised work (e.g., research and teaching assistantships).

One objective of the Annual Review is to determine whether second-year students (or in some cases, second-semester students with an M.A.) should progress in the program to the Preliminary Examination. One of three decisions is rendered: (1) that the student is making good progress and should proceed to the Preliminary Examination; (2) that the student is making progress but in certain areas exhibits deficiencies that call for remedial work before the Preliminary Examination can be taken; (3) that the student has not performed satisfactorily, shows little potential for improvement in the near future, and should be terminated at the end of that spring semester. Students who are asked to withdraw from the program are eligible to apply for a terminal Masters Degree in Sociology (for requirements, see below). Regardless of their year in the program, all students receive feedback from their preceptor, the chair of their advisory committee, or the chair of their doctoral dissertation committee, summarizing the faculty evaluation.

THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATIONS

The Preliminary Examinations are a test of theoretical, methodological and substantive sociological knowledge. They refer not only to material covered in specific courses but also to readings recommended by the faculty, principally those contained in the lists prepared by each departmental specialization. Copies of previous examinations are available for guidance.

The department chair appoints the Preliminary Examination committees during the spring semester. Their first task is to assemble lists of essential reading in their specialization. Their second task is to write the examination. Their third task is to grade the examination and provide a written evaluation to the student and to the student's advisory committee within two weeks of the examination date.

Students must take Preliminary Examinations in two areas of specialization. Students may substitute one specialization area of their own design for one of the regular examinations (for specific requirements, see below).

The Preliminary Examinations are taken at the beginning of the fifth semester. Any student-initiated delay past the beginning of the fifth semester requires the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies. All students with the same specialization take the examination at the same time. The exam must be completed in 24 hours. Answers should be submitted as an e-mail attachment. Students can avail themselves of notes and other materials in preparing their responses, but they may not discuss any aspect of the examination with others. The faculty examination committees for these examinations will impose page limits on the length of the completed exam.

The examination committees assign grades of "High Pass," "Pass," or "Fail." Students taking their examinations in August who fail one of their examinations are allowed to retake the examination the following January. If the examination is failed again, the student must leave the program. Students who fail both their Preliminary Examinations simultaneously must withdraw from the program.

POLICY ON SELF-SELECTED SPECIALIZATION FOR PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

Students are allowed to substitute an area of their own choosing for one of the regular departmental specializations when taking their Preliminary Examinations. The guidelines for making this substitution are as follows:

1. Self-selected areas should be proposed only in areas in which the Department has some significant expertise among regular rank faculty. Examples: Crime, Deviance, Law and Social Control; Life Course and Aging; Sociology of Education; Sociology of Culture; Sociological Theory; Sociological Methodology; Gender and Sexuality; Race and Ethnicity; Social Networks and Social Organization; Political Sociology.

2. A self-selected area must have the same breadth of coverage and require the same amount of reading as regular specializations.

3. Self-selected areas should not overlap with regular specializations.

4. The Graduate Program and Policy Committee (GPPC) must approve all self-selected areas. Proposals must be submitted by December 1st of the second year. Students who petition to take a self-selected examination who do not meet this deadline will be expected to take a regular Preliminary Examination. Conditional upon approval of the area by the GPPC, a complete reading list must be submitted to the committee by March 1st .

The proposal and the reading list should be approved by the student's advisory committee prior to submission to GPPC. The proposal should address issues of content and scope of the self-selected exam, the major theoretical, methodological and empirical issues in the exam area, and issues of possible overlap with other regularly scheduled exams. Typical proposals are in the range of 8-10 pages.

THE MASTER'S DEGREE

A non-terminal Master of Arts degree is awarded to students who have completed at least ten courses and passed their Preliminary Examinations. A terminal Master of Arts degree is available to those students who have completed ten courses but do not take (or fail) the Preliminary Examinations. In this case, the student forms an M.A. committee that will approve the topic for a Master's thesis and determine whether the completed thesis meets the Department's standards for the degree. The M.A. Committee consists of three members of the sociology faculty.

DISSERTATION PROPOSAL

All students are required to prepare a dissertation proposal. It should describe a research project in detail sufficient to permit an evaluation of both its merit and feasibility. The statement should be no longer than twenty double-spaced typewritten pages. The student's Dissertation Supervisory Committee makes the final decision as to the acceptability of the proposal. It is the purpose of Sociology 303, taken in the third year, to help students design their dissertation proposal.

At the beginning of the third year, students should form a five-member supervisory committee, choosing a faculty member to act as chair. A faculty member from a department other than sociology may be included in the five. Changes in this committee are possible with the concurrence of those being replaced and added, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Dean of the Graduate School. An initial meeting of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee should be scheduled within six months of the student's satisfactory completion of the Preliminary Examinations. The student's Dissertation Supervisory Committee should approve the dissertation proposal no later than February 1st of the fourth year of residence.

THE PH.D. DISSERTATION

Procedures and schedules governing the submission of dissertation titles and final drafts are available from the Graduate School and updated annually. The Department requires that one copy of the dissertation be deposited in the departmental library. The student is held responsible for meeting all requirements of format and style as described in the Duke University Guide for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations available in the Graduate School Office.

Students are expected to complete their dissertation within four years of defending the dissertation proposal. Extensions beyond this time can only be granted by the Dean of the Graduate School and are limited to one year.

Students are required to present their dissertation research at a Department Colloquium within the six months period preceding the dissertation defense. This occasion will allow students to share the major results of their research with the entire Department. This presentation does not constitute the final examination, which is described below. However, students who have not presented a colloquium during the six months prior to the defense are required to schedule a colloquium on the day of the defense. In such cases, the colloquium is considered to be part of the final examination.

THE FINAL EXAMINATION

The final examination for the doctorate focuses primarily on the issues covered in the dissertation, but it can legitimately pursue any area in which the student is expected to be qualified. This includes topics represented in the core curriculum and in the student's specialties. The student and the chair of the Dissertation Supervisory Committee are jointly responsible for scheduling the final oral examination and for notifying the Graduate School Office of the examination one week preceding the exam. While any University faculty member can attend the final examination, only members of the Supervisory Committee vote on the adequacy of the student's performance.

CRITERIA FOR FUNDING ADVANCED GRADUATE STUDENTS

The Department provides all graduate students who are making satisfactory progress with financial support for five years. "Satisfactory progress" is defined in Appendix B. Students are encouraged to seek alternative sources of funding for their fifth and subsequent years. Leaves of absence do not stop the financial support clock.

Occasionally, funds are available to support a student beyond his or her fifth year. Several criteria are used when making this decision. They include course grades, evaluations by faculty who have worked closely with the student, participation in professional meetings, publications, activities within the Sociology Department, performance in the Preliminary Examinations, timely completion of a satisfactory dissertation proposal, and steady progress in dissertation research. The Annual Review discussions, which cover all these issues, are a significant input to funding decisions. The evaluation of graduate student progress is continuous within the Department, and funding decisions will draw on all the relevant information when they are made.

POLICY ON LEAVES OF ABSENCE

Leaves of absence are granted in extraordinary circumstances (e.g., documented illness or research-based requirements for living/working abroad or elsewhere in the country for an extended time). Leaves prior to a dissertation proposal defense are discouraged. Leaves must be requested from the Director of Graduate Studies by filing the Department's petition form and completing the Graduate School's request form. A meeting with the DGS is also required. Whenever possible, request for leave of absence should be petitioned one semester (4 months) before the expected date of leave to allow time for the department to make adjustment in TA and other related assignments. [For the financial implications of requesting leave of absence, see above.]

APPENDIX A
SUMMARY OF GRADUATE SPECIALIZATION RECOMMENDATIONS

APPENDIX B
Satisfactory Progress Through the Program

Scenario:
First year
Fall: Student enters department, is assigned a preceptor, is funded by a fellowship, takes Statistics 212, Theory 206, 301, and one elective (3.5 credits). *
Spring: Student takes Statistics 213, Research Methods 208 (or Field Methods), 301, and one elective (3.5 credits).

Second Year
Fall: Student chooses two specializations and selects a three person advisory committee, is funded by TA or RA, takes another methods course (if required by specialization), 302, and two electives (4.0 credits).
Spring: Student takes 302 and three electives (4.0 credits).

Third Year
Fall: Student is funded by TA or RA, takes preliminary examinations at the beginning of the semester, participates in 303 (1.0 credit).
Spring: Student participates in 303 (1.0 credit). By the end of this semester selects and meets with doctoral dissertation supervisory committee.

Fourth Year
Fall: Prepare proposal.
Spring: Successfully defend dissertation proposal by February 1st.

Fifth Year
Fall: work on dissertation.
Spring: work on dissertation
* Department currently requires 17 courses.

Students entering graduate school with a Master's Degree:
Students entering graduate school with a fully transferable Master's degree may follow a more accelerated schedule depending upon background and preparation. This schedule will usually be determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Revised July 2004