Teaching Requirement
All students are expected to develop teaching as well as research skills. Teaching skills are developed in the required professional seminar, SOC 702. The summer semester of SOC 702 is devoted specifically to developing teaching skills. Students will have the opportunity to observe, review, and critique their own teaching performance, learn various pedagogic techniques, develop syllabi, etc.After receiving the master's degree, students are required to teach at least one undergraduate course in the department prior to graduation. A student who serves as the Teaching Assistant for Methods or Statistics courses at the undergraduate or graduate levels may fulfill the teaching requirement with that assignment.
Required Courses
Medical Sociology Core (9 hours):
Theory and research in medical sociology; systematic overview of relevant literature. 3 hours.
Two of the following:
- SOC 734: Global Health
- SOC 735: Special Topics in Global Health
- SOC 755: Race and Ethnic Relations
- SOC 756: Gender and Health
- SOC 775: Place and Health
- SOC 781: Sociology of Health and Illness
- SOC 783: Health Care Delivery Systems
- SOC 785: Family and Health
- SOC 786: Health Disparities
- SOC 787: Sociology of Mental Health
- SOC 788: Social Medicine
Theory Core (6 hours):
The major works of classical sociological theorists, including Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and Simmel. 3 hours.
Review of late 20th century and early 21st century sociological theories and issues. 3 hours
Statistics and Research Core (15 hours):
An introduction to statistical theory and univariate and bivariate statistics. 3 hours.
Multivariate statistical analysis. 3 hours.
Prerequisites: SOC 701 [Min Grade: C] or SOC 601 [Min Grade: C]
Prerequisites: SOC 701 [Min Grade: C] or SOC 601 [Min Grade: C]
Logistic regression and other models for categorical outcomes. 3 hours.
Methodology of social research. 3 hours.
Prerequisites: SOC 601 [Min Grade: C]
Prerequisites: SOC 601 [Min Grade: C]
Field research design, observational research; in-depth interviewing strategies, analyzing qualitative data. 3 hours.
Sociology/Health Electives/Transfer Credits (30 hours, up to 6 hours outside the Department):
See course descriptions in the UAB Graduate Catalog. Up to 9 hours of independent study (SOC 791-793) may be used to meet this requirement.
University Requirement:
- GRD 717/SOC 794: Principles of Scientific Integrity.
Proseminar (3 hours):
The culture and organization of sociology; norms and values of the graduate student culture and the profession; the sociological imagination; sociological careers; the practice of sociology; thesis development. Designed to orient the student to the perspective and practice of sociology. Required of all beginning graduate students. 1 hour.
Research Hours (30 hours):
- Master's Thesis Research Hours (6 hours)
- Doctoral Dissertation Research Hours (24 hours)