A Ph.D. in Sociology
The Ph.D. Program in the Department of Sociology at Rice University is pleased to introduce its new innovative Ph.D. program that is the only one of its kind in Houston, a city that is home to a blend of ethnic groups and cultures matched by few U.S. cities. Rice’s Sociology Department has successfully mentored its postdoctoral fellows and has built on these experiences to design a comprehensive mentoring and learning program for graduate students. Graduate students in the department are trained in the craft of becoming professional sociologists of the highest quality, able to conduct cutting edge research and to teach with excellence. Rice’s Ph.D. program in Sociology is one of very few nationwide that requires its students to take courses in both quantitative and qualitative methods.
In addition, the Sociology Department at Rice has a tradition of having faculty and students work in close research collaborations, and it is this tradition that is the core aspect of the graduate experience through the University’s connections with premier research, science, and educational institutions nationwide.
What makes the Ph.D. program in Sociology at Rice unique?
Program Focus
The graduate program in Sociology prepares students to be sociologists of the highest quality, able to conduct cutting edge research and to teach with excellence. Oriented towards the Ph.D., the program offers concentrations in five broad substantive areas:
Sociology’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research supports research on urban issues, seeking primarily to generate knowledge for more humane, sustainable cities and conduct annual studies. Ph.D. students will have access to numerous primary data collection projects, gaining experience in the practice of survey design, interviewing and ethnography. Students will have the opportunity to study culture, health, race and other topics. In addition, Rice’s Ph.D. in sociology will be one of very few programs nationwide that requires its students to take courses in both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Overall, our program will place a heavy emphasis on training students in the craft of becoming professional sociologists.
Innovative Curriculum
- The Rice program will require every student to be familiar with the entire spectrum of research methods.
- Rice’s mentorship model will be more of an individualized “apprenticeship” than the traditional models used by many of the large programs in the field of Sociology.
- Rice University has connections with Houston's premier research, science, and educational institutions.
- The Department of Sociology emphasizes collaborative work and new approaches to the dissemination of ideas, including digital modes of publication and community outreach or “public sociology.”
An Optimal Environment for Research and Study
Only a few miles from historic downtown Houston and right in the heart of the museum district, Rice University occupies an architecturally distinctive, 285-acre campus shaded by nearly 4,000 trees. With state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories, internationally renowned centers and institutes, as well as support from one of the country's largest endowments, Rice University is an ideal learning and living environment.
We encourage you to visit Rice at any time for a firsthand look at our department and our beautiful, tree-lined campus. Can't wait? Take the campus virtual tour today.