Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods

Department website: https://soca.wvu.edu/

Certificate Offered

• Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods

Nature of the Program

The Graduate Certificate in Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods, offered from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, trains students to conduct rigorous, sound quantitative and qualitative research in real-world settings and to critically evaluate these methods used by others. This certificate responds to increased demand for researchers trained in quantitative and qualitative methods locally, nationally, and globally. Quantitative and qualitative research skills are valuable across industries including healthcare, education, business, non-profit sector, and others. Since the certificate is administered entirely online and asynchronously, it is ideal for working professionals or graduate students who need a flexible schedule. Students must have introductory knowledge of statistics. Applicants lacking the necessary background in statistics may be considered for provisional admission. 

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Faculty

Professor and Chair

• Daniel Renfrew - Ph.D. (Binghamton University)

Professors

• Sharon R. Bird - Ph.D. (Washington State University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Social Inequality (race/ethnicity/class/gender/LGBTQ+), Workplace equity, Research methods
• Henry H. Brownstein - Ph.D. (Temple University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Distinguished Research Professor. Drugs and society, Drug policy, Violence, Qualitative research methods
• Walter S. DeKeseredy - Ph.D. (York University)
  Anna Deane Carlson Endowed Chair of Social Sciences; Regular Graduate Faculty; Violence against women, Critical criminology, Masculinities and crime, Criminology theory
• R. Gregory Dunaway - Ph.D. (University of Cincinnati)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Criminology
• James J. Nolan, III - Ph.D. (Temple University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Criminal justice, Group and social processes
• S. Melissa Latimer - Ph.D. (University of Kentucky)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Gender/race/ethnicity, Inequality/labor markets/welfare systems
• Karen Weiss - Ph.D. (State University of New York-Stony Brook)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Criminology, Victimization, Gender/sexuality/culture
• Rachael A. Woldoff - Ph.D. (Ohio State University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Community, Crime, Inequality/race/class
• Joshua Woods - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Social psychology, Media, Complex organizations, Sociology of risk

Associate Professors

• Corey Colyer - Ph.D. (Syracuse University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; People processing systems, Agencies of social control
• Katie E. Corcoran - Ph.D. (University of Washington)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Theory, Organizations, Culture, Criminology, Religion, Social networks
• Lisa M. Dilks - Ph.D. (University of South Carolina)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Social psychology, Group processes, Law and society, Quantitative methods
• Amy Hirshman - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Mesoamerican archaeology, Social complexity, Ceramics
• Jason Manning - Ph.D. (University of Virginia)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Conflict and social control, Violence, Sociology of knowledge
• Christopher P. Scheitle - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
  Religion, Science in society, Crime, Organizations
• Jennifer Steele - Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
  Associate Graduate Faculty; Rural Sociology Natural resource sociology, Rural and community development
• Rachel Stein - Ph.D. (University of Akron)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Criminology, Victimization, Media and crime
• Jesse Wozniak - Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Policing, Criminology, Deviance, State power

Assistant Professors

• Enkeshi El-Amin - Ph.D. (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Critical race and racism, Urban Sociology, Community, Black Appalachia
• Aaron C. Foote - Ph.D. (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
  Regular Graduate Faculty; Urban and environmental sociology, Social movements, Inequality
• Lindsay Kahle Semprevivo - Ph.D. (Virginia Tech)
  Associate Graduate Faculty; Youth inequality, School violence, Sexual orientation and criminology
• Kirsten Younghee Song - Ph.D. (Rutgers University)
  Culture, Transnationalism, Young adulthood, Inequality

Teaching Instructors

• Daniel Brewster - M.A. (West Virginia University)
• Douglas Sahady - M.A. (California University of Pennsylvania)
• Genesis Snyder - M.A. (Western Michigan University)

Professors Emeriti

• Ronald C. Althouse - Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
• Ann L. Paterson - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
• Patricia C. Rice - M.A. (Ohio State University)
• Joseph J. Simoni - Ph.D. (University of Notre Dame) Sociology
• William I. Torry - Ph.D. (Columbia University)

Admissions

Graduate Certificate in Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods

The Graduate Certificate in Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods (QQSSRM) offers working professionals rigorous, research-driven courses with real-world applications that will prepare them for their next career stage. Individuals with an undergraduate degree in any field who are interested in learning quantitative and qualitative social science research methods and their application in real-world settings are encouraged to apply. Students must have an introductory knowledge of statistics. Applicants lacking the necessary background in statistics may be considered for provisional admission. The GRE is not required for admission to this program.

List of Admission Requirements: 

• See the steps to apply for admissions and access the application here.
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume. 
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended.

International Applicants:

• See the steps to apply for admissions and access the application here.
• International applicants should view additional requirements here and here.
• English language proficiency is required in order to hold a graduate teaching assistantship. See here.

Application Deadline:

• The Certificate in Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods program admits students on a rolling basis.
• At this time, the QQSSRM certificate program is not accepting applications to the program. 

For questions, please contact: soca@mail.wvu.edu

Admission Requirements 2024-2025

The Admission Requirements above will be the same for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.

Major Code: CG64

Graduate Certificate in Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods

Certificate Code - CG64

This certificate will train students in quantitative and qualitative research methods in order to conduct rigorous, sound quantitative and qualitative research in real-world settings and to critically evaluate the quantitative and qualitative methods used by others in research.

Course Requirements: Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in courses applied to the certificate.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
CORE COURSES		9
SOC 632	Introduction to Qualitative Data Analysis Software
SOC 640	Quantitative Analysis Using Stata
SOC 722	Mixed Methodology for the Social Sciences
QUANTITATIVE COURSES		3
Select one course from the following list:
SOC 720	Sociological Survey Methods
SOC 722	Mixed Methodology for the Social Sciences
SOC 724	Structural Equation Modeling for the Social Sciences
QUALITATIVE COURSES		3
Select one course from the following list:
SOC 721	Qualitative Methods
SOC 726	Ethnographic Investigation
SOC 728	Content Analysis
Total Hours		15

Certificate Learning Outcomes

Quantitative & Qualitative Social Science Research Methods

Students completing this graduate certificate will be able to:

• Identify appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methods for given research questions
• Manage and use quantitative and qualitative data using appropriate software
• Analyze a variety of types of quantitative and qualitative data using the appropriate methodological strategy 
• Critically evaluate studies that use a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods
• Apply quantitative and qualitative research methods to substantive problems