Department website: http://soca.wvu.edu
Degrees Offered
- Master of Arts
- Doctor of Philosophy
Nature of the Program
- crime, law, and deviance;
- inequality, diversity, and equity;
- social psychology and group processes;
- sociology of religion.
The department is strongly committed to teaching, mentoring, and collaborative research with students. Members of the faculty have received major research grants, won national teaching and research awards, published several books and numerous academic articles, and served as the editor or editorial board members of prestigious journals. In many cases, students have worked as research collaborators with faculty and co-authored publications.
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 - S. Melissa Latimer - Ph.D. (University of Kentucky)
Regular Graduate Faculty; Gender/race/ethnicity, Inequality/labor markets/welfare systems - James J. Nolan, III - Ph.D. (Temple University)
Regular Graduate Faculty; Criminal justice, Group and social processes - 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
- Ann L. Paterson - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
- Ronald C. Althouse - Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
- 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
Ph.D. in Sociology
List of Admission Requirements:
- See the steps to apply for admissions and access the application here.
- Transcripts from all institutions attended.
- Three letters of recommendation from academic references.
- Curriculum Vitae.
- A statement of purpose (personal statement, approximately one page in length) that addresses the applicant’s research interests and how they might add to the graduate program. The statement should also identify faculty members they might work with if they were admitted to the program.
- A writing sample that provides evidence the applicant can synthesize ideas and demonstrate critical thought. The sample might include a senior research paper or sections of a thesis project.
International Applicants:
- See the steps to apply for admissions and access the application here.
- International applicants should view additional requirements here and here.
- Language proficiency is required in order to hold a graduate teaching assistantship. See here.
Application Deadlines:
- The Sociology program admits students for the Fall semester only.
- Completed applications should be received by January 15th.
- Students who apply by the deadline will receive priority consideration for funding.
- Applications may be reviewed past the deadline pending the availability of space.
- Exceptional applicants may be nominated by the Sociology program for competitive University Fellowships. Qualified applicants will be notified if they are nominated. More information on WVU fellowships can be found here.
For questions, please contact: soca@mail.wvu.edu
Certain application requirements may be waived based on a preliminary review of an application by the program.
Admission Requirements 2024-2025
The Admission Requirements above will be the same for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.
MA Major Code: 1470
PhD Major Code: 14B8
For specific information on the following program, please see the link to the right:
- Sociology, M.A.
For specific information on the following program, please see the link to the right:
- Sociology, Ph.D.
Degree Progress
All students will have a plan of study and will receive, at a minimum, a yearly letter of evaluation.
Masters
In addition to maintaining GPA requirements, full-time students must receive acceptance of their thesis proposal no later than November 20 of the third semester of the M.A. program (see the Sociology Graduate Handbook for details).
Doctoral
Comprehensive exams should take place in the last semester of coursework or the first semester following the completion of coursework. Students might complete comprehensive exams and a dissertation proposal defense in the same semester, provided they complete the comprehensive exam process by mid-semester (see the Sociology Graduate Handbook for details).