ray164

I'm an undergrad looking to apply to sociology phd programs. I'm interested in sociology of education. Do admissions committees prefer that letters of rec come from sociology faculty? Or will they give sociology letters equal weight as letters from other social science disciplines? Right now, two of my three recommenders are from the education department, not the sociology department. Will this hurt my application?

Hello everyone. My research interest is in education. It seems like the job market for full time faculty positions is low. So I'm assuming that pursuing a PhD in Sociology of Education would allow me to apply to either sociology or education faculty positions. As compared to if I got a PhD in purely education, I would only be realistically considered for education faculty positions. (Please let me know if my assumption is incorrect.) One program that piqued my interest was Teachers College's "Sociology and Education" PhD program (http://www.tc.columbia.edu/education-policy-and-social-analysis/sociology-and-education/). However according to US News, Teachers College sociology ranking is 74 (http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/teachers-college-at-columbia-university-196468). So would sociology faculty hiring committees look down on the "Sociology and Education" degree from Teachers College? Or would it be fine since the program also features faculty from the Department of Sociology of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University (ranked 12 by US News)? Other programs that feature Sociology of Education degrees are Stanford's Graduate School of Education and NYU. My last questions are would I be more marketable if I pursue a PhD in Sociology of Education, a PhD in JUST education, or a PhD in JUST sociology?