Research with a Masters degree in Sociology

[speechfan222]

I am currently enrolled in an online Master's program in Sociology and would like to go into research. I am most interested in medicine and the medical field, but I would enjoy research in any areas. I don't have a Bachelors degree in Sociology and also don't have any research experience. I have been googling different research options and researching, on my own, different types of research I can do with a masters in Sociology, but most positions and companies prefer experience. I have reached out to a few companies and am currently waiting for a response, but I'm trying to determine the best way to obtain experience. I am also a little worried about not being able to gain a research position once I obtain my degree because I don't have any research experience. 

Can anyone give me suggestions, tips, or your opinions on gaining experience? Also, does anyone know about types of research I can do with a masters in Sociology? Any suggestions or information on medical research? Any suggestions and tips are appreciated. 

[pinoysoc]

Hey @speechfan222!

It's been a while since your last post! If this advice helps, here it is: I suggest looking at Indeed and searching for "Research Assistant" as the keyword. This will be the most straightforward way to find experience that you also get paid for. Retrospectively, you can also start looking at universities in your area that have research centers that interests you. Usually, they have what they designate as "Centers for..." that houses different projects funded by different grants. This should get your feet wet in gaining research experience. As for medical research, have thought of working for the VA? Some VA Medical Centers have a research unit that does projects on the side.  Perhaps, a medical school near you?

Would you mind elaborating as to what your end goal is/stats?

You can PM if you'd like!

[speechfan222]

Hey @JSTOBIAS!!

Yeah, it's been awhile. This Master's program has been a little crazy. It seems like I only have time for working full time and studying. Hah. 

Thanks so much for this information! I will definitely check indeed by searching for 'research assistant' as you mentioned. I'm hoping I will find some options that I can apply fr. Another thing I'm worried about, that I forgot to mention, is that some companies require experience and knowledge with statistical software. I have a little experience using SPSS from a stats course I completed within my program. All companies are different, so I'm not really sure which software programs to become familiar with. There are so many!

I will consider the VA too and I will research options at the university here as well. I have looked at a few research positions within the university and most require experience. It seems like Ill never get experience if I can't gain a position that requires experience. Seems like a giant circle, but I will definitely keep looking. 

I don't have a BS/BA degree in Sociology, so I'm a bit new to the field. I really liked the stats and research methods course I completed. I wouldn't mind working with stats all day either. And I'm interested in conducting research and analyzing data. Anything related to research and stats is interesting. 

I'm going to keep looking and hopefully Ill be able to gain some experience somewhere. And I prefer they are paid positions, so I can leave my current position, start something new, and gain experience. 

Thanks for the help. Any other suggestions are appreciated! 

[pinoysoc]

11 minutes ago, speechfan222 said:

Hey @JSTOBIAS!!

Yeah, it's been awhile. This Master's program has been a little crazy. It seems like I only have time for working full time and studying. Hah. 

Thanks so much for this information! I will definitely check indeed by searching for 'research assistant' as you mentioned. I'm hoping I will find some options that I can apply fr. Another thing I'm worried about, that I forgot to mention, is that some companies require experience and knowledge with statistical software. I have a little experience using SPSS from a stats course I completed within my program. All companies are different, so I'm not really sure which software programs to become familiar with. There are so many!

I will consider the VA too and I will research options at the university here as well. I have looked at a few research positions within the university and most require experience. It seems like Ill never get experience if I can't gain a position that requires experience. Seems like a giant circle, but I will definitely keep looking. 

I don't have a BS/BA degree in Sociology, so I'm a bit new to the field. I really liked the stats and research methods course I completed. I wouldn't mind working with stats all day either. And I'm interested in conducting research and analyzing data. Anything related to research and stats is interesting. 

I'm going to keep looking and hopefully Ill be able to gain some experience somewhere. And I prefer they are paid positions, so I can leave my current position, start something new, and gain experience. 

Thanks for the help. Any other suggestions are appreciated! 

Have you thought about research at a private company as well? Usually, there's a lot of analyst positions within companies that can utilize your skills. 

At the same time, don't get too discouraged with your lack of experience with SPSS or not having a BA/BS in Sociology. Many companies usually train you to learn and gain more than what you were expecting/looking for in the first place. 

 

[speechfan222]

4 hours ago, JSTOBIAS said:

Have you thought about research at a private company as well? Usually, there's a lot of analyst positions within companies that can utilize your skills. 

At the same time, don't get too discouraged with your lack of experience with SPSS or not having a BA/BS in Sociology. Many companies usually train you to learn and gain more than what you were expecting/looking for in the first place. 

 

I have not thought about private companies, no. I can do some research looking for private companies where I live now, but I don't plan to live here forever. Ill look everywhere and see what I find. 

I'm not too worried about nothing having experience with other software programs or a BA/BS in Sociology as I am about not having experience. I'm going to search indeed tonight and see what I can find. I'm hoping to get several applications/resumes submitted and hopefully I'll hear from someone soon. 

I noticed you're in a Sociology program as well. Which school are you attending if you don't mind sharing? Also, are you in an online or in-person program?

[pinoysoc]

13 hours ago, speechfan222 said:

I have not thought about private companies, no. I can do some research looking for private companies where I live now, but I don't plan to live here forever. Ill look everywhere and see what I find. 

I'm not too worried about nothing having experience with other software programs or a BA/BS in Sociology as I am about not having experience. I'm going to search indeed tonight and see what I can find. I'm hoping to get several applications/resumes submitted and hopefully I'll hear from someone soon. 

I noticed you're in a Sociology program as well. Which school are you attending if you don't mind sharing? Also, are you in an online or in-person program?

If you don't mind me asking, what's undergrad degree in? I would also suggest looking for research opportunities in your undergraduate field and highlight the training you got in Sociology to add to the company's or wherever you end up looking.

Also, I received my MA from Saint Louis University last May (on-campus since it was the only option; I also moved from Guam). I got into UAB's PhD program in Medical Sociology for the upcoming school year. So I'll be moving to Birmingham at the end of the summer.

[iwearflowers]

I thought I would add in my two cents:

1. Another good title to add to your search is Research Interviewer. This will bring up jobs that are primarily short term and data collection focused, but it gives you an opportunity to get something on your resume and get your foot in the door with a team. You might also look for Research Coordinator, which tends to be longer term but more administrative (handling timelines, budgets, staffing, data entry, recruitment). Again, this gives you exposure to the research process and an opportunity to move up. In my experience, these titles are frequently used by public health and health services research projects, which will often have a lot of overlap with medical sociology/sociology of health and illness. (My masters degree is an MPH, but I was accepted into two Sociology PhD programs this year based on my experience in these types of projects.)
2. I work for a non-profit social sciences research firm that does a lot of government-funded work across a variety of topics (including health). When we hire, we look for experience with any statistical software, not necessarily the one we use most frequently. Most of my experience is with SPSS, but my department uses STATA primarily. However, being able to say that I had experience with SPSS got me hired, because it showed that I had a basic understanding of how statistical programs worked and would be able to learn a new one if needed.

[speechfan222]

13 hours ago, JSTOBIAS said:

If you don't mind me asking, what's undergrad degree in? I would also suggest looking for research opportunities in your undergraduate field and highlight the training you got in Sociology to add to the company's or wherever you end up looking.

Also, I received my MA from Saint Louis University last May (on-campus since it was the only option; I also moved from Guam). I got into UAB's PhD program in Medical Sociology for the upcoming school year. So I'll be moving to Birmingham at the end of the summer.

I have a Bachelors degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences (Speech Therapy). I was going to pursue a Masters degree in Speech too, but I changed my mind and decided on Sociology. I recently just found out about medical sociology programs after I already started my program. I would definitely be interested in that since I like anything relating to medicine, but I'm hoping to go into medical research.  

[speechfan222]

11 hours ago, iwearflowers said:

I thought I would add in my two cents:

1. Another good title to add to your search is Research Interviewer. This will bring up jobs that are primarily short term and data collection focused, but it gives you an opportunity to get something on your resume and get your foot in the door with a team. You might also look for Research Coordinator, which tends to be longer term but more administrative (handling timelines, budgets, staffing, data entry, recruitment). Again, this gives you exposure to the research process and an opportunity to move up. In my experience, these titles are frequently used by public health and health services research projects, which will often have a lot of overlap with medical sociology/sociology of health and illness. (My masters degree is an MPH, but I was accepted into two Sociology PhD programs this year based on my experience in these types of projects.)
2. I work for a non-profit social sciences research firm that does a lot of government-funded work across a variety of topics (including health). When we hire, we look for experience with any statistical software, not necessarily the one we use most frequently. Most of my experience is with SPSS, but my department uses STATA primarily. However, being able to say that I had experience with SPSS got me hired, because it showed that I had a basic understanding of how statistical programs worked and would be able to learn a new one if needed.

Thanks so much for this information @iwearflowers. I will definitely search for positions using the tips you provided. 

I would be interested in looking for non-profit social science research firms such as the one you work for. Should I search for non-profit research firms since I don't know the name of each specific company? I'm really hoping I can gain a position to get some experience and I won't have to worry too much about not being familiar with different software programs. 

[rising_star]

I would look into summer internships, especially since you're currently enrolled in a program. That could be a great way to gain experience doing research, particularly if you might be interested in the private sector in the future.