MA program as a backup option

[socparty]

I know every year there's a lot of anxiety over what to do if one's favorite PhD program doesn't have room for them. So, I thought I'd pitch our MA program at CU Denver as a backup option for candidates that need a few years to strengthen their profile before making another run at a PhD program. I'm the graduate director of our program, which emphasizes scholarship in four key areas: methodological training, medical sociology, criminology & law, and families & social welfare. We also have strengths in urban sociology and demography, plus we now offer a graduate certificate in social science research methods which can combine training outside the department (e.g., in GIS, advanced stats, survey methods, ethnography, etc). We don't offer full funding but we do have several pots of money for scholarships from the department, college, and graduate school. Plus, students from western and southwestern states qualify for in-state tuition.

Our graduate students have done well in the past and out of each cohort, several go on for doctoral studies at top universities like Wisconsin, Texas, and Emory. I'd say that mentoring is a strength among our faculty and we're all quite keen to work closely with students who aim to go on for doctoral work. To that end, we publish with students (even though the program is only two short years!), help them with conference submissions/presentations, and coach them during GRE preparation and throughout their development of PhD application materials. 

You can learn more about our program here, and you can reach out to me anytime! Application deadline is February 15, 2020 (no GRE required). 

Good luck everyone,

Adam