PhD Program Selection

[Terrietr]

I am currently spending hours looking at the internet looking for PhD programs in Sociology. Apart from finding out if there are professors working on my questions (sociology of new religions), what should I be looking for that I might be missing?

All the best

[Hugh_]

On 6/17/2022 at 11:04 AM, Terrietr said:

I am currently spending hours looking at the internet looking for PhD programs in Sociology. Apart from finding out if there are professors working on my questions (sociology of new religions), what should I be looking for that I might be missing?

All the best

In addition to identifying faculty members you could potentially work with, I would pay close attention to the funding package. Is it guaranteed and, especially, what form will it take? Look for programs that could potentially give you your first (and possibly) second year of PhD work-free, i.e. no teaching or TAing. Keep in mind that programs that provide funding attached to any sort of work could potentially slow you down. The less you teach, the quicker you will finish! I would also make sure that it also provide some sort of dissertation fellowship that will allow you to have a full year to work -and hopefully finish- your thesis. Again, that will speed up the process quite a bit. No one wants to spend 10 years in grad school.