ASA Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology - worthwhile resource?

[tsatf]

Hi, just wanted to get people's thoughts on the ASA Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology. Is it a good/accurate guide to graduate programs in sociology? What kind of info is in it? Can't access it without paying $55 :((

[Planted]

I used the 2020 version for my first application cycle and I found it to be helpful in narrowing down programs I wanted to learn more about and comparing different programs. It's pretty accurate - I definitely noticed a few instances where faculty members had left or joined departments that must have happened after the book went to print or the departments submitted their info. But that's the nature of academia. I wouldn't rely on it for things like application deadlines but it gives a pretty good overview of programs so you can make a shortlist before digging into department websites.  Sharing a photo of a random page so you can see what kinds of things are included about individual programs. I really liked the department list by primary areas of expertise, but ASA section websites sometimes have those lists online too. It is pricey, maybe try to get a recent copy second-hand, if possible. Or, if you're in a program now, your department might have a guide to borrow (mine does).

[lobster_pancakes]

I borrowed a 2021 copy from my undergrad advisor and scanned it; feel free to DM me.

For me the guide wasn't helpful at first because I began with research interests that can be found either almost everywhere or nowhere at all as far as general area keywords are concerned. It took conversations with grad students & professors & reading through tons of faculty bios that I was able to find places with good research fit & learn what areas these faculty would situate themselves in, which then made the keywords in the guide more useful when I started searching for extra programs to apply to.

Tuition info is irrelevant at the PhD level (if that's what you're aiming for) because you wouldn't want to go to a program that's not fully-funded. Stipends will have significantly changed in many institutions due to inflation & unionization, so I'd go to phdstipends.com, gradcafe or twitter to get current info from grad students. Lots of places don't even list their stipends in the guide; just the types of financial aid available, which is too general/undistinguishable to be useful. Any university can say they offer TA-ships, RA-ships, tuition waivers and fellowships, but the amount of aid, service/workload requirements, competitiveness, incentive structures for external fellowships (aka are you pressured to apply because your survival depends on it or are you incentivized with department bonuses?) citizenship/residence limitations, and limitations to wage-labour funding matter too. Funding for conference travel and research projects also matters, especially if the stipends don't leave you a lot of room to save up.

From 2021 onwards, the guide includes the racial/ethnic composition of faculty and grad students. This was especially helpful for me as a POC.

Number of grad students and degrees awarded could also be useful for thinking about the potential size of each cohort and how many of those folks actually graduate with degrees, especially if the university doesn't publish those stats on their website/reports.

Overall it's good for getting an overview of what graduate programs are out there and where to start looking into. There's a listing of departments sorted by areas of expertise, for example. But IMO you are not missing out on much if you don't have it.