Which Universities are strong in Mathematical/Computational/Economic Sociology ?

[MDS DU]

My MSS was in Development Studies & BS in Math in top south Asian universities. My GRE score-1470, V-680, Q-790, AWA-3.00.

Research Experience : Worked as a Research Assistant under a Financial Economics, Professor , USA.

COURSEWORK HIGHLIGHT

· PGD in Research Methodology: Econometrics (I), Advanced Microeconomics.

· Graduate: Sociology and Anthropology of Development, Principles of Economics, Development Economics, Macroeconomics and Trade Policy, Environmental Economics, Qualitative Research Techniques, Quantitative Methods for Policy analysis, Project Planning and Evaluation, Development – Theories and Perspective, Politics and Development, Environment and Society, Policies and Issues in Environment and Development,

· Undergraduate: Calculus (I-III), Linear Algebra (I, II), Real Analysis (I,II), , Topology (I,II), Abstract Algebra, Differential Equation (I,II), Vector & Tensor Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Graph theory, Linear Programming, Statistics (I-III), Accounting, Economics, Sociology and Government, Psychology, C programming & FORTRAN programming.

For PhD in Sociology please suggest :

1. Some universities which are strong in Quantitative Sociology/Social Network in top 100 ?

2. Is it better to contact professors for RA ?

3. What are the job prospects of Quant. Sociologist ?

4. What kind of courses I need to take to enhance my funding?

[MDS DU]

Please Reply and give me direction.

My MSS was in Development Studies & BS in Math in top south Asian universities. My GRE score-1470, V-680, Q-790, AWA-3.00.

Research Experience : Worked as a Research Assistant under a Financial Economics, Professor , USA.

COURSEWORK HIGHLIGHT

· PGD in Research Methodology: Econometrics (I), Advanced Microeconomics.

· Graduate: Sociology and Anthropology of Development, Principles of Economics, Development Economics, Macroeconomics and Trade Policy, Environmental Economics, Qualitative Research Techniques, Quantitative Methods for Policy analysis, Project Planning and Evaluation, Development – Theories and Perspective, Politics and Development, Environment and Society, Policies and Issues in Environment and Development,

· Undergraduate: Calculus (I-III), Linear Algebra (I, II), Real Analysis (I,II), , Topology (I,II), Abstract Algebra, Differential Equation (I,II), Vector & Tensor Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Graph theory, Linear Programming, Statistics (I-III), Accounting, Economics, Sociology and Government, Psychology, C programming & FORTRAN programming.

For PhD in Sociology please suggest :

1. Some universities which are strong in Quantitative Sociology/Social Network in top 100 ?

2. Is it better to contact professors for RA ?

3. What are the job prospects of Quant. Sociologist ?

4. What kind of courses I need to take to enhance my funding?

[Roll Right]

1. I think Penn State is a big demography/quant program. Thats a great school. (University Park) Also, I think Stanford has a good program in Stratification, which is obviously a quantitative sub-field. Oh and Minnesota I think.

2. Not sure.

3. Analysts for corporations like RTI (Research Triangle Institute).

4. It wont really matter what courses you take, PhD programs like you to take THEIR stats, their theory..all that. So if you've demonstrated your academic abilities (which it sees you have), you ought to be in the running for funding. Most programs give full funding to everyone. Thats something you'll need to look into. Programs with competitive funding typically have a lot of politics involved....

[jacib]

1. I think Penn State is a big demography/quant program. Thats a great school. (University Park) Also, I think Stanford has a good program in Stratification, which is obviously a quantitative sub-field. Oh and Minnesota I think.

2. Not sure.

3. Analysts for corporations like RTI (Research Triangle Institute).

4. It wont really matter what courses you take, PhD programs like you to take THEIR stats, their theory..all that. So if you've demonstrated your academic abilities (which it sees you have), you ought to be in the running for funding. Most programs give full funding to everyone. Thats something you'll need to look into. Programs with competitive funding typically have a lot of politics involved....

1. Northwestern has one or two sociologists directly affiliated with their business school who work on Economic/Political Sociology. I've heard that social networks are really hot right now, and they're being used in all these really strange, unpredictable places. One really cool professor I want to work with at Columbia, for example, has looked at social networks in the 16th Century Ottoman Empire....

2. No idea, but I believe generally people work under specific grants. It varies by school. But finding a professor with similar research interests would help you get access to his/her grant money. Or if you offered them something that they didn't have, but wanted (foreign language knowledge, math skills, I don't know what else).

3. No idea, other than a place like NORC (National Opinion Research Center) but that's assuming you get into demography.

4. At many top programs, as many as half of the students didn't major in sociology as undergraduates. At top private universities, funding is often guaranteed for five years. At public universities, funding varies, but I get the sense it's mainly based on things like overall academic record and GRE scores (as well as teaching duties and such, obviously). If you take classes that show an aptitude for sociology in general, or a firm background in the area of a research subject, that will likely help your chances of admission, but I haven't heard any rumors that specific classes help you get more funding.

[hoobers]

Irvine is the department most dedicated to networks, though it may not necessarily be the strongest place to study networks. There are strong networks people at Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Arizona, Penn. Carnegie Mellon has lots of math soc, too. Stanford and Chicago have strong networks people, though they are not in Sociology. I might be missing a few other depts. MIT's economic soc program is extremely focused and strong, though I don't know much about econ soc.

Your quant training will make your app look really good. A lot of programs will probably let you petition out of their methods training.

[MDS DU]

1. I think Penn State is a big demography/quant program. Thats a great school. (University Park) Also, I think Stanford has a good program in Stratification, which is obviously a quantitative sub-field. Oh and Minnesota I think.

2. Not sure.

3. Analysts for corporations like RTI (Research Triangle Institute).

4. It wont really matter what courses you take, PhD programs like you to take THEIR stats, their theory..all that. So if you've demonstrated your academic abilities (which it sees you have), you ought to be in the running for funding. Most programs give full funding to everyone. Thats something you'll need to look into. Programs with competitive funding typically have a lot of politics involved....

You mention a lot of politics... What is that ?

[MDS DU]

Irvine is the department most dedicated to networks, though it may not necessarily be the strongest place to study networks. There are strong networks people at Harvard, Columbia, Duke, Arizona, Penn. Carnegie Melon has lots of math soc, too. Stanford and Chicago have strong networks people, though they are not in Sociology. I might be missing a few other depts. MIT's economic soc program is extremely focused and strong, though I don't know much about econ soc.

Your quant training will make your app look really good. A lot of programs will probably let you petition out of their methods training.

Why Irvine is not the Strongest Place?

Stanford & Chicago people are which Dept ?

[hoobers]

Why Irvine is not the Strongest Place?

Stanford & Chicago people are which Dept ?

The networks people in Irvine are very respected in the Networks community, but virtually unknown outside of it. They do work that is very important to the subfield, but they don't tend to be in much of a conversation with the discipline of sociology as a whole. (On the other hand, people like Granovetter or Christakis are well-known both inside networks and inside all of soc).

Stanford and Chicago both have very strong sociologists doing networks: Granovetter and JL Martin. But the soc departments aren't necessarily the centers of the network communities there. If my memory serves me right, Stanford has networks people in econ and perhaps in education, while Chicago has people at the business school (Burt--he's huge) and in political science (Padgett). You should have no problem studying with them if you get in, but you won't be able to have them as your primary advisers (though both Granovetter and Martin are, I am sure, excellent advisers.)