Graduate

The department’s primary educational goal is to train first-class sociology PhDs. The sociology graduate experience at Johns Hopkins is best characterized as a research apprenticeship – a careful blend of formal instruction, faculty-directed individual study, and supervised as well as self-initiated research. The department’s small size and specific concentrations yield a personalized course of study and close relationships with faculty members and fellow graduate students. The social climate is informal, and the mix of students and faculty, all drawn from a wide variety of geographic and social backgrounds, constitutes a rewarding intellectual community.

The department also offers two certificate programs that allow students to concentrate their graduate course of study: Program on Global Social Change (PGSC) and Program on Social Inequality (PSI). Students may pursue certificates in either, both, or neither of the special programs, and credits earned while pursuing a certificate may also be used to fulfill PhD requirements.