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GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS WORKING TOWARD

THE Ph.D. DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK

TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY

October 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Application/Admission

II.

Advisory Committee

III.

Program Requirements

IV.

Admission to Candidacy—Qualifying Examinations

Dissertation Committee

VI.

Dissertation Prospectus

VII.

The Institutional Review Board

VIII.

The Dissertation

IX.

Final Examination—Defense of Dissertation

Three-Article Ph.D. Dissertation Option

XI.

Annual Review

XII.

Scholarship and Grant Opportunities

XIII.

Teaching and Research Assistantships

XIV.

General Information

Appendix: Graduate School and Departmental Forms and Resources

INTRODUCTION

The guidelines presented here are intended as an aid to the student in pursuing the Doctor of

Philosophy in Sociology at Texas Woman's University. It is the responsibility of the student to

become familiar with the expectations and procedures described here and with the regulations

contained in the current Graduate Catalog and the TWU Student Handbook.

The student should be aware that the attainment of a Ph.D. in Sociology involves more than

simply the presentation of a given number of hours of coursework. The successful completion of

a doctoral program demonstrates evidence of mastery of a body of knowledge, the ability to

reason analytically and critically, to work independently and creatively, and to function as an

ethically responsible professional capable of designing, conducting, and communicating the

results of meaningful research.

I. APPLICATION/ADMISSION

A. Application for admission to the Sociology doctoral program must be made directly to the

Office of Student Records. The Dean of the Graduate School will notify the applicant of

admission to the Graduate School and to the Sociology Program.

The following credentials should be filed online through www.ApplyTexas.org with the Office

of Student Records at least 90 days before the semester to which admission is sought.

1. Completed Application for Graduate Admission Form. The Graduate School application is

available online (see Appendix A).

2. Official transcript(s) of all college or university credits.

3. An official report of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Applicants are also required to submit a personal statement of purpose (2-3 pages) and arrange

three letters of recommendation to be sent by their referees directly to the departmental Graduate

Advisor, Dr. Philip Yang.

B. Admission to the Ph.D. program in sociology requires a bachelor's degree in sociology or

its equivalent, GRE, a GPA of 3.5 or higher on the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses and on

all graduate courses, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement of interest (2-3

pages). Students without a bachelor’s degree in sociology will be considered if the admission

committee believes that the student shows academic promise. International students must have a

satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

C. The applicant who has a GPA of at least 3.0 but meets other conditions above may be

considered for conditional admission. Additional coursework may be required. The admission

committee may request additional evidence of the applicant's ability to do graduate work.

D. Students applying for admission to doctoral study must meet the general admission

requirements of either the Graduate School at TWU or the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies

at UNT. Students additionally must apply to the sociology program. Applications of students

who satisfy the Graduate School’s admission standards are forwarded for review to the

department admission committee. This committee is responsible for recommending acceptance

or rejection of applicants to the respective Graduate School of the Federation doctoral program.

E. Students admitted with a bachelor’s degree can earn their M.A. degree during the course

of study. They will be required to write a Master’s thesis, which, together with their coursework,

will be evaluated by the sociology faculty at the end of their Master’s stage (normally between

30 and 36 hours of coursework). Based on the evaluation, the faculty could recommend that a

student continue to pursue the Ph.D. degree or be awarded a terminal M.A. degree. The thesis

requirement is waived for students admitted with a Master’s degree.

F. Students who have previously been admitted to the doctoral program and begun classes but

have been inactive for one year or longer must reapply to the Graduate School.

II. ADVISORY COMMITTEE

A. Prior to enrolling for the first semester of doctoral work, the student should confer with the

departmental Graduate Advisor (Dr. Philip Yang) who will be responsible for supervising the

student's program until an Advisory Committee has been appointed, normally after completion of

eighteen (18) hours of graduate coursework.

B. The appointment of the Advisory Committee is made by the Dean of the Graduate School,

upon recommendation by the Chair of the Department and based on suggestions from the student

via the form “Request for Appointment of Graduate Committee”. The committee consists of not

fewer than three members, with at least two being from the major department. If the student has

a minor area of concentration outside of sociology, a faculty member from the minor field must

be included. It is appropriate that the student ask the faculty members involved before

requesting that they serve on the committee. Additional members may be added to the committee

at the discretion of the major professor in consultation with the student and other committee

members. These additional committee members may be from the major department, another

component at TWU, UNT, or other accredited institution as appropriate.

C. Once appointed, the committee has primary authority and responsibility for the student's

program, including recommending coursework and evaluating the student's progress within the

program, with the chair of the committee administering this authority. Once the Advisory

Committee is appointed, the student should meet with the committee to plan the full program of

work toward the doctoral degree.

D. To facilitate fulfilling the committee's responsibility for guiding and evaluating the

student's progress in the doctoral program, the student may be required to take a diagnostic

examination in the areas of methods and theory after the first year of graduate study. Such an

examination is designed to guide decisions about course selection and to determine needs early

in the student's advanced studies. Any student who has had an examination in sociological

theory (including history of theory) and in methods (including statistics) within three years prior

to entry into the Ph.D. program (usually written M.A. comprehensive examinations) should

provide the examination paper and its evaluation to the Advisory Committee. If it is possible to

provide these materials, and the committee deems that examination to be satisfactory for

diagnostic and advisory purposes, no further diagnostic examination will be required.

E. The responsibilities of the Advisory Committee include the preparation, with the student,

of a total program of graduate study. This plan must be on file in the Graduate School and have

approval of the Dean of the Graduate School before comprehensive examinations may be

administered. (Form: Doctoral Degree Program)

Once the degree program has been filed in the Graduate School, any changes or substitutions in

the courses listed must be approved by the student's Advisory Committee and reported to the

Graduate School. (Form: Change in Degree Program)

III. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Program requirements include the following:

1. Satisfaction of a minimum number of hours beyond the baccalaureate or the master's

degree;

2. satisfactory completion of research tool requirements in statistics, research methods,

pedagogy, information retrieval, or a foreign language;

3. passing the qualifying examination and the comprehensive examinations in two areas; and

4. preparation and defense of a written dissertation under the supervision of a Dissertation

Committee.

A. Course Requirements

1. The Ph.D. requires satisfactory completion of a minimum of 91 hours beyond the

baccalaureate degree or 61 hours beyond the master's degree, including dissertation (12 hours)

and individual study courses. It should be noted that the completion of a specified number of

credit hours is not sufficient in and of itself. The student may need to complete more than the

minimum number of required semester hours to meet individual requirements of quantity or

quality of work specified by the student's Advisory Committee.

2. The following hours are required for the doctoral degree in sociology:

AREA

Semester

Hours

Masters level coursework

Doctoral Core

 Doctoral Classical Sociological Theory

 Doctoral Contemporary Sociological

Theory

 Intermediate Social Statistics

 Quantitative Methods and Design

 Qualitative Methods

 Proseminar in Sociology

Major/Primary Area

Minor/Secondary Area

Electives

Dissertation

TOTAL

3. The student must demonstrate proficiency in Doctoral Core by completing the coursework

and by successfully passing the qualifying examination.

4. The student must take a minimum of 12 hours of graduate work in a primary area and pass

a comprehensive examination in this area. All of these courses must have an SOCI prefix. Only

one Independent Study (SOCI 6913) course or one Individual Research in Sociology (SOCI

6923) course (3 credit hours) may be counted towards the primary area coursework. This is the

area of concentration in which the student contemplates doing his/her major research and writing

the dissertation.

5. The student must take a minimum of 12 hours of graduate coursework in a second area of

concentration and pass a comprehensive examination in this area. This coursework may include

courses with a prefix of SOCI or a cross-disciplinary choice. Only one Independent Study (SOCI

6913) course or one Individual Research in Sociology (SOCI 6923) course (3 credit hours) may

be counted towards the secondary area coursework. The student should consult with the

Graduate Advisor and with the Advisory Committee concerning the alternatives available.

N.B. On occasion, a graduate seminar does not have the requisite number of students to be listed

under its own number, and the students are individually registered under 6913--the indepeent

study number. The above rule does not apply to this situation of being enrolled in a regular

seminar.

6. In addition to the coursework in the primary and secondary areas, the student must

complete nine (9) hours of elective courses. The elective courses must have an SOCI prefix.

B. Transfer Credit/Time Limit

1. Transfer Credit

a. The student's Advisory Committee may consider recommending to the Dean of the

Graduate School acceptance of some transfer credit from another college or university, should

such previous work be deemed relevant to the student's doctoral program and otherwise meet the

transfer requirements of the Graduate School. A student may apply to the advisory committee

for consideration of transfer credit after satisfactorily completing a minimum of nine (9)

semester hours of graduate coursework at TWU and upon filing the degree plan.

b. At least 50 percent of the work that is counted toward a doctoral degree (including 50

percent of the minor area) must be comprised of courses having residence status at TWU.

Residence status requirements for individual courses are met by courses taken at any TWU

campus and by approved courses taken by cross-registration at the University of North Texas.

2. Time Limit

All requirements toward a doctoral degree, beyond the master's degree or its equivalent, must be

completed within a period of ten consecutive calendar years from the date doctoral credit is first

earned.

N.B. Texas residents should note that the Texas Legislature has passed a bill that places a cap of

99 doctoral credit hours a student may earn before being charged the out-of-state tuition rate.

C. Research Tools

1. According to the Graduate School, doctoral studies require skills and techniques (tools)

that vary with the specific needs of the discipline. The degree-granting components determine

the suitability of specific research tools for their programs. Research Tools means 2 tools. Such

tools comprise coursework equivalent to a minimum of 6 credit hours at the graduate level or the

equivalent of 12 hours at the undergraduate level for each tool. (Undergraduate courses may be

used to meet research tool requirements at departmental specification.) Equivalent competencies

may, if acceptable to the component, be demonstrated by examination. The degree-granting

component establishes whether the credits are included in the 90 hours required for the program

or whether they are required in addition to the minimum hours needed for the degree. However,

if undergraduate courses are used as research tools they may not be used in the hours that count

toward the graduate degree.

2. Doctoral students are required to demonstrate competency in two areas of research tools

before being admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree. This requirement is met by taking

twelve (12) graduate hours of courses in at least two of the following areas: statistics, research

methods, pedagogy, information retrieval, and foreign language. Six (6) hours must be in one of

these areas, and the other six (6) hours may be across two other areas.

3. Starting from the fall 2011 cohort, all 12 hours of Research Tools courses required by the

Graduate School can be included in the 91-hour doctoral curriculum. For students who entered

the Ph.D. program prior to fall 2011, whether the 12 hours of Research Tools can be moved into

the 91-hour curriculum will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

4. Because of insufficient course offerings in foreign language at TWU to meet the need of

our students, foreign language is no longer required for the Ph.D. degree in sociology, albeit

desirable.

IV. ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY—QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONS

A. Application for Examinations

1. After satisfaction of the residence requirement, completion of the necessary research tools,

and with the approval of the Advisory Committee, the student may be admitted to candidacy for

the doctoral degree upon successful completion of all qualifying examinations.

2. Students must select an Advisory Committee prior to taking their first qualifying exam.

An application to take the qualifying examination must be signed by the student's advisory

committee and submitted to the Chair of the Department at least six weeks before the date

scheduled for the examination. (Form: Request for Qualifying Examination)

B. Core Qualifying Examination

1. The core qualifying examination consists of written examination administered and

evaluated by the Department Qualifying Exam Committee at least one academic year prior to the

time when the degree is expected to be conferred. Normally this takes place near completion of

the second full year of graduate work.

2. The qualifying examination is scheduled once per regular semester of the academic year on

the fourth Friday of every semester.

3. Students are required to take the qualifying exam at the completion of their first 27 hours

of doctoral coursework. The 27 hours do not include any deficiency courses that a student might

be required to take as a condition for admission into the Ph.D. program. Requests for exception

must be made in writing by the completion of 18 hours and approved by the Graduate Advisor,

doctoral Advisory Committee chair, and department chair. If students do not take the exam on

time, a hold/block will be placed on their registration for classes.

4. Since Ph.D. students entering with a bachelor’s degree are required to take M.A.-level

theory, methods, and statistics courses, they are not required to take the Ph.D. core Qualifying

Exam during their master’s stage.

5. All students receive the results of their exams from the Chair of their Advisory Committee

on “Telling Day,” which will be three weeks after the date of the last exam.

6. Students are urged to become familiar with the format and content of the examination by

studying earlier exams available on the TWU departmental website.

7. If a Ph.D. student fails the qualifying exam, the exam must be retaken within the next two

consecutive long semesters of academic enrollment. A student can only take a qualifying exam

twice. If a student fails an exam a second time, the student’s Advisory Committee, by majority

vote, may appeal the decision to the Department chair. The procedures will follow a grade

appeal process.

C. Major and Minor Exams

1. Major and minor exams are the responsibility of the student’s Advisory Committee. The

format and parameters of these exams will be determined by the Advisory Committee in

consultation with the student. Acceptable formats include in-class written exams, taken-home

exams, written essays, a publishable manuscript, and oral examinations.

2. A formal oral exam will no longer be required of students. If the student’s committee has

concerns about the student’s past performance on the theory, methods/statistics, major or minor

exams, the committee can use the proposal or dissertation defense as an opportunity to ask

questions about areas of weakness.

D. Time Limit of Exams

1. The whole examination process should be completed by a student in no more than three

years from the time of the initial taking of a written examination.

V. DISSERTATION COMMITTEE

A. Once all examinations have been successfully completed and a student is admitted to

candidacy, the candidate may begin preparation of a dissertation under the direction of a

Dissertation Committee. Once all qualifying examinations have been passed, a student has the

prerogative of restructuring her/his committee, or keeping the same committee, before beginning

work on a dissertation proposal.

B. If the composition of the Dissertation Committee is to differ from that of the Advisory

Committee, the candidate submits to the Chair of the Department suggestions for committee

membership, having first requested each member to serve.

The actual composition of the committee depends upon three factors: (1) the particular

substantive interests of the candidate, (2) the preferences voiced by the candidate, and (3) an

attempt within the department to allocate an equitable research direction load to the faculty

members.

C. The Dissertation Committee is an arm of the Graduate School. Once appointed, the

authority of the department is delegated to the committee. Actions and decisions of the

committee are subject to review and to recommendation by the Chair of the Department.

D. The major responsibility for directing the dissertation lies with the faculty member

appointed chair of the candidate's Dissertation Committee. It is to the chair the candidate should

address questions, inquiries, etc. It is also the chair who will aid the candidate in deciding at

which point the work being done is ready for presentation to the other members of the

committee. The chair of the Dissertation Committee may often suggest that the candidate request

the help or advice of another committee member in areas in which that person has special

expertise. However, such "referrals" should come about by joint agreement of the candidate and

the chair rather than on the initiative of the candidate without consultation with the chair.

E. Should the need arise, changes in committee membership can be made at the request of the

student, a committee member, or the Chair of the Department. Requests for changes should be

in writing and should be routed through the chair of the committee to the Chair of the

Department and the Dean of the Graduate School. (Form: Request for Appointment of Graduate

Committee, with CHANGE OF COMMITTEE typed on form). Academic courtesy holds that

before any official change is made, the chair of the committee informs all parties concerned in

the decision.

VI. DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS

A. The candidate's Dissertation Committee is responsible for approving the plan and

prospectus for the dissertation. The prospectus typically may include an introduction, the

research problem, the significance of the study, literature review, theory and/or hypotheses (for a

quantitative study), data including data-collection techniques (if applicable), method(s) of data

analysis, and research plan. Once the candidate and the chair of the Dissertation Committee are

in agreement that the prospectus has reached a near-to-finished state, the chair will call a meeting

of the candidate's full committee to consider the prospectus and make appropriate suggestions,

alterations, or adjustments in the design. The candidate is responsible for providing each

member of the committee with a copy of the prospectus at least ten days prior to the meeting.

B. Once the committee has assessed the candidate's prospectus and ability to carry out the

research proposed, the committee makes suggestions to the chair and to the candidate. The

committee's decision takes one of several forms:

1. Unqualified Approval - if the prospectus is followed in precise detail, the candidate

will not later be faulted on the research design.

2. Qualified Approval - changes may be made under the supervision of the chair

without further committee involvement.

3. Qualified Disapproval - the candidate will revise the prospectus and will meet again

with the whole committee.

4. Unqualified Disapproval - the candidate is urged to prepare a new prospectus or to

withdraw from the program.

C. When the prospectus has been accepted by the committee, final typed copies should be

submitted to each committee member. To indicate approval, each committee member signs the

prospectus, which must be reviewed by the Chair of the Department before it is submitted for

review by the Dean of the Graduate School. The original signed copy of the dissertation

prospectus, which is limited to a maximum of ten pages, is filed in the Graduate School upon the

approval by the Dean of the Graduate School. The prospectus does not have final approval until

the candidate receives a letter from the Dean of the Graduate School indicating that approval has

been granted. (The candidate is also asked to submit a final copy of the prospectus for the

permanent files in the departmental Graduate Advisor's office.)

D. An approved prospectus is required prior to the implementation of data-gathering

procedures. Any data collected before the prospectus is approved may be rejected by the

dissertationcommittee.

VII. THE INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD

A. The chair of the candidate's Dissertation Committee assures the Graduate School in writing

that any study involving human subjects meets the criteria of the current Texas Woman's

University Institutional Review Board (IRB) guidelines and has been approved by the IRB. The

guidelines are available in the departmental office. A copy of the letter of approval from the

IRB must accompany the dissertation prospectus to the Graduate School.

B. The chair of the candidate's Dissertation Committee assures the Graduate School in writing

that written permission has been obtained in advance from every person who is photographed,

filmed, videotaped, or recorded in any way for research purposes. Model consent forms are

available in the departmental office.

C. The chair of the Dissertation Committee assures the Graduate School that when other

institutions or organizations are involved in the study, the candidate has obtained letters of

cooperation from the appropriate officials before beginning the collection of data. A copy of

each letter from such an agency must accompany the dissertation prospectus to the Graduate

School.

D. The chair of the Dissertation Committee informs the candidate of the necessity of assuring

the rights to privacy and protection of confidentiality of data before data are collected, normally

when the prospectus is approved.

VIII. THE DISSERTATION

A. A dissertation, which is based on research and which makes an original contribution to the

literature and research of the discipline, is required of all candidates for a doctoral degree. The

term "original" should not be taken to mean "never done before," since replication of research is

often not only acceptable but desirable. However, the dissertation should represent something

more than just a duplication of already existing information.

B. The selection of a dissertation topic rests with the candidate. A number of suggestions can

be made with respect to the choice of a topic.

1. The candidate should select a topic within the major area of concentration in which

he/she is genuinely interested and is competent to handle. If the topic requires special

knowledge or special research skills the candidate does not have or requires facilities that are not

available, it is better to choose another topic.

2. The candidate should estimate the time and cost involved before beginning and

should avoid a topic so broad it will never be completed. While it is easy to be overambitious, it

is best to choose a relevant, but fairly delimited area to work.

3. The chair of the Advisory Committee will be glad to discuss potential dissertation

topics and to offer suggestions until such time as the Dissertation Committee is appointed.

C. By a rule of the University, only students who are officially registered may hold

conferences with a faculty member concerning the preparation of a dissertation. The rule applies

both when the student is in actual residence and when the student is not in residence but is

receiving aid or criticism by correspondence. The rule does not apply to those preliminary

conferences that are held before the dissertation topic has been selected and the Dissertation

Committee appointed.

D. As the dissertation is written, each chapter is presented first to the chair of the Dissertation

committee (and dissertation director), who may pass the chapters on to the other members one at

a time or wait until the work nears completion. Each committee member reads the entire

dissertation and makes suggestions and corrections. It is the responsibility of the candidate to

incorporate these revisions into the dissertation. When submitting corrected copy to the

committee, it is recommended that both the original on which corrections were requested and the

revised copy be presented to the chair, who will pass both on to other committee members.

E. It is the responsibility of the candidate to follow the University regulations in the final

typing of the dissertation, once it is in a form approved by all committee members. The

Graduate School booklet, Guide to the Preparation and Processing of Dissertations, Theses, and

Professional Papers is available on- line (see Appendix A) and enables the preparation of a

dissertation which meets the requirements of the Graduate School. (See also Form and Style

Requirements forTheses and Dissertations, available upon request in the departmental office.)

F. After the final typed copies of the dissertation have been submitted to the Dissertation

committee, a final oral examination or defense of the dissertation is held. When the examination

is passed and any suggested changes made in the final copy, the candidate may duplicate the

required number of copies. (The defense of the dissertation is described in the following major

section of these guidelines.)

G. The department requests one copy of each dissertation; the Graduate School receives two,

which are placed in the library. If the candidate wants additional copies, he/she must prepare

more than three. (An original copy must be submitted for microfilming.) It is the responsibility

of the candidate to see that all three copies of the dissertation are turned in to the Graduate

School by the date specified on the "Calendar of Deadlines." (If a copy of the dissertation, with

the approval signatures of the committee, is turned in three weeks prior to the deadline, the

Graduate School will check the copy and return it to the candidate for any necessary corrections

before reproductions are made. As long as the Graduate School maintains this service, it is

strongly recommended that use be made of it.)

H. An abstract of not more than 350 words must be filed with the Graduate School at the time

the dissertation is submitted. The abstract represents a very brief description of the research

reported in the dissertation. (If the candidate wishes to copyright the dissertation, the appropriate

forms--available in the Graduate School--may be filled out at this time.)

I. Each candidate must file three copies of curriculum vitae. Two are requested by the

Graduate School, and one is to be bound in the copy retained by the Department of Sociology

and Social Work. The vita is simply a brief biographical sketch and should include: the full

name of the writer, the date and place of birth, the names of parents, and any other personal data

that might be of interest to the reader. There should also be an account of schools attended,

degrees received, publications, and so on. It should also include the writer's permanent address.

Below should appear the name of the person who typed the dissertation. The vita does not

comprise part of the dissertation, the page is not numbered, and it is the last page before the

blank end sheet.

IX. FINAL EXAMINATION—DEFENSE OF DISSERTATION

A. When the dissertation has been approved by all members of the Dissertation Committee

and upon completion of all other requirements for the degree, the candidate will be examined

orally by the committee. The examination includes a defense of the dissertation and of the

research upon which it is based, as well as questions in the major and minor areas of

concentration.

B. It is the responsibility of the candidate and of the committee chair to schedule the

examination before the deadline set for the semester in which the degree is to be granted. It is

the responsibility of the student to provide each member of the committee with a copy of the

completed dissertation at least ten days prior to the scheduled examination.

C. The final oral examination is conducted and evaluated by the Dissertation Committee

although the meeting may be announced and open to the component at the discretion of the

committee. The final decision of the committee, made in executive session, takes one of several

forms:

1. Unqualified Approval - the committee recommends that the candidate be approved

for the degree by the Dean of the Graduate School.

2. Qualified Approval - suggested changes may be made under the direction of the

chair of the committee without another meeting of the committee and the committee

will then recommend that the Dean of the Graduate School approve the granting of

the degree, subject to approval of the dissertation by the Chair of the Department.

3. Qualified Disapproval - the research needs to be repeated or modified or the

dissertationextensively rewritten with resubmission and another meeting of the

committee. If a second formal defense of the dissertation is scheduled, two such

meetings may not be held in the same semester. (Two consecutive summer terms are

considered one semester.)

4. Unqualified Disapproval - the student is advised to withdraw from the program

without completing the degree.

Once approved by the candidate's committee, the completed dissertation must be reviewed by the

Chair of the Department before it is submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School.

The committee chair informs in writing the Dean of the Graduate School, the heads of the

components, and the student when the decision falls into the category of unqualified approval or

unqualified disapproval. (Form: Certification of Final Examination)

X. THREE-ARTICLE Ph.D. DISSERTATION OPTION

A. The purposes of the three-article dissertation option are to encourage students to learn

how to publish early during graduate studies, to give students an advantage for competitive job

markets, to allow students to use different methodologies for their research, and to help increase

the quantity and quality of scholarly production for our graduate students and Ph.D. graduates. It

should be noted that this option is not appropriate for all Ph.D. students. It may be more difficult

and take longer to complete than the traditional monograph dissertation format.

B. The three-article dissertation option requires that a student produce three manuscripts for

publication in peer-reviewed social science journals. One of the articles must be accepted for

publication. A second article must have been accepted or received a “revise and resubmit”

request from a journal. A third article must be submitted for publication.

C. The articles must meet the following requirements:

1. The three papers should be logically related and should have a coherent theme.

2. The student must be the sole or first author of the three articles.

3. No articles published prior to entry into our graduate program can be counted.

D. The student’s doctoral advisory or dissertation committee must approve the three-article

option. The committee will determine the appropriateness of the type, content, and length of the

three articles as well as the journals to which the articles will be submitted.

E. The student must successfully defend a three-article dissertation proposal. In addition to a

general introduction, the proposal must include a detailed description of each of the proposed

articles that should cover the essential components of a research study.

F. The student must also successfully defend a three-article dissertation. The three-article

dissertation will normally include the following components: (1) Abstract that synthesizes the

articles, (2) introduction and background to the general substantive area, (2) first paper, (3)

second paper, (4) third paper, and (5) conclusion and implications for policy and/or further

research.

G. The final copy of the three-article dissertation must be formatted and submitted in

accordance with TWU Graduate School guidelines.

H. Students must obtain permission for copyrighted materials from the copyright holder.

I. Students should decide as early as possible, in concert with their dissertation committee

chair, whether to pursue the three-article dissertation option. However, they may switch from the

three-article option to the traditional dissertation at any time, provided that their dissertation

committee approves the switch.

XI. ANNUAL REVIEW

A. The progress of each student in the sociology Ph.D. program will be reviewed annually.

The purposes of the review are to

1. review activities of the past year (April through March);

2. set objectives for the coming year;

3. explore future directions for academic and career development;

4. assist students in assessing their progress and to prepare to present themselves

professionally in resumes and job applications.

To this end, each student will prepare a portfolio, the contents of which are specified below. The

first portfolio will be assembled by the student and submitted to the Graduate Advisor during

SOCI 6231.

B. The student portfolio will contain

Current curriculum vitae

Current transcript (official or unofficial)

Checklist of completed doctoral program requirements

Goals for the coming year. Goals should be stated in terms of the following areas:

Scholarship/research; Service (to the community, University, Department,

Federation); Teaching/practice; Professional development; and Other. There may

not be objectives in all areas each year.

Optional Information (see below)

The following optional documentation may be included:

Scholarship/Research

Statement of research interests

Written work (list of class papers, sample papers, published articles, book reviews,

etc.)

Conference presentations (in any format)

Works in progress

Participation in grant writing

Dissertation prospectus (draft or final copy)

Service

Profession: Committee memberships, special projects

Community: Committee or board memberships, presentations/consulting, volunteer

activities

Federation: Committee memberships, special projects

University: Committee memberships, organizations/activities

Department: Committee memberships, organization sponsorship/activities, special

projects

Teaching/Practice

List of classes taught/assisted with

Class presentations

Guest lectures

Syllabi and other handouts

Example(s) of lecture outline

Documentation of applied sociological practice

Professional Development

Association memberships

Attendance at meetings/workshops

Other

Honors, awards, special recognition

C. Annual graduate student review normally takes place in March each year. The portfolio

should be uploaded to Blackboard in the “Sociology Graduate Students” folder at least two

weeks prior to the meeting date.

D. The review will rank the student’s performance in coursework, professional development,

exams, and overall success; identify areas of strength and weakness; and make recommendations

for next year. See Graduate Student Annual Evaluation Form.

E. In order to encourage close interaction and relationship between the student and the

mentor and to reduce the amount of time required for the review meeting of the entire sociology

faculty, the graduate program in sociology adopts a combined centralized-decentralized

evaluation system for the annual review of graduate student performance.

1. Students who have completed their first year of graduate studies in the program (i.e.,

either two semesters or one semester and two summer terms) but have not completed all

of their coursework will be evaluated by the entire sociology graduate faculty. The

Graduate Advisor will provide each student in this category the result of evaluation after

the annual review.

2. Students who have completed all of their coursework will be evaluated by their advisory

or Dissertation Committee chair, in consultation with the advisory or Dissertation

Committee if necessary. The committee chair will fill out the annual evaluation form,

submit it to the Graduate Advisor for the student’s file, and give the student a copy.

3. Students who have not completed their first year of graduate studies in the program

(i.e., less than two semesters of course work) are not required to be evaluated.

XII. SCHOLARSHIP AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

A limited number of small departmental scholarships are available. Applications must be filed

through the TWU Scholarships Tracking and Review System (STARS) by March 15.

XIII. TEACHING AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS

A. Teaching Assistantships

1. As part of the training process, the department provides a number of teaching assistantships

for qualified students. There are two types of teaching assistant positions: Graduate Teaching

Assistant (GTA) with full responsibility for a class, and Graduate Assistant (GA) responsible for

assisting a faculty member with his or her class. The number of such positions varies each year

with departmental needs (e.g., departmental enrollments, class sizes).

2. In order to qualify as a GTA, a student must have completed 18 hours of graduate

coursework in sociology and have taken Sociology 5353: Methods of Teaching Sociology in

College or have had an equivalent course or experience in college teaching. GA can be at any

stage of graduate studies.

3. The remuneration for a doctoral-level teaching assistant and a master’s-level teaching

assistant is set by the university. Current information is available on the web at

http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/graduate-assistants.asp. TWU also provides health insurance and

an out-of-state tuition waiver for GTAs and GAs during their time of employment.

4. The department provides all graduate students with an equal opportunity to apply for and

to be selected as a GTA or GA. At the beginning of each fall and spring semester, the department

makes an open announcement to invite applications for departmental teaching assistantships for

the next semester or the following academic year to all graduate students. The applications

should be submitted to the Graduate Advisor.

5. The deadlines of application are October 15 for the fall semester and March 1 for the

spring semester. First-time applicants are required to fill out the Graduate Assistant Application

Form available from the website of the Graduate School at

http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/applying-for-asst.asp. Applicants for a second or more times

only need to submit a simple email request for consideration of renewed appointment to the

Graduate Advisor, unless they want to update their Graduate Assistant Application

Form. However, all applicants must apply annually.

6. The award of a teaching assistantship is an honor rather than just a job. The selection of

GTAs and GAs is based on students' academic performance (e.g., GPA, GRE scores), degree

program, progress toward degree, courses taken, teaching experience and

evaluation, recommendation of faculty in the program, the necessity and benefits of being a

GTA/GA for graduate training, and departmental needs. The department will try to select the

best candidates for GTAs and GAs and maintain the continuity of departmental teaching staff in

order to effectively support our undergraduate programs and other programs such as Bachelor of

General Studies.

7. The appointment of a GTA/GA will normally be made for one academic year with the

possibility of renewed appointments for up to five years based on reviews of satisfactory

teaching performance, unless a GTA/GA desires a one-semester appointment. The appointment

will be made by the Chair of the Department through a formal letter upon the recommendation of

the Graduate Advisor.

8. The Graduate Advisor and the Chair of the Department will make every effort possible to

finalize teaching assignments for the spring semester by the target date of December 1 and to

make tentative teaching assignments for the fall semester by the target date of June 1 and

finalized assignments by August 1, unless there are unanticipated changes in instructors, classes,

or other factors. Appointed GTAs and GAs will have an opportunity to request course and time

assignments according to their preferences and class and work schedules. The department will

try to accommodate such requests to the extent possible but cannot guarantee a requested

assignment.

9. The department may have a few openings of GTA or GA positions during summer

sections. Only students who have held a GTA or GA position before are eligible to apply and to

be appointed. Applicants are required to submit an application to the Graduate Advisor by

email. The normal deadline of application is March 1. The selection criteria for regular semesters

also apply for summer sections. The target date of teaching assignments is April 1.

B. Research Assistantships

Positions as a research assistant (RA) are occasionally available to students who may be

employed by faculty members who hold a research grant. The remuneration for a graduate

research assistant is set by the university. Current information is available on the web at

http://www.twu.edu/ gradschool/graduate-assistants.asp. TWU also provides health insurance

and an out-of-state tuition waiver for RAs during their time of employment.

XIV. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. It is the responsibility of the student to become familiar with the various specific

requirements of the Graduate School with respect to regulations, final deadlines, forms to be

filled out, and so on. The student is urged to read carefully the Graduate Catalog and to check

carefully with his/her advisor to make sure that all requirements are fulfilled.

B. In order to facilitate keeping track, a file is kept for each student in the department. Inside

the file is a checklist for requirements, applications, etc. It is the student's responsibility,

together with the Graduate Advisor and the committee chair, to keep the file up to date.

Unofficial advisory transcripts can be obtained via the Portal.

C. The student who is a Texas resident should be advised that for the last semester he/she is

registered for three hours of dissertation only, an application can be made for a "Code 3"

designation, which allows for a reduction in tuition. (Form: Request for Reduced Tuition)

D. If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of

this course, you must register with the office of Disability Support Services (CFO 106, 940-898-

3835, dss@twu.edu ) in order to obtain the required official notification of your accommodation

needs. Please plan to meet with the instructor by appointment or during office hours to discuss

approved accommodations and how the course requirements and activities may impact your

ability to fully participate.

Appendix: Graduate School and Departmental Forms and Resources

FORM

AVAILABLE AT:

Graduate School

Application

https://www.applytexas.org/adappc/gen/c_start.WBX

Schedule of Classes

http://www.twu.edu/academics/

Doctoral Degree Plan

http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/forms.asp

Ph.D. Worksheet

http://www.twu.edu/sociology/doctoral-forms.asp

Request for

Appointment of

Graduate Committee

http://www.twu.edu/sociology/doctoral-forms.asp

Request for

Qualifying Exam

http://www.twu.edu/sociology/doctoral-forms.asp

Old Ph.D. Qualifying

Exams

http://www.twu.edu/sociology/federation-exams.asp

Form and Style

Requirements

(Departmental)

http://www.twu.edu/ sociology/doctoral-forms.asp

Guide to Preparation

of Dissertations and

Theses

http://www.twu.edu/ sociology/doctoral-forms.asp

IRB Application

http://www.twu.edu/research/irb-denton.aspl

Prospectus Cover

Sheet

http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/forms.asp

Certification of Final

Examination

http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/forms.asp

Graduate

Assistantship

Application

http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/forms.asp

Graduate Assistant

Pay Scales

http://www.twu.edu/graduate-assistants.asp

Request for Reduced

Tuition

http://www.twu.edu/gradschool/

Application for

Graduation

http://portal.twu.edu

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