Department of Sociology & Crime, Law and Justice
Department of Sociology & Crime, Law and Justice
211 Oswald Tower
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-865-2527
Fax: 814-863-7216
About the Graduate Programs
Penn State's Department of Sociology & Crime, Law and Justice is committed to vigorous research and excellence in graduate education. In the most recent NSF Survey of Research and Development Expenditures, Penn State Sociology is ranked #1 nationally. The Crime, Law and Justice graduate program is one of the nation’s top five programs nationally by the 2009 U.S. News and World Report. Also, our Demography program is ranked in the top five population science graduate training programs in the United States by the 2009 U.S News and World Report.
The hallmark of the Department is its commitment to rigor in the analysis of social phenomena. The Department offers challenging and rewarding programs of graduate study toward Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Sociology and Crime, Law and Justice. Students who pursue the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology or crime, law and justice are exposed to an exciting, intellectual and professional environment. Though located in a major university, our graduate programs remain intimate in scale. A low student-to-faculty ratio promotes frequent interaction with leading scholars in theory, methods, and a wide range of substantive specialties.
The programs attract students from all over the world and from a variety of academic backgrounds. Some students enter with professional experience; others have completed M.A. degrees elsewhere before coming to Penn State or enter the graduate programs directly upon completing their undergraduate work. This diversity contributes to a stimulating learning environment.
Academically, our students are very talented. In recent years, they have finished first and second in the campus wide Graduate Research Exhibition, held Graduate School and interdisciplinary studies fellowships, and won a University teaching award. At the national level, their abilities are reflected in the following accomplishments since 1996: more than one hundred papers presented at professional conferences, and more than fifty journal articles and book chapters published, including pieces in the American Sociological Review, Demography, Sociological Quarterly, Journal of Marriage and the Family, and Social Science Quarterly. Our students have an outstanding record of dissertation support from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Social Science Research Council, and the American Educational Research Association. A substantial number of students are on fellowships or traineeships funded by NSF, the National Institutes of Health, and the Mellon Foundation.
Sociology students may pursue one of seven areas of specialization or some combination of these areas. Penn State also offers the unique opportunity for students to earn a dual-Ph.D. in Sociology and Demography. Students in any area of specialization may earn a Certificate in Quantitative Methods.
If you are seeking an outstanding graduate education to prepare you for an academic or professional career , please visit the links below for detailed program information and our recent graduate course offerings.