Transcript The Graduate Program in APPLIED SOCIOLOGY

The Graduate Program in
APPLIED SOCIOLOGY
Master of Arts
and optional concentration with
Forensic Services Graduate Certificate Program
“It may well be the best program in applied sociology in the United
States.”
1999 Academic Quality and Development Review Team report, led by Professor
Caroline Persell, New York University, 1995 President, Eastern Sociological Society;
2005 Vice-President, American Sociological Association.
This exciting and dynamic program is
perfect for anyone looking for the
opportunity to explore and develop their
abilities to consider, analyze and contribute
to sociological policy, program
development, research or the management
of social agencies. Our graduates are
researchers, managers, instructors, policy
analysts, and service providers in health
care, social service and criminal justice
agencies, and corporate departments
throughout the area. Many have continued
their advanced studies in PhD programs,
as well. Our accelerated, 5-year BA-to-MA
program offers qualified undergraduates
the chance to complete master’s level
study in a more timely way than otherwise
possible.
Admission Requirements
1. A strong undergraduate record in sociology and related subjects, with at least a 3.0 GPA in
sociology and related course work; applicants with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 will be preferred
and those below 2.7 will not be considered. Applicants who do not hold a BA in sociology should
have at least 18 semester credits or the equivalent in undergraduate sociology or another social
science field related to program objectives.
2. Successful completion of undergraduate courses in sociological theory, research methodology, and
statistics. Candidates admitted to the program who are deficient in any of these areas may be
required to complete these undergraduate courses not later than the end of the second semester
of residence in the program. In some cases a course with a strong theoretical component can be
accepted as satisfying the theory prerequisite.
3. A statement of approximately 1200 words on academic and career interests in applied sociology,
including the applicant’s desired area of specialization in the program.
4. Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
5. Three letters of recommendation from individuals acquainted with the applicant's interests who are
qualified to evaluate his or her potential for sustained graduate study in applied sociology. At
least one of the letters must be from a faculty member with whom the applicant is studying or has
studied.
6. International students: Applicants from countries where English is not the primary language are
required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A Declaration and
Certification of Finances form must also be completed. International students should see the
Graduate Admissions web site for additional instructions. The University International Student
Services Office hosts a student orientation and a mandatory workshop on immigration regulations
Degree Requirements
• Candidates for the MA degree in applied sociology earn a minimum of 36 semester credits, at least
27 of which must be in courses offered in the program. To graduate, students must have an overall
grade point average of 3.0 (students may be placed on probation if their GPA falls below 3.0).
•Core Courses. Fundamentals of Applied Sociology (Soc 600), research methodology (Soc 650 and
651), and two courses out of the following: Complex Organizations (Soc 601), Social Policy (Soc
640), Social Problems (Soc 620), or Applied Social Theory (Soc 605).
•Specialty Courses. Students specialize in a substantive area by taking at least two courses from one
of the following areas: medical sociology, criminology/corrections, social policy/evaluation research, or
interdisciplinary programs in forensic services, dispute resolution, gerontology, or counseling.
•Practical Experience. Students are expected to complete an internship in a human services, health,
or criminal justice setting or to complete the seminar on teaching. The requirement can be waived for
those with prior experience or for those who complete the graduate teaching seminar.
•Teaching Seminar. All students who receive a Teaching Assistantship and others who are interested
must enroll in our graduate seminar on the sociology of teaching
•Capstone. Students must complete an MA thesis—a 9 credit independent research project leading
to a thesis and supervised by a 3-person committee; an MA research paper—a research experience
developed in a 6-credit seminar that results in an article-length and professional quality research
paper; or a comprehensive exam—a 6-hour exam covering research methods, social theory and
policy, and the student’s area of concentration.
Graduate Certificate in Forensic Services
A 16-credit Graduate Certificate Program in Forensic Services. Designed for criminal
justice and mental health professionals, the Certificate Program provides a strong
grounding in basic science, mental health counseling principles, and social theory, while at
the same time offering practical skills and competencies in mental health and criminal
justice, which will enable students to serve as effective professionals in a variety of social
service environments where the problems of crime and mental illness intersect.
The program's emphasis on analysis and its interdisciplinary approach are strengthened
by collaborations with other academic units: UMass Boston's undergraduate Criminal
Justice Program, Department of Psychology, Graduate Program in Counseling,
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine.
Five three-credit courses and a one-credit field experience project (students matriculated
in Applied Sociology can substitute Soc. 698 for Soc. 598):
COUNSL 604: Foundations in Mental Health
PSYCH 614: Forensic Psychology
SOCIOL 598: Field Experience Project (1 credit)
SOCIOL 618: Psychiatric Epidemiology and Forensic Services
SOCIOL 623: Alcohol and Crime
SOCIOL 667: Sociology of Law
Applied Sociology students may use Forensic Services courses as their area of
concentration even if they do not complete the Certificate requirements.
Graduate Assistantships and Financial Aid
The Program offers a limited number of graduate assistantships to support teaching,
research, and administrative needs. Most graduate assistants work 5 or 10 hours per
week during the semester(s) they are supported, although occasionally a student may
receive a 15- or 20-hour assistantship. Assistants receive a stipend in addition to
tuition remission and partial fee payment. Teaching assistants are expected to
complete the program’s seminar on teaching.
Alumni/ae comments
•
I wanted to do field work. I wanted to utilize investigative technology. I wanted to do
participant and non-participant observational research. I wanted to interview and ask
probing questions. I wanted to stand in it, write it down, see it, and feel it.
•
The most helpful for my career was the course on SPSS [quantitative data analysis].
It as exactly what I needed in order to gain a stronger footing in my career. SPSS was
a new program being used by the agency and I was the only person proficient
enough to train others.
•
I really had the opportunity to improve my writing skills. I use them every day. I’m the
Director of Development at a college, doing fundraising, grant writing, corporate
relations, government relations, research and program development. Writing is very
important.
•
The applied program prepared me for the intense reading, writing, critical thinking
analyzing and synthesizing that is required in a PhD program.
•
I was well prepared to pursue my Ph.D. in Social Policy at Brandeis. I had better
training than my classmates who had received degrees from Harvard and Boston
University.
ACADEMIA
Currently Enrolled in Ph.D. Programs
Sociology
Northeastern
Brandeis
Brown Univ.
Social Policy
Brandeis Heller School of SP
UMass-Boston
University Professors or Instructors
African American Studies
UMass-Amherst
International Economics
New School of Economics, NY
Sociology
Curry College
Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA
Cape Cod CC
APPLIED
Ph.D. in Professional Setting
Program manager
U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental
Health Services Administration
C.C. or University Instructor without
Ph.D.
Adjunct Instructor of Criminology
UMass, Bridgewater State,
Massassoit CC
Part-time teaching
UMass, Bridgewater State
Research/Data Analyst
Dana Farber C.I.
Research/ Data Analysis
Neighborhood Health Plan
Beth Israel Deaconness
ABT Assoc.
Research Assistants
UMB-CSR
Education Development Center
General Human Services
Criminal Justice
Medicaid Utilization Review
Medicaid
HIV/AIDS Program Coord.
SBCHC
Practice Manager
Mass. Gen. Hospital
Career Counseling
Bunker Hill CC
Network Services Dir.
Dept. Mental Hlth
Assistant Chief Probation Officer
Charlestown District Court
Andrea Tull, MA
Management Analyst
Department of Research, Development and
Evaluation
Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
I was hired at MRC as a Management Analyst where I am responsible for completing
several regulatory reports to various stakeholders. I also conduct survey research
including our consumer satisfaction and needs assessment surveys, and design and
complete studies on agency programs, including cost-benefit analyses and qualitative
reviews of case records. Recently, development activities such as grant writing and
evaluation have become a primary responsibility, along with developing a
comprehensive evaluation protocol for the agency in conjunction with senior
management.
The Applied Sociology program provided me with a solid foundation in statistical
methods, research design and evaluation methods. These are skills that I utilize every
day at MRC. I look back fondly on my time in the Applied Sociology program, and
continue to stay in touch with faculty and classmates.
Megan Reynolds, MA
Cutler Institute for Child and Family Policy
Muskie School of Public Service
University of Southern Maine
I currently hold two positions, both of which draw heavily on the skills and experience I
gained through the Applied Sociology program at UMass Boston. My primary job is as
a research analyst at the … Muskie School of Public Service. Our team develops tools
to measure the effectiveness of 11 grant programs administered by the federal
government’s Office on Violence Against Women as part of the Violence Against
Women Act. We then utilize these tools to gather and compile statistics for OVW
regarding the activities supported by their awards. Additionally, we conduct site visits
to a sample of funded organizations in order to document grantee’s perceptions of the
impact their work is having for victims of domestic violence and the communities in
which they live. Finally, we provide training and technical assistance to facilitate the
use of the reporting forms which we have created.
The strong foundation in research methods that I gained in the Applied Sociology
program was instrumental in helping me to secure employment at the University and
the instruction I received during my UMass internship was central to my ability to work
as a psychometrist. Overall, I credit my study at UMB with the success that I have
enjoyed in putting my passion for sociology to work, literally and figuratively.
Lisa Steriti DiGianni, MA, PhD
Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
In April of [1995], I transitioned into a position as Study Manager in the Cancer Risk and
Prevention Clinic at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I immediately loved this job – I
had my first experience working with women at high risk of breast cancer and learned all
about the fascinating world of genetic testing. All of the research skills I learned at UMB
went into high gear. I was designing studies, analyzing data and writing scientific
papers. I was promoted relatively quickly to Project manager where I began directing
projects and supervising junior staff…[After earning my PhD at Northeastern] I am still
working at DFCI, however now as a Senior Research Scientist…. My major role is to
oversee all of the cancer genetics research studies in the DFCI Cancer Risk and
Prevention Clinic. … I still call on the research skills I learned at UMB.
…My 2 years in the UMB Applied Sociology program were the best academic
experience I have known to this day, clearly outshining all the others. The research
skills I learned at UMB have become a part of me; without my research training, I would
not have had such professional success—that is clear. To this day, I often and fondly
remember the UMB faculty that had a strong and positive influence on me—I admire and
respect them enormously; this is reflected in the fact that we have kept in touch with
each other for so long.
Harvard Sociologist Robert Sampson,
GPAS Career Conference, 2006
Career Conference, March 2006
Graduate Student Career Plans
2001
Enroll in PhD
2002
32.1%
21.4%
Work Applied
Research
21.4%
Teach
Other
32.3%
2006
50.0%
53.6%
Student Status
Enroll Other
Grad
Work NonResearch
2005
6.5%
14.3%
14.3%
Post
BA
14.3%
32.3%
19.4%
35.7%
25.0%
25.0%
21.4%
10.7%
6.5%
21.4%
7.1%
.0%
3.2%
.0%
10.7%
Full
Time
Have
GA
2001
65%
55%
33%
2002
63%
50%
32%
2005
55%
74%
42%
2006
61%
81%
65%
Primary Areas of Interest
60
50
40
2001
2002
2005
2006
30
20
10
0
CJ
Health/MH
Methods
Policy/Probs
Forensics
Subs Abuse
Counseling
Gerontology
Dispute Res
Charitable Assistance/Research Training
Cruising After Commencement
Full-time Sociology Faculty
Paul Benson (PhD, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) Sociology of Mental Health, Medical Sociology,
Public Policy
Milton L. Butts, Jr. (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) Juvenile Delinquency, Urban Sociology, Race & Ethnic
Relations, Criminology
Jorge Capetillo-Ponce ( PhD, New School) Social Theory, Race and Ethnic Relations, Media Studies, Latino
Studies
Xiaogang Deng (PhD, SUNY-Buffalo) Research Methods, Deviance, Criminological Theory, Comparative
Criminology
Estelle Disch (PhD, Tufts University) Gender, Human Services, Multicultural Studies, Clinical Sociology
Susan L. Gore (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) Medical Sociology, Sociology and Social Psychology of Public
Health
Laura Hansen (PhD, UC Riverside) Organizations, Social Network Analysis, White-Collar Crime, Corrections,
Youth Gangs
Stephanie W. Hartwell (PhD, Yale University) Drugs and Society, Mental Health, Criminality, Applied Sociology
Glenn Jacobs (PhD, Temple University) Urban Sociology, Social Theory, Race and Ethnic Relations, Social
Problems, Sociology of Music & Art, Field Methods
Philip A. Kretsedemas (PhD, University of Minnesota) Immigration, social welfare, critical race theory, political
sociology/social movements, democracy and development, media studies, Caribbean Studies
Richard Kronish (PhD, University of Wisconsin) Social Policy, Social Stratification, Labor
Andrea Leverentz (PhD, University of Chicago) Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, Qualitative Methods
Siamak Movahedi (PhD, Washington State University) Social Psychology, Social psychiatry, Research Methods
& Statistics
Russell K. Schutt (PhD, University of Illinois-Chicago) Research Methods, Sociology of Organizations,
Homelessness and Mental Health Services, Sociology of Law
Mohammad H. Tamdgidi (PhD, SUNY-Binghamton) Social Theory, Self & Society, World-Historical Sociology,
Soc. of Knowledge, Soc. Movements, Utopias
Reef Youngreen (PhD, University of Iowa) Social Psychology, Status Processes, Deviance