Preparing for Graduate School

If you are considering graduate school—talk to faculty! We are here to help and have great advice on graduate school. If you are unsure of even where to begin—the Director of Undergraduate Studies can help you. If you are worried about the cost, consider that many graduate departments in Sociology offer combinations of scholarships, teaching, and research assistantships, and tuition remissions, providing students with full tuition costs and a stipend, often for five years. 

Perhaps the most important thing a student can do to prepare for graduate school is to write a senior thesis.

A senior thesis affords you valuable experience in doing original research and working closely with a faculty advisor. Because graduate programs require you to do original research, writing a senior thesis also helps you decide if graduate school is for you. Graduate students also need good writing skills to not only succeed in graduate school but also to be accepted. A thesis will give you an excellent and very polished writing sample to use in your admission application.

Additionally, if you want to go to graduate school you should consider the Sociology Honors Track. Not only are you required to write a thesis for the honors track, but you are also required to take one graduate-level class, allowing you to experience the rigors of graduate-level work.

Other Advanced Degrees

Sociology students are trained to be intellectually flexible and acquire skills that are transferable to many fields. Every year, our students go on to successfully complete advanced degrees in many disciplines, including law, business, and education. Additionally, because Sociology pairs well with medicine, several of our double majors, go to medical school or graduate school in Public Health. 

For more information about graduate school, go to the Undergraduate Career Services page on advanced degree planning. 

For advice on how a Sociology major or minor fit with your academic future, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Mim Thomas at mthoma13@nd.edu or make an appointment.