General PhD Requirements

Coursework

At least 96 semester hours of coursework beyond the baccalaureate, including the following:

All coursework required for the MA (32-40 hours).
16 hours of 500-level seminars. This is in addition to the 8 hours of seminars required for the MA. At least one of these seminars must be Sociology 509. Any seminars taken to fulfill the requirements for a major or minor concentration may also be applied towards this requirement. Depending on specialty requirements, these may include seminars taken outside the department.
Either 16 hours in a major concentration; or 12 hours in a major concentration plus 8 hours in a minor concentration. Concentrations include Health and Medicine (H&M); International and Comparative Sociology (ICAS); Race, Ethnicity, and Gender (REG); and Work, Labor Markets, and Organizations (WLMO). When appropriate, coursework taken to fulfill the MA requirements may also be applied to this requirement.
Additional coursework to complete the 96 hour requirement, which you will choose in consultation with your advisor.

Non-Coursework Requirements

In addition to the required coursework, you must complete the following requirements:

A preliminary exam based on coursework taken in your major concentration and (if applicable) your minor (i.e., H&M, ICAS, REG, and WLMO).
An organized oral research presentation to colleagues in sociology, subject to the approval of your faculty advisor (e.g., a paper presentation at a professional meeting, a departmental colloquium, etc.).
Experience in the teaching of sociology (e.g., teaching an independent course, giving a series of lectures, etc.).
Supervised experience in empirical research, including the use of more than one major research technique. This could be demonstrated by a multi-method dissertation; or by a mono-method dissertation, plus:
- a research paper which employs a second method (e.g., a master's paper or thesis); or
- written testimony by a supervisor of experience in another method (e.g., through a research assistantship).
A bibliography and systematic written review of theory and research in a circumscribed area of sociology, subject to the approval of your dissertation committee and faculty advisor. Such a review would normally serve as the literature review for your dissertation proposal (see below).
A proposal for a dissertation based upon empirical research. This proposal must be approved by a committee of at least five faculty members, including your advisor, who will act as the chair. One of the other faculty members must be from outside the department. (S)he may be on the faculty of another UIC department, or employed by another institution. The committee will meet with you for a formal defense hearing.
A dissertation based upon the approved proposal. While working on the dissertation research, you must register each semester for the department's dissertation seminar (Soc. 595). The dissertation must also be approved by a five-member committee. This is usually the same committee that approved the proposal, but in any event, its composition is governed by the same rules as the proposal committee. Approval of your dissertation also requires a formal defense hearing.