PhD in Sociology

Program Contact

Paul Bones, PhD
Graduate Program Director 
940-898-2063 
pbones@twu.edu 

Application Deadlines

Rolling admissions

Preferred deadlines:           
Fall - June 15                           
Spring - November 15        
Summer - March 15

Consideration for Graduate Assistantship:
Fall - March 15
Spring - October 15

See International Student Deadlines

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in sociology or its equivalent. Students without a bachelor's degree in sociology will be considered if the admission committee believes that the student shows academic promise.
• GPA of 3.5 or higher on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work and on all graduate work (a GPA of at least 3.0 may be considered for conditional admission).
• A writing sample (e.g., a thesis chapter, a term paper, a conference paper, or the like).
• Submit a personal statement of interest (2-3 pages).
• Email addresses for three individuals familiar with your academic capabilities, who can respond to a recommendation form to be requested through and submitted into the application. 

Note: 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. 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.

Begin by reviewing your program's website to see if there are additional admission requirements and application deadlines prior to applying.  

1. Apply online.
   Apply to Graduate Programs  via the TWU Online Graduate Application Portal following instructions below.  
2. Submit transcripts to TWU.
   • Domestic Applicants must submit official transcripts for each college or university attended, both undergraduate and graduate. See the Information on Transcripts website for more details.
   • International Applicants are now required to provide an evaluation prepared by a NACES or AICE member evaluation service. International transcripts should not be sent directly to TWU. See the International Admissions website for more details.
3. Submit Recommendation Requests
   If your program requires you to submit names for recommendations you will need to do it in the application.
4. Pay the application fee.
   The $50 fee ($75 fee for International applicants), which applies to all new and returning applicants, can be paid by:
   1. Credit card - Pay Online through the application as the last step before submitting the application. The second portion of the application will not be available until the application fee has been received.
   2. Certified check or money order by mail or electronically - Payable to TWU, sent by mail to:
      TWU Admissions Processing, 304 Administration Drive, Suite 102, Denton, Texas 76204
      (include your full name and ID number).
   3. Cash (no personal checks) - Pay at the Bursar's Office. After paying, bring the receipt to Admissions Processing (down the hall in ACT).
   4. Fee Waivers - Graduate applicants who are certified McNair Scholars are eligible for a McNair Scholar Application Fee Waiver. TWU Alumni may be eligible for the Alumni Advantage Fee Waiver. Check your eligibility here: https://twu.edu/alumni-advantage/. If eligible submit the request using the Application Fee Waiver Submission
   5. Following fee payment return to the application dashboard where supplemental application documents can be uploaded. The online application will list which documents are needed to fulfill the program admission requirements. You can also check the program's website.

For more information or assistance with the application or graduate admissions, visit the Graduate Admissions website.

Students who wish to apply for a Graduate Assistantship must meet the General Criteria for Appointment of Graduate Assistants.