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How To Apply

Application and Admission Procedures


To apply for admission, interested students must complete a VSU Application for Graduate Study which may be viewed at Valdosta State University Graduate School. Admission criteria includes the following:  

  • proof of a bachelor's degree from an accredited or approved college or university with an undergraduate major in, or prerequisites for, the study of sociology. The program may admit applicants without an undergraduate sociology degree. However, there are some specific undergraduate courses which such an applicant must have prior to enrollment in some of the core courses. Thus the faculty will review each applicant’s transcript and those who do not have an undergraduate sociology degree will need to show evidence of the successful completion of: 1) an undergraduate sociological theory course; 2) an undergraduate statistics course; and 3) an undergraduate social science research course. If an applicant’s transcript does not show the successful completion of these courses, the applicant, if admitted, will be required to enroll in one or more of these undergraduate courses prior to enrolling in the corresponding graduate core courses. The credits for these undergraduate courses will be over and above the 30 hours required for the graduate degree. Students will be expected to earn a “B” or better in these courses.
  • the applicant must have a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, calculated on all work attempted in which letter grades were assigned.
  • the applicant must present a combined score of 800 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the General Test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Beginning with applicants for Summer Semester 2003, the MAT can also be taken for admission. The applicant's score must be above 389 on the test.
  • the applicant must submit a writing sample of work completed in an upper division sociology course (if undergraduate major was sociology). If the student's major was in a discipline other than sociology, a writing sample from an upper division course will suffice. If an applicant cannot locate a sample of written work that was submitted for credit, then the applicant shall contact the M.S. Sociology Coordinator for directions on writing a personal goal statement. This personal goal statement will serve as an acceptable substitute for the sample of written work.
  • the applicant must submit two letters of recommendation completed by faculty members in the student's undergraduate major. Recommendation letter forms are part of VSU's Graduate School Application packet and may be downloaded from the Graduate School's website at Valdosta State University Graduate School.
     
  • the applicant should schedule an appointment for an interview with the graduate program coordinator. Contact the Graduate Coordinator via e-mail by clicking here.

Explanation of Student Statuses for Our Program

Graduate students may be admitted to the program in one of three statuses.

  1. Regular Status:
    These students have met all the admissions requirements and the faculty have voted to admit them into the program.

  2. Probationary Status:
    These students have met some but not all of the admissions requirements but the faculty have voted to offer the student a chance at becoming successful in the program. Students who are admitted as probationary status must successfully complete 9 hours of sociology courses at the graduate level (preferably the core courses) with a “B” average or better within four consecutive semesters of admission. Failure to accomplish this will lead to dismissal from the program. Students so dismissed may reapply for admission after two semesters. If the student completes the 9 hours of courses with a “B” average, the student will then become regular status.

  3. Irregular Status:
    These students have temporary problems in completing one of the admissions requirements (normally, they have taken the GRE or MAT but their official scores have not yet arrived).
    Nevertheless, the faculty have voted to admit them as an irregular status student. A time-frame will be given to the student for the completion of the application. Failure to meet that deadline will lead to dismissal from the program.