Graduate Study

Among the top sociology departments, UCLA stands out for our breadth and our depth. We are unique in spanning the entire gamut of the discipline, from conversation analysis and ethnomethodology on one end, to mathematical sociology on the other, with virtually every other major specialty represented. Faculty research interests range from the past (Renaissance Italy or 18th century China) to the future (the internet), from here (Los Angeles) to there (Eastern Europe or Korea), from the micro (two people in conversation) to the largest (world empires). We are methodologically diverse, boasting the largest contingent of ethnographers of any department, working in friendly co-existence with a very sophisticated group of quantitative researchers. We conduct sociological research in any number of ways, whether through direct observation, recording of naturally occurring data, conducting large-scale sample surveys, examining documents in historical archives, experiment, or secondary data analysis.

See the Center for Social Statistics website for additional information on this area. The Center for Social Statistics (CSS) offers a Concentration in Social Statistics. This is an excellent opportunity for students who want to further their quantitative methods training, and to signal that they have done so.  Complete details and additional information can be found at: http://css.stat.ucla.edu/courses/concentration-social-statistics/

Training graduate students ranks at the very top of our concerns. We have a program that quickly moves students into research, while providing rigorous training in a broad range of methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative. We encourage our graduate students to participate in professional activities beginning early in their careers. They quickly learn the tricks of the trade, as evidenced by the many student paper awards won by UCLA students in recent years, by the prestigious fellowships that they’ve received, and by the articles and book chapters that they’ve published.

Graduate school is as much a matter of learning from peers as from professors. In recent years, we have been attracting outstanding applicants from around the country and around the globe. We usually enroll 15-20 students each year.

For further information see the UCLA Graduate Division web site.