Department of Sociology

Trauth Huffman Hall Room 449
Telephone: 512-245-2113 Fax: 512-245-8362
www.soci.txstate.edu

The Department of Sociology at Texas State consists of a student-friendly faculty with wide-ranging specialties. Faculty research interests include gender and the workplace, health, aging, life course, dementia, sexuality, demography, community organization, deviance, criminology, social stratification and inequality, popular culture, social movements, globalization, sustainability, and the environment. Although the department offers a large number of sub-fields for students to consider, increasingly the department is focusing upon graduate programs concentrating on Health, Dementia, and Aging, Sustainability and the Environment. The department offers valuable preparation in research skills including qualitative and quantitative research methods and statistical analysis. Faculty members have published numerous articles, book chapters, and books in their areas of interest. In addition, several faculty members have received national/international recognition from within academic circles and the popular press for their research.

The faculty also takes pride in the teaching reputation of the department and many faculty members have won major teaching awards.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide an environment conducive to intellectual exchange characterized by innovative and outstanding:

  • Teaching and curricula 
  • Service to students and community 
  • Scholarship and research 
  • Sociological practice with an emphasis on applications of statistics and methods
  • Commitment to multiculturalism and diversity

Vision Statement

Our vision is to become a premier sociology department providing nationally and internationally recognized academic programs.

Background

An applicant who does not have undergraduate sociology courses in social theory, statistics, basic knowledge of statistical software, and social research must complete undergraduate leveling courses in each of these areas. Depending on the extent of undergraduate education in sociology or related fields, students may be permitted to take up to six hours of selected graduate courses before completing these undergraduate requirements.

Student Fitness and Performance

Program Standards

Students enrolled in all academic programs in the Department of Sociology must maintain high scholastic standards and develop a mastery of the knowledge and methods of the discipline. Students are expected to demonstrate emotional and mental fitness in their interactions with others, use skills and methods that are generally accepted by others in the profession, and conform to the American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics, the Texas State University Honor Code, and the Texas State University Code of Student Conduct. A student’s acceptance in any program does not guarantee the student’s fitness to remain in that program. The faculty is responsible for verifying that only those students who continue to meet program standards are allowed to continue in any program.

Evaluation of Student Fitness and Performance

Members of the faculty, using their professional judgments, evaluate student fitness and performance continuously. The criteria used by the faculty to make such judgments include instructors’ observations of student performance in class or in activities related to courses, evaluations of student performance on theses and practica, site supervisors’ evaluations of student performance in practica, and the codes of ethics noted above. Students who are not making satisfactory progress or who are not meeting program standards should consider withdrawing from the program.

In this context, the term “satisfactory progress” refers to an academic judgment made regarding the student’s fitness and performance. It is a judgment that the student has failed to meet program standards rather than a judgment made on the basis of the student’s violation of valid rules of conduct. Disciplinary matters are referred to Student Justice.

Student Review Process

If a faculty member believes that a student is not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards, they should discuss the situation with the student. If the faculty member believes that the student’s conduct cannot improve to acceptable standards, the faculty member should refer the student to the program standards committee. The program standards committee consists of three faculty members appointed by the department chair in consultation with the senior faculty.

The committee will notify the student of the reasons that they not making satisfactory progress or meeting program standards and will give the student an opportunity to meet with the committee to respond and to present information and witnesses to the committee. The committee will also meet with the faculty member who referred the student to the committee. After considering the matter, and within ten working days of meeting with the student, the committee will report to the student and the chair. The committee will recommend that the student either be allowed to remain in the program or be removed from the program. The committee may make other recommendations, such as placing restrictions or conditions on the student’s continuing in the program. Within ten working days of receiving the committee’s recommendations, the student will notify the chair of the student’s acceptance or rejection of the committee’s recommendation.

Within ten working days of receiving the committee’s recommendation, the chair will make a decision as to the student’s continued presence in the program. Before making the decision, the chair will give the student an opportunity to meet with the chair and to offer information on the student’s behalf. However, the chair need not meet with the student before making a decision if the chair has given the student a reasonable opportunity to meet, and the student has either failed or refused to meet. The chair will notify the student of the decision.

If the student is dissatisfied with the chair’s decision, they may appeal to the dean of the College of Liberal Arts. However, in order for an appeal to be considered, the student must submit a written notice for an appeal to the chair and to the dean within ten working days of receiving the chair’s decision. The dean will consider the matter based on information compiled by the chair and notify the student of his or her decision within ten working days of the dean’s receipt of the appeal from the chair. The dean may meet with the student and give the student an opportunity to address the issues. The dean’s decision is final.

Financial Assistance

The Department of Sociology provides financial aid to selected students by employing graduate students as instructional assistants and research assistants. The Graduate College can provide information about graduate scholarships.

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Master of Science (M.S.)

Minor