Sociology and Social Policy

The Sociology and Social Policy programs provide a solid foundation for understanding the social world. They are designed to provide students with the theoretical and practical knowledge and critical thinking skills relevant to a wide variety of occupations, both in the private and public sectors. They offer understanding of cutting-edge debates and theories in sociology and social policy that reach from international issues to personal life in the twenty-first century. The programs embrace a wide range of approaches to the study of human life and thus provide critical insights into the institutional and cultural contexts which shape the ways we act, think and feel, and which we engage in maintaining and changing on a daily basis. The Master's programs also provide a thorough grounding in research methods and in using theoretical frameworks for the study of issues of relevance to students. Both programs offer insights into contemporary society, power and human behaviour and both combine learning theoretical approaches with practical empirical research into topics of students’ choosing. In terms of focus, Social Policy is a more applied subject that studies the collective responses to social problems and to promoting people’s well-being in a collective manner, such as engaging with social welfare and inequality.

Contact

Coursework

Dr Gyu-Jin Hwang
Phone: + 61 2 9036 5015
Email:

Research

Acting Postgraduate Research Coordinator
Associate Professor Catriona Elder
Phone: +61 2 9036 9483
Email:

Requirements

Graduate Certificate in Arts

To be awarded the Graduate Certificate in Sociology or in Social Policy, students complete a total of four units of study (24 credit points) comprising:

• two core units (depending on whether Sociology or Social Policy)
• two elective units of study chosen from the Table of Postgraduate Coursework Units of Study or from other units offered by the University (subject to confirmation from the Coursework Coordinator)

Graduate Diploma in Arts

To be awarded the Graduate Diploma in Sociology or in Social Policy, students complete a total of six units of study (36 credit points) comprising:

• two core units (depending on whether Sociology or Social Policy)
• four elective units of study chosen from the Table of Postgraduate Coursework Units of Study or from other units offered by the University (subject to confirmation from the Coursework Coordinator)

Master of Arts

To be awarded the Master of Sociology or Master of Social Policy, students complete a total of eight units of study (48 credit points), comprising:

• two core units (depending on whether Sociology or Social Policy)
• six elective units of study chosen from the Table of Postgraduate Coursework Units of Study or from other units offered by the University (subject to confirmation from the Coursework Coordinator)

Research degrees

Students must have a substantial background in a relevant academic discipline to be eligible to enrol in research degrees.

The Master of Arts (Research) is designed to develop students’ disciplinary knowledge and research skills through a program of postgraduate coursework (2 units of study) and a supervised research project culminating in a thesis. This degree is suitable for students who have a major in Sociology or Social Policy but who do not have an honours degree.

The Master of Philosophy is a research degree in which students undertake an extended piece of original research which is the basis for an individually supervised thesis.

The Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Social Sciences and Doctor of Philosophy degrees have the most stringent requirements for entry. Students are required to undertake a major original research project and to write an individually supervised thesis of 80,000 – 100,000 words which makes an original and significant contribution to the field.

For more information on research degrees, contact the Postgraduate Research Coordinator at the details above.