Serve the city and your community with a graduate degree in sociology. Portland State’s graduate programs in sociology will challenge you to improve people's daily lives and society more broadly through community engagement and policy-relevant research.
We offer two graduate programs: 1) A Non-Thesis M.S. program for students seeking to work in applied research or other positions requiring M.S.-level qualifications and a 2) A Ph.D. program for students seeking careers in academia or applied research requiring Ph.D.-level qualifications (students earn an M.S. on the way to the Ph.D. in this program).
Our programs provide opportunities to explore the most important issues in society, gain expertise in the theoretical and practical skills you need to conduct meaningful research and prepare for a career where you can help improve the world we live in. Our department has five primary areas of concentration: health and medicine; environmental sociology; sociology of education; sociology of gender; and law, criminology, and deviance.
Our small classes and cohort sizes will ensure you have the support you need to succeed, from your first term to graduation and on into rewarding careers in the field.
Our graduates have found work in research and service positions in government, nonprofits, private industry, and academia.
Our graduate program supports you from your first term through graduation and on into competitive careers in the field. Students work closely with faculty to learn research skills in their coursework as well as through thesis and dissertation research projects (Ph.D. program only).
In your courses, you will learn to integrate theory with a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches. You will study the dynamics of human behavior and social interaction in areas such as medical sociology, environmental sociology, education, criminology, and sociology of gender.
Our research-active faculty teach classes on a wide range of topics with specific emphasis on issues related to social inequalities. You can work closely with faculty on community-based research projects that identify ways to improve the lives and economic well-being of your neighbors. Our partners include community organizations, schools, state and city agencies, and hospitals, and medical research centers.
With our focus on social justice, the sociology department strives to create a place of inclusion and connection. We are excited about the opportunities that sociology provides for students to understand the world using critical thinking, problem-solving, written and oral communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills honed in our program. We encourage our graduate students to develop expertise in a variety of research methodologies, while also building a strong foundation in relevant theoretical traditions.
You will graduate ready to make a difference in the world.
Our graduates have gone on to teach at colleges and universities or work in applied research.
Graduates with Sociology MS degrees find positions in applied research or other positions requiring M.S.-level qualifications. Students graduating with a Ph.D. from our program find positions as faculty members at colleges and universities or take research focused jobs in the public or private sectors.
Our graduates are helping create meaningful change as researchers in the private and public sectors, including Research Into Action, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Veterans Affairs, OHSU, the State of Oregon, and Multnomah County's Division of Community Justice. Graduates of our Ph.D. program hold faculty positions at Western Oregon University, Lewis and Clark, Western New Mexico University, Pacific University, and Escuela de Salud Pública de la Universidad del Valle.
Rankings
U.S. News & World Report ranks PSU in the nation's top 100 sociology programs.