Revised: April 2026 (Previous Revisions: January 2010; February 2014; September 2015; June 2016, May 1, 2017; October 2017; April 2018; May 2019; May 2020, May 2022, May 2023, May 2024)

Welcome

Congratulations on being part of a thriving, intellectually vibrant department! We are pleased you have decided to join the Department of Sociology at Washington State University. At WSU, you will experience a challenging curriculum, have the opportunity to engage with undergraduate students in the classroom, all while interacting on a personal level with top level sociologists. We anticipate that your experience in graduate school will be a positive one.

Introduction

The Sociology graduate program at Washington State University is designed to prepare students for professional careers as sociologists in academic or nonacademic settings. The Department offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. Students are admitted to the program under the assumption they will earn an M.A. degree on the way to the Ph.D. degree.

The design of our graduate program and the favorable faculty-to-student ratio facilitate close collaboration between faculty and students. Nearly all graduate students obtain first-hand research experience during their graduate study. Most take advantage of opportunities to present papers at professional meetings and other venues and to publish in peer-reviewed journals.

Historically, our program has been one of the most productive in the nation in the proportion of graduate students who have published articles while in graduate school. Graduate students also have opportunities to gain teaching experience. Students assist faculty members with teaching duties and, after a period of training and with faculty supervision, students may teach their own courses.

This Department of Sociology Handbook was prepared to help incoming students navigate through our graduate program in a way that is timely and contributes to intellectual and professional development. While directed primarily at students already accepted into the program, prospective students can use this handbook to get a clear vision of the procedures and expectations of the program. Current students should refer to the online handbook for the most up-to-date policies and procedures.

Both the Department of Sociology and The Graduate School have guidelines for obtaining each type of degree. Visit the WSU Graduate School web page for more information.

A few important links are listed below:

• Students and the Department are bound by Graduate School Policies and Procedures.
• Forms, guidelines, and deadlines to formally progress through the graduate program can be found on-line at the Graduate School Forms webpage.
• Graduate student rights and responsibilities are located in chapter 12 of the Graduate School Policies and Procedures.
• The Graduate Student Bill of Rights can be found on the Graduate & Professional Student Association webpage.
• The Graduate School provides Guidelines for Good Practices in Graduate Education.

Upon entering the first year of study, you will be assigned an Initial Faculty Advisor to assist with academic decisions. By the end of your first year, if you are entering the program with a B.A., you will select an M.A. Chair to guide thesis work; if you are entering with an M.A. you will select a Chair of your Preliminary Examination Committee / Dissertation Committee. After completing an acceptable Master’s thesis but prior to a dissertation, you must pass preliminary exams (or prelims). You will complete course work in the fundamentals of sociological theory and methods and the basics of research and teaching. You also will tailor your program of study to pursue substantive interests that are aligned with department areas of expertise. Although not a substitute for speaking with faculty advisors and fellow graduate students, this Handbook will assist in the procedure for initiating and completing your graduate studies to meet your professional goals.

Department of Sociology Graduate Program Objectives & Learning Outcomes

The objectives of our program are:

1. To enable students to conduct original, empirical research.
2. To prepare students to contribute to scholarly dialogue about their area of expertise.
3. To train students to communicate sociological knowledge to relevant audiences.

The student learning outcomes for each of the stated program objectives are:

1. To enable students to conduct original, empirical research the program aims to provide a variety of experiences, inside and outside of the classroom, that help students to:
   1. Formulate an important, viable sociological research question within their field of expertise, including situating that research question within the relevant literature.
   2. Collect or identify data from which to draw conclusions about the research question.
   3. Apply appropriate research methods to sociological questions and describe the research methods accurately.
   4. Appropriately analyze research data and present results in a clear, concise manner
   5. Draw conclusions about the research questions in a way that effectively locates the conclusions in the larger body of knowledge.
   6. Draw implications about sociological knowledge from research findings.
2. To prepare students to contribute to scholarly dialogue about their area of expertise, the program aims to provide a variety of experiences that help students to:
   1. Present their research at local, regional, national, and international professional conferences and symposia.
   2. Present research to broader audiences through publication in professional, peer-reviewed journals.
   3. Develop a comprehensive knowledge of past and current research in their field of expertise and demonstrate that knowledge. (preliminary exams)
3. To train students to communicate sociological knowledge to relevant audiences, the program aims to provide a variety of experiences that help students to:
   1. Broaden their professional foundation through undergraduate teaching
   2. Place students in positions in academia, government, and the private sector (job placement statistics)

WSU Sociology Professional Expectations and Code of Conduct

The Sociology Department considers graduate students to be professionals in training. Training involves coursework and skills development, but also learning how to thrive in a professional environment. We anticipate that graduate students, like all members of the department, will behave in ways that are professional, and will use their time in the program to develop concrete professional skills. These include the specialized academic knowledge students learn in classes, but also the social and interactional skills necessary in order to transition into professional settings following degree completion. We encourage graduate students to act appropriately and professionally upon arriving at WSU for graduate studies. Among our professional expectations are the following:

1. That graduate students demonstrate efficiency and dependability to both professors and fellow students. This includes:
   1. Responding in a timely manner to professional communications, including email.
   2. Students should be proactive about discussing potential deadline and other conflicts with faculty ahead of time; on those occasions when students fail to adhere to deadlines, they should take personal responsibility.
2. That graduate students build and maintain professional personas, and present themselves professionally in speech, behavior, and comportment. This includes treating each other and the larger professional community with respect throughout their time at WSU:
   1. Students should treat others professionally and work to promote collegial relationships. Participation in idle gossip or excessive complaining serves to form a negative view of the person engaging in this behavior, and can be damaging to the larger department environment. Serious concerns should be brought to attention of faculty and department administration in order for solutions to be pursued.
   2. Students should recognize and respect each other’s personal, emotional, and physical boundaries. In graduate school, the lines of friend and colleague can be blurred, but in the workplace, such undefined boundaries can elicit unintended consequences.
   3. WSU Executive Policy #15 states that, “Discrimination in all its forms… destroys mutual respect and a trusting environment, can bring substantial personal harm to individuals, and violates individual rights.” In keeping with this policy, implicit or explicit harassment, intimidation, unwanted inquiries, and/or unsolicited advances on the basis of race, ethnicity, social class, gender, age, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity or expression are considered unacceptable within professional settings. Students should familiarize themselves with university policies, including the Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment and the Standards of Conduct for Students. Other university conduct policies can be found at the WSU Compliance and Civil Rights webpage.
   4. Students should also try to recognize and respect other department members’ racial and gender identities by using correct language and pronouns.
3. That graduate students become active participants in the discipline, including through engagement in activities that occur outside of class, including:
   1. Creating a professional CV early on, to keep track of progress and professional careers. Students are encouraged to update their CVs regularly, both for their own records and on the department website.
   2. Attending department colloquia and other professional talks, including job talks, practice talks, and dissertation defenses.
   3. Attending lectures around the university, including those sponsored by other departments and units.
   4. Presenting research at department colloquia, as well as regional, national, and even international conferences when financially and logistically possible.
   5. When financially possible, joining professional organizations such as the American Sociological Association, regional sociological associations, and other associations consistent with professional interests, and graduate student associations at WSU and beyond.

Part One. General Information

Graduate students are integral to the WSU Sociology Department. Students will welcome incoming cohorts; participate in departmental governance; contribute to the department’s intellectual environment via research and collaboration; and educate undergraduate students. This section of the Handbook describes graduate student involvement in department affairs and funding sources for graduate student, including research- and teaching- assistantships, departmental awards, and travel grants. This section also describes how continued funding is linked to making “satisfactory progress” through the program.

New Student Information

Arriving at WSU

In August, usually the week before fall semester begins, there will be several orientation sessions for new graduate students. Both the Graduate School and the Department of Sociology offer separate orientations. Through these orientation programs, you will acquire important information about your teaching or research assignments and you will learn about registering for classes and obtaining a WSU student ID. The Director(s) of Graduate Study will coordinate the department orientation activities. The Director(s) of Graduate Study will also contact you in the spring or summer before your arrival on campus with further details about the orientation and information about things that you can do to prepare for graduate school.

You will also obtain essential resources, such as department keys and office assignments, in the Department of Sociology main office located in Wilson-Short 204. Upon your arrival, the administrative assistant/graduate coordinator will help you obtain your office assignments and keys.

Campus Map

You can find a map of the Pullman campus on the WSU GIS Portal.

Graduate Program Administration

The Graduate Coordinator is the person who will collect from you important documents throughout your graduate career (exam scheduling forms, change of committee forms, your graduate program of study). S/he is a great source of information about forms and procedures at the Graduate School.

The Director(s) of Graduate Study help facilitate your graduate career. In addition to organizing orientation activities, the director(s) can offer advice on coursework, committee membership, and teach a required professional socialization course. You can also seek advice from the director(s) on matters related to graduate student life.

Continuous Enrollment Policy

All degree-seeking graduate students must maintain continuous enrollment in the Graduate School, registering for each semester, excluding summer sessions, from the time of first enrollment until all requirements for the degree are completed. Continuous enrollment is maintained by registering for a minimum of 2 graduate credits per semester (excluding the summer). International students who enroll for fewer than 10 credits must be approved by OISS, in consultation with the Graduate School, prior to part-time enrollment during the academic year. See chapter five of the Graduate School Policies and Procedures manual.

Graduate Student Involvement

Peer Mentoring Program

Peer mentors are continuing graduate students who provide guidance to students in the first-year cohort as they begin their graduate careers. The first-year cohort is comprised of first-year graduate students, whether entering with a BA or an MA.

The Peer Mentoring Program, piloted with the 1995 cohort, is now an active component of the graduate program in sociology. Peer mentors are a valuable resource in making the transition to graduate life. Peer mentor relationships are established even before first-year students take up residency in Pullman (e.g., during a campus visit; e-mail/phone conversations). Students representing various areas of concentration are available to answer prospective graduate students’ questions about the program and assist during departmental visits. Each incoming graduate student has a peer mentor who answers questions and assists with housing, academic, and other needs. Additionally, these mentors may help facilitate working relationships between new students and the faculty in their areas.

Sociology Graduate Student Organization (SGSO)

The SGSO was formed to facilitate professional development and to ensure that graduate student preferences or concerns are represented in departmental decisions. It strives to provide Sociology Graduate Students with the opportunity to develop professional leadership skills through active participation in decision-making and activities; to foster collegial peer and faculty relations within the Department of Sociology, and to provide a venue to develop and share professional and academic information and ideas. SGSO is self-governed. Meetings, announced via e-mail, typically are held once a month. All sociology graduate students are encouraged to attend and get involved.

Departmental Committees

Graduate student representatives volunteer through SGSO to serve on Sociology Department committees and participate in department meetings. Responsibilities associated with each committee are described at the initial SGSO meeting to select volunteers. Department Committees include: Awards, Faculty Meeting Representative(s), Graduate Studies, Undergraduate Studies, and other ad hoc committees, such as Faculty Search.

Other Opportunities to Enhance Graduate Student Training

Vancouver Campus assignment – Interested graduate students may sometimes complete their degree on the Vancouver campus when such an arrangement would benefit the student and fill a need in Vancouver (e.g., student’s advisor location). Students must have completed all coursework and preliminary exams. When available, notice of a Vancouver assistantship and application will be made available to all graduate students.

SESRC Survey Design Clinic – There are opportunities for working a limited number of hours per week as a Survey Research Consultant for the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center. As a consultant graduate students work with stakeholders across the College and University in designing and implementing surveys.

Residency

To qualify for resident tuition, state law requires you be a state resident for 12 months. If you are a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident and have come to WSU from out of state, establish residency in order to avoid paying out-of-state tuition (the department will cover out-of-state tuition for the first year only). To establish residency, as applicable: obtain your Washington State ID Card or Driver’s license within 30 days of arrival; register your car; register to vote; establish a bank account; and live in-state for one year. You can refer to Washington State’s guide for becoming a resident for more information.

Annual Review of Graduate Students

Graduate School policies make continuance of financial support dependent upon available funds from administration, adequate performance as a teaching assistant or research assistant, and satisfactory progress in completing the degree requirements of the program. Graduate students are evaluated yearly by the Sociology Department’s graduate faculty. This review is typically conducted near the end of the Fall semester and students are informed of their progress by way of a written letter sent to them in the Spring semester, which must be signed and returned.

Students are evaluated by faculty members using the following criteria: ability to understand and interpret sociological literature, ability to formulate a research question, ability to answer questions pertaining to understanding sociological problems and research, ability to formulate and test hypotheses, ability to interpret and present results in oral and written formats, ability to collect and analyze data, ability to import sociological ideas and research to a non-specialist audience (teaching), demonstration of high level of organization and timeliness, demonstration of enthusiasm for their work, frequency of interactions with faculty, taking of responsibility for their progress, taking of responsibility for their professional development, and involvement in the department.

An important component of the annual review is your self-assessment regarding progress over the past year. The self-assessment is required of all graduate students, regardless of year in program, and future funding is partially contingent upon completion of this assessment. The annual review is meant to offer you constructive feedback and guidance about the trajectory of your graduate work and to encourage timely completion of work.

Satisfactory Performance: Performance is assessed across several dimensions including graduate course work, professional activity and development. Indicators of professional development include such activities as preparing a manuscript for peer-review, submitting a grant proposal, presenting research, attending a professional conference, serving on department committees, and attending department colloquia. Unusual teaching demands and other known extenuating circumstances may be taken into account.

At minimum, you must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 throughout your graduate career. If the GPA falls below 3.0, the Department must petition the Graduate School to allow you to continue the program. See chapter six of the Graduate School Policies and Procedures manual.

Incomplete grades, ethical breaches, and insufficient progress also are factors affecting performance evaluations. An Incomplete (“I”) defers a grade for a student who, for reasons beyond his/her control, is unable to complete the assigned work on time. Ordinarily, new or renewed appointments will not be approved for students who have a grade of “I” on their record for longer than one semester or summer session.

Satisfactory Progress: “Satisfactory progress” refers to timely goal attainment within the

M.A. and Ph.D. programs, as defined by the Graduate School and by the Department of Sociology in this document. Student progress is confirmed through annual review by the faculty.

Once self-reported and faculty-reported assessments are collected, a summary and recommendation is presented by the Director(s) of Graduate Studies to the Sociology Graduate Faculty. The faculty examines each student’s performance and a collective recommendation is rendered regarding satisfactory performance and progress. Recommendations for continuance of funding are made at this time.

A letter will be sent to you regarding your progress over the past year as judged collectively by the graduate faculty. Negative evaluations will be expressly explained. Evaluations should be discussed with your advisory Committee or the Director(s) of Graduate Studies if further clarification is needed, the evaluation was negative, or the basis of evaluation seems vague or inappropriate.

Annual Awards to Graduate Students

The Department of Sociology grants more than ten Scholarships, Fellowships, and Awards each year to recognize or foster outstanding graduate student research, instruction, and other achievements.

Graduate student research is funded by the Dissertation Award, the Morgan Fellowship, and the Yoder Fellowship. The James F. Short Research Award recognizes exemplary graduate student research. Excellence in graduate student instruction is conferred by the DeMartini Teaching Award; teaching excellence is fostered by a DeMartini Grant for travel to attend teaching-related workshops and conference sessions. Other awards encourage diversity of backgrounds and interests, fund travel, and otherwise support graduate student scholarship.

Students are encouraged to apply for the General CAS Application, as you may be eligible for awards outside of the department. Some awards do not require a general application but instead are submitted to the Program Coordinator. Award information such as deadlines and award criteria are available on the Department’s Fellowships and Awards webpage.

Students who win an award will receive an offer letter containing all relevant information for the award. Awardees are recognized at the annual Spring Award Ceremony in April.

Funds for Conference Travel

The department understands the importance of student conference travel, especially as students advance in their career and network for job opportunities. The Department tries to provide travel support for graduate students, but travel support is not guaranteed.

The Department of Sociology requires Spend Authorizations in Workday for both in & out of state travel as well as international travel. Spend Authorizations are required if you are representing WSU (for example, going to a conference or workshop) at any time of the year and even if you are not receiving funds for this travel. The intent of requiring Spend Authorizations under these conditions is to preserve your insurance and other personal protections that WSU can only provide if you are approved for travel.

A Spend Authorization must be completed by the department’s fiscal specialist and fully approved before the trip starts. Per BPPM 95.01: “The University maintains a positive control over travel, which must be deemed appropriate and result in a benefit to WSU. Prior approval by a University official or their designee is required for all University travel in order for individuals to be eligible to:

• Travel on behalf of WSU; and
• Receive reimbursement for authorized and allowable expenses.”

Prior approval also acknowledges that employees are traveling in the capacity of their job duties and, therefore, covered under WSU’s industrial insurance and worker’s compensation insurance. If you do not contact the fiscal specialist two weeks prior to the beginning of your trip, you will be ineligible to receive department reimbursement (funding) or WSU industrial and worker’s compensation insurance.

Pre-Travel Paperwork

All WSU related travel requires that you fill out pre-travel paperwork. Steps to follow when traveling as a representative of WSU:

1. Before you apply for a conference and/or seek travel money, talk to your advisor. They need to approve your travel for you to use department travel funding.
2. When booking your travel, prioritize cost-effectiveness. People often stay at a hotel further away from the conference, take public transportation, or an Uber/Lyft to the conference. A conference hotel is not the only lodging option available; you can find an Airbnb. You can also room with others and split the cost.
3. When making travel arrangements, consider the possibility of not receiving funding and plan accordingly within your personal budget.
4. Once you know the estimated costs associated with your trip, contact the fiscal specialist and she will direct you to the necessary paperwork, once she receives the paperwork, she will input it into Workday for you.
5. If you would like to apply for travel funding here are your options:
   1. Scholarships: There is a general scholarship application available for Academic Years beginning early in the fall and closing early in the spring. Please apply to this first and as soon as possible. The General Scholarship Application typically closes at the end of January. See the WSU Scholarship webpage for more information.
   2. GPSA: You can only apply to GPSA during the month of your travel, after the trip has ended and you have incurred all the expenses. Follow the instructions on the GPSA website very carefully & make sure you have all the needed attachments. If you do not attach an approved Spend Authorization to your application, GPSA will not review your application. Please understand that GPSA will only choose the best applications to provide funding. This funding is competitive & they will not always fund the amount you request. Refer to the GPSA Travel Grants webpage for more information.
   3. AKD (Alpha Kappa Delta) travel money is available to AKD members. Please consult with the AKD liaison in the department, Sarah Whitley (whitley@wsu.edu), for more information.
   4. Off-Spring-Award-Cycle Department Funding: Fill out the department funding request form (Appendix A). Use this method only if an unanticipated conference opportunity arises. Funds for off-time travel awards are not always available and are limited; the expectation is that students apply for travel money using the spring awards cycle.

Reimbursement Process

1. If you have been approved to receive department funding, you will submit your receipts (for airfare, hotel, transportation, etc.) to the financial specialist. You do not have to submit food receipts as they are reimbursed at a per diem (base) rate based on location. Once receipts are received the reimbursement process will be processes through Workday. The reimbursement process typically takes 2-6 weeks.
2. State employees (you) can on only be reimbursed up to a certain amount that depends on location. Refer to the U.S. GSA Per diem rates webpage for reimbursement amounts. You will notice that hotel reimbursement is not always as high as the hotel cost, another reason to look for affordable lodging. Per diem rates specific to Washington State can be found on the Office of Financial Management website.
3. If you apply to GPSA, it may take months after your trip for GPSA to let you know if you were approved to receive funding, then it takes a couple of weeks after that for the check to be sent to you.
4. Scholarships – you will be awarded your scholarship money in the following Academic Year after you apply. Typically, this is paid out in 2 separate payments, one in Fall semester and the other in Spring semester.
5. If you have questions or concerns about what is classified as a reimbursable expense with regards to travel, please contact the financial specialist.

The Role of Faculty Mentors and Advisors

“A mentor is a faculty person who assists scholarly development, contributes to intellectual stimulations, and fosters professionally enriching relationships with graduate students…one who nurtures a rapid transition from graduate student to colleague through insightful guidance, trust, and mutual respect” (Washington State University Graduate Student Code).

Your mentor is expected to interact with you on a regular basis to provide advice and guidance related to professional development. You may change mentors at any time, without fear of reprisal.

As described in the WSU Graduate Student Code, mentors and advisors will:

• Interact in a professional and civil manner consistent with nondiscrimination and sexual harassment policies of the University
• Demonstrate collegiality in the classroom and in supervisory relations to encourage independent learning
• Develop clear expectations about research responsibilities including timelines for completion (e.g., research assistantships, theses/dissertations)
• Provide feedback on work in a timely manner
• Discuss authorship arrangements in advance of entering into collaborative projects
• Acknowledge student contributions to research presented at conferences or in professional publications
• Act in the student’s best interest by: preventing faculty rivalries from interfering with their duties as mentors/advisors/committee members; not impeding student progress for the benefit of the student’s teaching or research assistance; excusing themselves from supervising a student when there is an amorous, familial, or other relationship causing a potential conflict of interest; and refraining from requesting students to do personal work (e.g., child care, home/personal projects) without appropriate agreement and compensation.

At the start of every semester it is important that you meet with you primary faculty advisor. The goals of the meeting are (1) making sure both you and your advisor understand relevant programmatic milestones you are expected to achieve this semester/year and (2) establish specific and achievable goals for the semester and academic year. Students enrolled in SOC 700 or 800 independent research credits are responsible for initiating this meeting and it should occur early during the semester. It is recommended that when you initiate this meeting you provide your advisor with an agenda and/or tentative semester goals for further discussion in your meeting.

When Difficulties Arise

Difficulties in one’s academic career sometimes arise and it is important to know how any concerns you may have are normally handled at WSU. The first course of action is to talk to your mentor / advisor to resolve your concerns. If a remedy is not possible, you and/or your advisor can seek advice from the Graduate Studies Director(s) and then the Department Chair. If there is a reason why these individuals cannot be approached, problems may be taken directly to the appropriate office. Depending on the nature of the issue, you might wish to consult the Ombudsman (an impartial resource to assist all in the university community), the Office for Equal Opportunity, or Graduate School personnel. Academic issues are handled by the Assistant and Associate Deans. Student conduct issues are handled by the Office of Student Conduct. Other matters may be referred to the Committee on Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities (CGSRR).

Exceptions to Policy

You may petition for exceptions to the policies described in this Handbook. For exceptions to Departmental policies, the petition should be submitted in writing through the major professor (your Advisor) to the Graduate Studies Committee. For exceptions to University Policies, the petition “should be submitted in writing through the major professor and the Chair of the major department/program to the Dean of the Graduate School. The Dean may then act upon the request or refer it to the [University] Graduate Studies Committee.”

Ethical Considerations

Academic Integrity

You are expected to uphold high standards of scholarship and conduct in your roles as student, and researcher. The Department of Sociology fully supports the academic integrity policies outlined in the Washington State Standards of Student Conduct. For updated policy documents, refer to the Center for Community Standards.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: plagiarism (presenting other’s information, ideas, or phrasing as one’s own without proper acknowledgment of the source); fabricating data, research procedures, results, or citations; cheating; facilitating acts of dishonesty by others; possession of computer files or written documents without express permission (e.g., exams); and unauthorized multiple submission of the same work. Violations will be adjudicated using procedures described by the Office of Student Conduct.

One instance of academic dishonesty is likely to result in termination of a student’s continuation in the program. Ignorance of these policies is not a defense. If you are unclear about what constitutes a violation of policy, speak with your advisor.

WSU Sociology Policy on Student Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Academic Work

WSU Sociology takes the stance that using generative AI to reduce the effort graduate students put into developing skills around research, reading comprehension, writing, and communication should be avoided. Using AI to shortcut the process of thinking and writing robs students of the opportunity to struggle productively and grow intellectually. At its best and in some situations, generative AI can be like a tutor or thought partner with unlimited time to help you learn – but it should not be used to do the cognitive work for you, or else your own learning will be greatly diminished.

The following guidelines aim to ensure that, in your academic work at WSU, you do not use generative AI when it hinders your development and the ability of faculty to assess your work. If you have any doubt about whether a specific use of generative AI is permitted for a course, proposal, thesis, dissertation, preliminary exam, or qualifying exam (i.e. the Area Paper) you are responsible for discussing it with your instructor, faculty advisor, and/or faculty committee members prior to using it.

The following guidelines specify when it is inappropriate and a violation of WSU Sociology Academic Integrity Policy to use AI technology in your scholarly work. Helpful resources are also provided in response to these guidelines to help you improve your scholarly work in the age of AI technology.

1. Unless otherwise specified by your instructor, it is a violation of the WSU Sociology Academic Integrity Policy to use generative AI to create all or part of an assignment for a course (e.g., a paper, memo, presentation, or short response), a proposal for a master’s thesis or dissertation, a draft of a thesis or dissertation, a writing sample for the portfolio, an area paper, or any other scholarly material that you submit as your own. This rule parallels other rules. You may not ask another person to complete your assignment for a course or other assessment. You may not copy from something someone else has created or re-write in your own words something someone else has written, without proper attribution.
   1. Improving your writing takes work and we want you to do that work. Resources to help you include the WSU Graduate and Professional Writing Center and courses that you can enroll in. Examples of writing courses include ENG 402, 495, 545 and WRIT 405.
2. Keep in mind that the information provided by generative AI tools like ChatGPT is generated from unverified crowd-sourced information. Large language models can produce false claims or “hallucinations” and will regenerate any biases in the corpus of texts on which they are trained. You therefore should not trust the information as if it were equivalent to published research. You are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of the work you submit.

The use of generative AI may also have implications for the protection of your own intellectual property. For example, if you upload your own original content to a generative AI tool, that content may become part of the tool’s models, which others may encounter and use. Conversely, if you use generative AI to develop your own original work, it may unexpectedly include others’ copyrighted material.

Washington State University Computer Privacy Policy

This statement addresses the collection, use, security of, and access to information that may be obtained through the use of Washington State University’s website. Refer to WSU’s Privacy Notice.

Sociology Department’s Statement on Ethics

The purpose of this statement is to acknowledge the nature of professional responsibilities as educators toward students, the subjects of and participants in students’ research, and to our colleagues at Washington State University and in the wider discipline.

Sociology faculty at Washington State University affirm and support the Code of Ethics developed by the American Sociological Association. We acknowledge that it is our responsibility as educators, practitioners and researchers to ensure that our students are trained to be sensitive to ethical issues and to work in accordance with the ASA Code of Ethics.

Therefore, the Department’s ethical expectations include all of the following:

• All course work in research methods and practice will include appropriate consideration of ethical issues.
• Students doing research must comply with the ASA Code of Ethics and applicable institutional research guidelines, including human subjects review procedures. For updated ethics code documents, refer to the American Sociological Society’s website.
• Students who do research to fulfill course work requirements, to meet degree requirements in Sociology, or as a representative of the University or Department, must do so under the direct supervision of sociology faculty.
• Students must have explicit permission of a sociology faculty member before beginning the research, and must continue to receive supervision from a sociology faculty member while the research is in process.
• Supervising faculty, generally, will be the chair of the student’s committee or any assistant, associate, or full professor in sociology.
• Sociologists who, as members of this faculty, supervise student research will exercise their professional judgment in guiding the student with respect to ethical issues that arise in the course of the student’s research.
• Owing to the supervisory capacity of faculty with respect to student research, any promise of confidentiality that exists between researcher and members of the research population necessarily extends to the supervising faculty, and respondents must be informed of this fact.

Institutional Review Board and Responsible Research

All research conducted on human subjects must have prior approval by the WSU Institutional Review Board. At the WSU IRB webpage, you will find (1) Human Subjects Forms & Information, and (2) a Human Subjects Required CITI Training Course.

Part Two. Earning a Master’s Degree

Earning a Master’s Degree requires completing course work and an independent research project, the Master’s Thesis. You must successfully complete at least 33 hours of course work to earn a Master’s degree in Sociology—including at least 21 hours of graded course work.

Ultimately, you will need at least three faculty committee members, the majority of them in Sociology, to form a Master’s committee, but the first step is to find a Sociology faculty member to chair your committee. To select a chair, look around the department: Who is doing work that interests you? Who seems like someone with whom you could work? Do you need someone who will allow you a great deal of autonomy or do you require a lot of guidance? Ask other graduate students about how it is to work with particular faculty.

Program of Study – the basis for your degree requirements, once approved

Before the end of your second semester, you need to file your Program of Study with the Graduate School, through the Sociology Graduate Program Coordinator. The Program form, and all other Graduate School forms, can be accessed on the Graduate School Forms webpage.

Your Program is a plan of study that documents the list of seminars that you intend to take to fulfill the requirements of the Master’s Degree, and the names of the faculty who will guide you through your thesis work. Each member of your MA committee must sign your program. Your Program must also include mention of your thesis topic. This can be quite general; it is not necessary to state the exact nature of your thesis. The Graduate School will approve your planned course of study when it meets department and Graduate School minimum requirements for a degree. When you finish your MA thesis and apply to receive your MA degree, your Program of Study will be compared against your transcript of credits earned.

To earn an MA, you must successfully complete each course that is listed on your Program. However, it is likely that you will substitute various courses for those you initially planned. It is relatively easy to delete or add specific courses (“Change of Program” form) and/or faculty committee members (“Change of Committee” form) in order to meet changing interests.

Faculty members understand that a student’s interests and needs change and so committee changes are not uncommon. *Please inform faculty members who are removed from your committee.

Prior to the start of your fourth semester, after registering for seminars, verify that your Program of Study reflects your course record on your transcript. File Change of Program or Committee forms as needed. Not all of the courses you take must be included on your program, but you must take all courses listed on your program. All Program of Study changes must be made the semester before you defend your Master’s.

The Thesis

“The thesis is a scholarly, original study that is a significant contribution to the knowledge of the chosen discipline.” (Graduate School Policies and Procedures)

Generally, you will design your project in close consultation with the Chair of your committee. The thesis itself may be of any length, but many students opt to write one that is “article-length” (facilitating their submission of the final document for publication).

You may use an existing data set or collect your own data. Whatever you choose to do, make sure your thesis project is one that can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time (see “Satisfactory Progress Chart” on pages 41 & 42).

Overview of the Thesis Process

1. Begin by having informal discussions with faculty members with whom you share interests. Talk about topics, timelines, research methods, and ethical issues. Decide upon a Chair, who can help you form a committee.
2. In consultation with the Chair of your committee, discuss how to proceed with the research topic you have chosen. A typical next step is to write a “proposal.” In your proposal, describe the research questions or hypotheses you intend to address, your preliminary reading of the relevant literature, the methods and strategies you intend to use, and so forth. Generally, a student shares the proposal first with the committee Chair before distributing it to other committee members.
3. Provide a copy of your proposal to each member of your committee and ask for feedback.
4. Write a final version of the proposal and give copies to each member of your committee.
5. Schedule a meeting with members of your committee. The goal of this meeting is for everyone to leave the room with a similar idea of what your research is going to be, how you will proceed, and the kind of product you anticipate will result. It is appropriate for you to ask questions of your committee members to make sure that everyone is satisfied with your proposal.
6. If the research involves human subjects you must have completed the human subjects training course—CITI—before you can submit an application to the Institutional Review Board. It can be accessed at WSU’s IRB training webpage. Consult with your chair about which type of IRB application is most appropriate for your project (i.e., full board, expedited, or exempt). Then, complete the forms required by the WSU Institutional Review Board and, under the supervision of your Chair, obtain approval before you begin your research. Refer to the WSU’s IRB forms webpage for more information.
7. As you conduct your research and begin to write, provide regular progress reports to the Chair of your committee. Occasionally, update your committee members on your progress. Consult with your Chair if you have questions about how much information you ought to provide to other Committee members. Of course, you ought to call upon other members of your committee whenever you need/want their expertise.
8. Your final MA thesis should average about 10,000 words in length and follow the style of mainstream sociological journals such as Social Forces or Social Problems. Work with your chair and committee members to address any questions you have about how to write an academic article successfully.
9. Once your research is complete, your thesis is written, and approved by your committee chair, give each member of your committee a working draft. A working draft is one that has a title, is properly formatted, written in complete sentences, includes a bibliography, and so forth. The closer your draft is to final form, the better the quality of comments you can expect to receive from your committee members. Different faculty will have different expectations and interests, so be sure to discuss these expectations with committee members ahead of time.

Your committee is responsible for approving all aspects of the final thesis before you schedule the final examination. After each member agrees that the thesis is ready to defend, a thesis Defense may be scheduled. To schedule a Master’s defense you must:

• Have an approved Program of Study on record with the Graduate School, identifying your current committee configuration and coursework. Submit Change of Committee/Program of Study forms to make adjustments to your initial Program of Study.
• Have completed or be enrolled in all the required course work
• Be registered for a minimum of two credits of Soc 700 for the semester or summer session in which the final thesis defense examination is to be taken
• Submit the Scheduling form to the Graduate School 10 or more working days prior to the anticipated examination. When committee members sign the Thesis Acceptance/Final Examination Scheduling form, they indicate that a thesis, suitable in format for submission to the Library, has been given their approval (Graduate School Policies and Procedures). The candidate must present an electronic draft copy of the thesis, complete in format, with the scheduling form. Do NOT assume faculty members will sign a form for an incomplete thesis.
• Submit the Application for Degree form to the Graduate School
• Apply for graduation and pay the $50 graduation fee by the time the defense is scheduled.

The Defense

Before the defense, discuss the process with your Chair. Each MA Committee member must attend. Defenses are “public,” so other faculty and students may attend as well. A thesis defense generally lasts about an hour (and may last no more than 90 minutes). Members of your committee will ask you questions about how you conducted the research and analyzed your data, and the implications of your work. Other faculty attending the defense may ask questions as well. The presentation part of a defense is required to be open to the public, though the following period of questions can be public or private.

If 75% of the eligible faculty who attend the defense and vote agree that you have successfully defended your thesis, you pass. The vote itself is conducted in closed sessions by written ballot (students will not be present).

In the unlikely event that you fail the thesis defense, the Graduate School permits that a “second and final attempt may be scheduled at the request of the major department/program after a lapse of at least three months.”

Following a successful defense, students have five days to submit their thesis to the Graduate School, submit the signature page on the Service Request page of “myWSU,” sign and return the Hold Harmless Copyright Agreement, and complete the online Survey of Earned Documents. We suggest saving the Thesis/Dissertation Final Checklist document provided by the Graduate School.

Creating Your Program

Calculating Course Requirements for the MA Program

The program of study for a Master’s Degree requires a minimum of 33 total credits (hours) of course work. Of these 33 credits:

• At least 21 credits must be in graded course work
  • At least 15 credits in graded course work must be 500-level courses
  • No more than 6 hours may be earned from 300/400-level courses
  • No more than 10 hours may be from outside the department
• No more than 6 hours may be transfer-credits from another school
• At least 4 hours must be in ungraded Soc 700 (“Thesis Hours”), 2 of which must be taken in the semester the thesis will be defended

*Audited courses may not be used for the Program of Study.

*Students must re-take courses listed on the Program in which they do not earn a grade better than a C-.

*All full-time Master’s Degree students must register for one Thesis Credit (Soc 700) each semester to track faculty advisor effort (Graduate School Policies & Procedures).

About 700-Level Research Credits

• 700-Level Research Credits are for students working on master’s research and/or examination.
• For each semester a student is enrolled in research credits, students should discuss expectations with his or her faculty advisor who will provide a grade based on whether the student met those research expectations. There must be written documentation about what a student will complete during a semester to satisfy 700/800 credits. This can be formal or informal… a piece of paper or an e-mail, but there needs to be some sort of documentation. It is strongly advised that when you set a meeting with your advisor to discuss 700/800 research credits that you bring to that meeting, or share ahead of time, a proposed schedule of tasks that you will complete this semester to satisfy research credit expectations. For first year students, that might be a simple as stating that you will identify a thesis topic and committee.
• Credits are awarded for a grade of Satisfactory (S); no credit is awarded for a grade of Unsatisfactory (U). A grade of U will be assigned in the event of a failed exam or when the student otherwise does not fulfill requirements related to their research, including plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind related to the research.
• Two U grades for 700 credits may lead to dismissal from the Graduate School.

*A full-time academic load is 10 to 12 credits during the academic year.

*Students who serve as TAs or RAs are required to enroll full-time each semester. Students on summer appointments as teaching, research, or staff assistants must register for 3 credit hours during summer sessions, usually 700 Thesis Hours.

MA Programs must include the department’s core courses:

• Soc 511 Data Management (3 graded hrs)
• Soc 520 Research Methods in Sociology (3 graded hrs)
• Soc 517 Seminar in Contemporary Social Theory (3 graded hrs) OR Soc 510 Development of Social Theory (3 graded hrs)
• Soc 521 Regression Models (3 graded hrs)
• Soc 591 Sociology—The Profession (2 semesters) (total of 2 ungraded hours)
• Soc 700 Thesis Hours (at least 4 ungraded hours, with 2 during semester of defense)

Students enrolled in Sociology 521 should have completed at least one introductory statistics course at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

Transfer Credits

Credits appropriate to the program of study earned in other accredited graduate schools while in graduate student status may be applied toward a student’s graduate degree program at WSU. Grade must be B or higher. Credits for an MA may not be more than 6 years old at the time of submission. Transfer credits cannot be from a previously earned Master’s degree. Extension courses, special problems, research and thesis, workshops, and correspondence courses will not receive credit. Please note that the maximum time allowed for completion of a master’s degree is 6 years from the beginning date of the earliest course applied toward the degree; this includes any transfer credits earned toward the WSU degree.

Clarification of the Graduate School’s transfer credit policy is available in the Graduate School Policies and Procedures.

Notes:

1. When you fill out your program, include all courses needed to earn the MA degree—even those you have yet to complete.
2. You are expected to be enrolled in at least one graded course (400-500 level) each semester, except during the semester in which you are writing your thesis when all credits may be in Soc 700. You are expected to enroll for at least one hour of Thesis Credits (Soc 700) every semester, under the name of your main advisor (or, in the case of your first semester at WSU, your assigned initial faculty mentor).
3. While in residence at WSU, you must be registered for at least 10 credit hours each semester. Consult with your committee chair about your course plan.
4. You must take all courses listed on your program. In cases when a course listed on your program is not offered or another need arises, file a “change of program” with the Graduate School.

Part Three. Earning a Doctoral Degree

Earning a doctoral degree requires completing course work, passing preliminary examinations, and conducting/defending an independent research project – the Dissertation. To earn a PhD, you must choose an area of Sociology in which to specialize, demonstrate mastery of knowledge in that area, and conduct original research to advance the field.

Ultimately, before the end of your first post-MA semester at WSU, you must find someone to Chair your dissertation committee. Look around the department: Who is doing work that interests you? Who seems like someone with whom you could work? Do you need someone who will allow you a great deal of autonomy or do you require a lot more guidance? Ask other graduate students about how it is to work with a particular faculty.

Before the end of your first post-MA semester, you need to file your Program of Study with the Graduate School. Essentially, your Program of Study is a list of classes that you intend to take to fulfill the requirements of the PhD degree, and the names of the faculty who will guide you through your thesis work. Each member of your committee must sign your program. The Program form may be downloaded from the Graduate School and should be filed through the Sociology Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator.

On the Program form you will list the courses you have already taken (toward the MA) as well as those you intend to take to complete the coursework requirements for a PhD. You must also indicate the title or topic area of your dissertation. The description of your dissertation topic can be general and later changed to better reflect your specific topic as your ideas develop. The Graduate School will approve your planned course of study when it meets department and Graduate School minimum requirements for a degree. When you finish your PhD and apply to receive your degree, your Program of Study will be compared against your transcript of credits earned.

To earn the PhD, you must successfully complete each course that is listed on your Program. However, it is likely that you will substitute various courses for those you initially planned; or you might change the configuration of your committee. It is relatively easy to change your program to delete or add specific courses (“Change of Program” Form) and/or faculty (“Change of Committee” Form) to adapt to changing interests. Please inform any faculty members removed from the committee of the change.

Prior to the start of your final semester, verify that your Program of Study reflects your current committee configuration and your course record as it appears on your transcript. File Change of Program or Committee forms as needed.

Entering the Program with a Master’s Degree from Elsewhere

Students entering the Program with a master’s degree in sociology are strongly encouraged to spend the first year of study at WSU taking core Theory, Statistics, Methods, and Professionalization seminars with other first-year cohort members.

Participation in these fundamental courses further prepares students for more independent scholarship and enhances socialization into the department and discipline. To accommodate these coursework expectations, students entering the program with a sociology MA from elsewhere are permitted four years to complete the PhD, allowing the first year to be devoted to fundamental coursework and becoming familiar with graduate faculty in the program before embarking on independent research. However, if you believe your situation is exceptional, you may consult with the Graduate Director(s) and your Advisor about electing out of a required course. Graduate School policy is to allow no more than 10 years of study to earn the PhD, starting from the beginning date of the earliest course applied to the PhD, including transfer credits.

Students entering the Program with a master’s degree in a discipline closely related to sociology (e.g. economics, political science, anthropology) may petition to have that degree accepted as equivalent to a MA in sociology. The process for doing so involves sending written correspondence (an e-mail) to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and including a pdf copy of their approved thesis as an attachment for review. The DGS will then ask members of the Graduate Studies Committee to conduct a formal review of the thesis to evaluate if it will be accepted as equivalent or not. If this review results in a declination the student would enter the program on the BA to PhD track. If the review results in accepting the MA as equivalent the student would enter the program on the MA to PhD track. This review must be initiated no later than the end of the second full week of fall semester classes in which a student enters the program and the evaluation must be completed no longer than 4-weeks after the request originates. If the MA is from a discipline other than Sociology, it will be accepted or rejected based on criteria including (see appendix B):

1. Illustrating independent research and asking and answering of a research question
2. Illustrating knowledge and familiarity with sociological (or closely related) theory, methods, and literature; and
3. Illustrating academic skill commensurate to the master’s level.

After evaluation of the MA work, the Graduate Studies Committee will provide one of three decisions: Reject; Accept with Reservations (and, for non-Sociology MAs, the suggestion that the student pursue an MA in sociology at WSU); or Accept without Reservations.

Preliminary Exams

After you complete your Master’s thesis, you will begin working towards “admission to candidacy” in the PhD program. To do so requires successful completion of Preliminary Exams (aka prelims). The prelims consist of two separate, but related, components.

Component One: Portfolio Preparation

Goal

Demonstrate student’s academic writing and competency in responding to scholarly critique, faculty support for research agenda, and professional development.

Students preparing to take their preliminary exams will enroll in 2 credits of Sociology 800 in the Fall semester, under their main advisor. Earning these research credits requires the completion of a professional portfolio. Students should also begin working with their advisors towards completion of the second component of prelims, the area paper. This might include tasks such as (a) identifying a suitable topic of sociological inquiry, (b) developing a reference list to encompass a subarea of sociology, and (c) making substantial progress in reading the works on that reference list. There is no other scheduling paperwork required for this component of the preliminary exam.

Portfolio content

1. Professional Statement (no more than 1500 words). The narrative, written in consultation with one’s main advisor, should synthesize academic experiences in the graduate program as they relate to program objectives, elaborate one’s professional goals as a scholar and educator, and describe professional objectives for the future, including how their interests align with the WSU Sociology Department’s faculty expertise. The statement should also address the student’s rationale for including each document (i.e., how does that piece show mastery of certain program goals), and lessons learned from writing each document (i.e., concrete skills, knowledge, or what not-to-do, etc.)
2. Curriculum Vitae. Using professional standards, list your qualifications and accomplishments in the areas of Research, Teaching, and Service to the department, college, university, discipline, and/or larger community
3. Two examples of student scholarship. These may include MA theses, papers developed from MA theses, revised graduate seminar papers, publications or manuscripts for publication, book chapters, or other scholarship that demonstrates competencies. Only one can be co-authored; at least one must be sole authored. If co-authored, the work can include more than two co-authors but the student must be the first author and the other coauthor(s) must describe the division of labor in a memo.

Evaluation

An annual rotating committee of two graduate faculty members plus a student’s main advisor will serve as the evaluation committee, hereafter the student’s Faculty Examination Committee (FEC). The two “at-large” faculty members will be selected by a random process to the FEC by the director of graduate studies annually. A student’s main advisor will serve as the third member of his/her FEC. At the beginning of each fall semester, the Department Chair will write a memo to the Graduate School identifying the two “at large” faculty members (and a substitute) to serve on FEC in that academic year, thereby eliminating the need for a student to file numerous change of committee forms. A committee is appointed from August 15-May 15 and charged with the evaluation of portfolios and revisions in the given academic year. If a student’s chair is selected to serve as an at-large member on the FEC in a given year, the appointed substitute will serve as one of the FEC members. If a student’s chair is on sabbatical, the student should discuss and make plans with his/her chair to identify a substitute chair for this process. File a Committee Substitution form with the Graduate School.

In addition to the FEC, according to Graduate School policy, any graduate program faculty member may ballot in the meeting, regardless of whether they are serving on the FEC. All faculty who will ballot should have participated in assessing all components of the student’s work being evaluated during the examination.

The FEC will use all of the following criteria to evaluate the portfolio.

1. Extent to which the student has developed academic goals and interests consistent with departmental strengths/faculty expertise and has crafted a plan to achieve those goals.
2. Articulates a cohesive, logical research agenda in the professional statement.
3. Extent to which progress has been made toward professional objectives.
4. Evidence of professional development.
5. Quality of scholarship submitted. Collectively, the body of scholarship must:
   1. Formulate a viable sociological research question located in a larger body of knowledge
   1. Collect or identify appropriate data to draw conclusions about the research question
   1. Apply or identify appropriate research methods and describe the methods accurately
   1. Recognize shortcomings or limitations of (proposed) research and findings.

After the FEC evaluates a student’s portfolio, they will:

1. Provide an assessment of either “S” (satisfactory), “U”(unsatisfactory), “X” (work in progress), or “I” (incomplete), based upon the assessment of the majority of faculty who assessed the work.
2. Inform the student and graduate faculty of the outcome.
3. Provide written feedback on the portfolio. The feedback may be general in nature OR specific to each component of the portfolio.

In the case of an “S” grade, the student should file his or her preliminary exam scheduling form with the Graduate School (through the Sociology Graduate Program Coordinator) once the department announces the ballot meeting date for the spring semester.

In the case of an “X” grade denoting the need for continued progress toward completion, a student can treat it like a revise & resubmit on a journal decision. The student is responsible for revising the professional statement and portfolio, crafting a memo in response to the problem areas identified by the committee. Revised portfolios can be turned in for re-review any time after a student receives feedback up until prior to the end of the following spring semester. However, the FEC must have enough time to assess the revised portfolio before final grades are due. Therefore, all resubmissions must be received at least two weeks prior to the last day of instruction for the term. An “X” grade will be replaced with an “S” grade (with a formal change of grade form filed by the student’s chair) when a student submits an acceptable portfolio. The need to revise will likely affect his or her progress and funding in the program. Students who receive an “X” should discuss the matter with his or her advisor regarding timing and strategy for revision.

An “I” grade may be used when a student cannot complete the requirements due to an exceptional situation beyond the control of the individual. S/he has one year to satisfactorily complete the portfolio requirements. An “I” grade will be replaced with a “S” or “X” grade (with a formal change of grade form filed by the student’s chair) when a student submits a portfolio.

A “U” grade may be assigned for unsatisfactory performance or for unfulfilled requirements, such as when an “X” is replaced with a “U” in cases where a student cannot develop a satisfactory revised portfolio within the specified timeframe.

In keeping with Graduate School policy, any student who receives 2 “U” scores may be dismissed from the Graduate School. All potential dismissals because of failure to make progress on the portfolio will be discussed in a full meeting of graduate faculty.

Timing & Procedures

Students will enroll for Sociology 800 (Portfolio-Research Credits) in their third year if they entered with a BA/BS or second year if they entered with an MA/MS. However, a student may not submit a portfolio for evaluation until she/he has successfully defended his/her MA thesis. A student’s main advisor may request an exception to department policy that would allow the student to submit the portfolio while s/he finalizes his/her MA thesis or to delay portfolio submission due to an exceptional circumstance. Requests for exception must be made in writing and submitted to the Graduate Studies Committee who will make the final decision regarding exceptions. Extensions will be treated as major deviations from normal progress in the program, which may jeopardize funding. Students who are approved to defend an MA thesis in the Fall of their third semester and complete the portfolio within the same semester should register for two credits each of Soc 700 and Soc 800.

Portfolios are due to the Graduate Coordinator NO LATER THAN December 1 (by 4pm) of the year a student enrolls in portfolio research credits. Submit the portfolio components as PDF files using the following file naming conventions: ProfStatement_YourLastName_date; CV_YourLastName_date; WritingSample1_YourLastName_date; WritingSample2_YourLastName_date.

The evaluation committee will provide assessment to students no later than the date grades are due at the university. Students who cannot meet the December 1 Portfolio deadline due to delayed progress on the MA thesis are at risk of losing departmental funding.

Component Two: Area Paper

Goal

Demonstrate ability to synthesize and contribute to knowledge about a substantive area of sociology, identify gaps in that knowledge base, and propose a logical and practical prospectus on how you plan to contribute to filling a particular gap in a dissertation.

Students should not receive critical feedback or editing on drafts of the paper from faculty members in or outside the department, from other students, or anyone else. The area paper must be the student’s independent scholarship drawing on published research. Paid copyediting or proofreading services are not permitted; however, one-on-one writing assistance can be sought from the WSU Graduate and Professional Writing Center. In addition, students enrolled in writing courses for credit at the 400/500 level may work on area papers as part of course requirements and receive and incorporate feedback from the instructor. Examples of such courses are ENG 402, 495, 545 and WRIT 405.

Students, however, are expected to consult with their advisor to identify a topic for their area paper. Students are encouraged to regularly converse with their advisor and committee members about: (i) the literature they are reviewing; (2) their interpretation of the literature; (3) the gaps they are identifying; (4) the outline of their area paper. Students are expected to discuss with their advisor and committee members the practical prospectus that will be proposed in their area paper. Ideally, committee members would concur that the students’ prospectus is consistent with departmental expertise and feasible.

Content of Area Paper

1. Critical Review of Literature (4500-5500 words, exclusive of references. Include word count after title. Abstract of 200-250 words suggested, not counted toward word limit). The paper will be an analytic, critical review of a literature that encompasses one topic within a sub-area of sociology that is determined in consultation with a student’s main advisor. It should demonstrate mastery of this subfield by critically reviewing foundational works on the topic as well as by discussing important contemporary debates in the literature (i.e., last 10 years). The review should be supported with a comprehensive cited reference list useful to one interested in understanding the history of thought and new developments in a specific area. This review can be modeled after Sociology Compass. The critical review of literature should lead to discussion of fruitful avenues for future research, given the knowledge gaps identified by the student. Students may outline multiple gaps in the literature that could be pursued, but should conclude with a specific gap that they plan to pursue for their dissertation.

Your review should be driven by a question, such as:

• What debates are driving the subfield? What does new research add to these debates or the field more generally?
• Is a new school of thought or paradigm developing in the subfield? If so, how is the new perspective related to or a departure from previous schools of thought? If not, what promises to be an emerging perspective?
• Can you offer a fresh perspective on developments in the subfield? This discussion might be theoretical or methodological. What are the critical points needing further exploration?
• By comparing across sections or boundaries, are there related developments happening in different sub-fields?
• How has the subfield affected public policy or impacted social life in other ways?

• Dissertation prospectus: 500-1,500 words, exclusive of up to 3 tables. In developing the dissertation prospectus students should demonstrate that that it is feasible to fill the gap they have identified within the doctoral program’s timeline. For instance, students should discuss existing datasets and analytical techniques that can be used to answer their research questions. As another example, if collecting data (qualitative or quantitative), students can discuss the potential sample and processes of access and/or recruitment. Although advisor and committee members are not allowed to read the student’s area paper, students are expected to brainstorm and discuss ideas with their dissertation committee.

Evaluation

The same annual rotating FEC will evaluate the area paper (see above). As with the Portfolio, in addition to the FEC, according to Graduate School Policy 8.5.6.1, any graduate program faculty member may ballot in the meeting, regardless of whether they are serving on the FEC. All faculty who will ballot should have participated in assessing all components of the student’s work being evaluated during the examination.

Papers should demonstrate a student’s comprehensive knowledge of past and current research in their field of expertise. The FEC will use the following criteria to evaluate the paper:

1. Suitability of topic of sociological inquiry
2. Completeness of reference list to encompass a subarea of sociology
3. Comprehensiveness of coverage and sufficiency of the level of detail
4. Ability to identify shortcomings / knowledge gaps in the literature
5. Ability to propose logical and feasible future directions of inquiry

A student must pass all five components (a-e) to pass the preliminary examination. After evaluation, the FEC will provide an overall assessment of “high pass,” “pass,” or “fail.” A student who fails is allowed one chance to redo the area paper, a policy in keeping with the Graduate School preliminary exam process. The evaluation committee, as well as all balloting faculty members who vote to fail, should be prepared to provide written feedback to the student’s chair if requested. Feedback should indicate area(s) (a-e, above) where competency was not adequately demonstrated. These deficiencies will be summarized in writing, anonymized, and conveyed by the student’s main advisor. Faculty who prefer that their feedback not be anonymized should make this preference clear to the chair. The student’s chair will report the outcome of the vote, but no details regarding individual votes, who voted, or how many votes were cast.

Pass: A grade of “S” will be assigned for 800-credits during the semester a student passes his/her initial exam.

Fail: A grade of “X” will be assigned for 800-credits during the semester a student fails his/her initial preliminary exam. If a student passes his/her second attempt, the “X” will be replaced by an “S” and an “S” will be assigned for the current semester. If a student fails his/her second attempt, a grade of “U” will be assigned for 800-credits during the semester s/he took the exam. A grade of “U” also will replace the “X” grade assigned to the initial attempt.

In the event of a failed second attempt, voting faculty should be prepared to provide written feedback to the student’s chair if requested, within 24 hours of the vote. The chair will compile and anonymize the feedback and provide it in writing to the student within 48 hours. As per Graduate School policy, the student’s chair must also inform the student in writing of their right to appeal the decision by filing a formal academic grievance with the Graduate School. Formal grievances must be filed within 15 calendar days following a notice of decision on the exam.

A student required to re-write the area paper should include a memo succinctly describing how s/he addressed the deficiencies in the initial area paper identified by the FEC and voting faculty. In the event a second exam is required, the FEC “on assignment” and any additional voting faculty will use both the written comments by the previous FEC and the student’s memo to assess the revised paper so that their review is in line with the initial set of critiques to which the student was responding. If a student desires, an effort will be made to appoint the same FEC members as the first examination to re-evaluate the revision, but this may not always be possible and is not guaranteed.

Timing & Procedures

Students approved to proceed to the second component (Area Paper) of the preliminary exam should prepare a Preliminary Examination Scheduling form for the Graduate School, listing the ballot meeting date identified by the department and bearing the signature of her/his dissertation committee chair. Submit this scheduling form by February 1 to the Graduate Program Coordinator, who will assist in obtaining the additional signatures from faculty examining committee (FEC) members and transmit the forms to the Graduate School.

**Examining students may have no more than 6 graded credits in process or outstanding on their programs of study when Prelims are scheduled. Although the Graduate School may grant policy exceptions in some circumstances (e.g., remaining coursework is unrelated to exam material), plan coursework to meet requirements. Recall that you must take all coursework listed on your program of study, but you need not list all coursework you take on your program of study. File any necessary Change of Program forms prior to submitting your scheduling form. Students will email a copy of their paper (as a PDF attachment) to the Graduate Program Coordinator by NO LATER than 4:00 pm on April 10th of their 3rd year if they enter with a BA/BS or their 2nd year if they enter with an MA from elsewhere. Use the following file naming convention: AreaPaper_YourLastName_year.

Failure to turn in a paper, or turning in one after the required deadline, will result in a “fail” and may affect the student’s progress and funding in the program. A student’s chair may request an exception to this requirement to make normal progress by submitting a written memo to the Graduate Studies Committee. This request for an off-time exam should be made in advance of exam scheduling, save for exceptional circumstances when this is not possible. All ballot meetings for the cohort of examinees will be held at one time before the end of the same semester. The evaluation committee will provide assessment to students within 30 days of the ballot meeting.

A student who receives a “fail” on the area paper must turn in a rewritten paper to the evaluation committee on September 30th. “Off-time” area papers typically will be turned in on September 30th (e.g., unless otherwise specified in the memo of exception; exceptional circumstances arise). Examining students should submit a Preliminary Exam Scheduling Form to the program coordinator by September 1^st (see above for submission process).

After you pass your prelims you will be formally “admitted to candidacy” in the PhD program.

If you fail your prelims you will be re-examined no sooner than three months. The second attempt to pass prelims is the final attempt. According to Graduate School policy, “A student who fails their second attempt examination will be dismissed from the Graduate School. The student may appeal their dismissal by following the procedures outlined in Chapter 12 of the Graduate School Policies and Procedures Manual.” (Graduate Policies & Procedures, Chapter 8.5.8).

The Dissertation

“The dissertation is a scholarly, original study that significantly contributes to the chosen discipline’s knowledge” (Graduate School Policies and Procedures, 8.6).

A dissertation committee includes at least three faculty members, of whom the majority and the Chair are Sociology graduate faculty (for further information, see the Sociology Graduate Program By-Laws). Committees can include members outside the department or the university, who are approved on a case-by-case basis.

The traditional dissertation in sociology is a monograph. However, you may choose an alternate “journal article” format. The Graduate School requires these dissertations to include at least two published or to-be-published manuscripts based on research done while at WSU where the graduate student is the sole or primary author. The department strongly recommends a format of at least three sole-authored papers. Co-authored papers with other graduate students will not be accepted. The article-style dissertation must include an introduction, discussion, and/or conclusion that integrates the presentation of the manuscripts and must be formatted according to standard Graduate School guidelines, including a table of contents, signature page, etc. When a manuscript is co-authored, the contributions of each author must be detailed in the introduction. For further detail, see the Graduate School’s Dissertation and Thesis Submission Guidelines.

Overview of the Dissertation Process

1. It’s typical to discuss your dissertation plans with the faculty member who has agreed to serve as the chair of your dissertation committee and then to engage other committee members in discussion about your plans. Once you have some good ideas, write a proposal that describes the research questions or hypotheses you intend to address, your preliminary reading of the relevant literature, the methods and strategies you intend to use, and so forth. In most cases, students share their proposals first with their Chair and obtain his or her approval before involving the other members of the committee—though this is not a rule. Discuss it with your Chair.
2. Provide a copy of your proposal to each member of your Committee and ask for feedback.
3. Write a final version of the proposal, taking faculty feedback into account.
4. Upon approval from your chair, schedule a meeting with members of your committee. The goal of this meeting is for everyone to leave the room with a similar idea of what your research is going to be, how you will proceed, and the kind of product you anticipate will result. It is appropriate for you to ask questions of your committee members to make sure that everyone is satisfied with your proposal.
5. If the research involves human subjects you must have completed the human subjects training course—CITI—before you can submit an application to the Institutional Review Board. It can be accessed at WSU’s IRB training webpage. Then, complete the form required by the WSU Institutional Review Board and, under the supervision of your Chair, obtain approval before you begin your research, if your research will involve “human subjects.” IRB forms can be obtained online at WSU’s IRB forms webpage.
6. As you conduct your research and begin to write, provide regular progress reports to the Chair of your Committee. Consult with your Chair if you have questions about how much information you should provide to other committee members, and when. Of course, you ought to call upon other members of your committee whenever you need/want their expertise. At least once a semester, make a point of acquainting each committee member with your progress.
7. Once your research is complete, and your dissertation is written, provide each member of your committee with a complete draft (i.e., one that has a title, is properly formatted, written in complete sentences, including a bibliography, and so forth). The closer your draft is to being a final one, the better the quality of comments/feedback you can expect to receive from the members of your committee. Obtain feedback and revise your dissertation.
8. Note: Some committee members prefer to see drafts of each chapter/or set of chapters as these are created rather than wait until all chapters are written. Make sure you understand the expectations of your committee members.
9. Present a final draft of your dissertation to members of your committee. Once each member agrees that the dissertation is ready to defend, you may schedule a dissertation defense (“final oral exam”).
   1. Have an approved PhD Program of Study on record with the Graduate School, identifying your current dissertation committee configuration and coursework you’ve taken that counts toward your degree. Submit Change of Committee/Program of Study forms to make adjustments to your initial PhD Program of Study.
   2. Prior to scheduling your defense, pay the graduation fee to the Cashier and keep your receipt for submission to the Graduate School. Pay the microfilming and optional copyright fee. File an Application for Degree form with the Graduate School.
   3. Scheduling your defense requires that each member of the Committee sign a form attesting to the fact that the dissertation is defensible (i.e., a copy of the dissertation, suitable in format and content for submission to the library, has been given preliminary approval). The Dissertation Acceptance/Final Examination Schedule Form must be submitted to the Graduate School at least ten working days prior to the scheduled defense. The Graduate School will schedule your final examination upon receipt of the Form and a properly formatted, electronic copy of the dissertation. So plan accordingly!
   4. At least five working days prior to the oral defense, you must submit a complete (electronic) copy of the dissertation to the Sociology staff member responsible for graduate student records for public display in the Sociology Main Office.
10. The Defense. Each member of your Committee must attend. Other faculty and students may attend as well. A dissertation defense lasts at least one hour and may not exceed two and one-half hours. Talk with your chair about how the defense will be conducted. Members of your Committee will ask you questions about how you conducted the research, analyzed your data, and so forth. Other faculty may ask questions as well.
    • If 75% of the eligible faculty who attend and vote agree that you successfully defended your dissertation, you pass. The vote is conducted in “closed session” by written ballot (students will not be present).
    • In the unlikely event that you fail the defense, the Graduate School allows that “a second and last attempt may be scheduled after a lapse of at least three months.”
11. A final copy of the dissertation (and related required forms) must be submitted in digital format to the graduate school within five working days for final acceptance. When dissertations are electronically submitted to the Graduate School, paper copies of the title page, abstract and signature pages are still required. These should be on 100% rag bond with the signature page signed in black ink by all committee members. For additional formatting guidelines, see WSU’s Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines.

Calculating Course Requirements for the PhD

The program of study for a PhD requires a minimum of 72 total credits (hours) of course work beyond the Bachelor’s Degree, of which:

• At least 42 hours must be graded graduate-level (500-level) courses (or 33 if came with MA)
• At least 48 hours must be in ungraded 800-level research credits^✝ (or 50 if came with MA; see note below about 800 level research credits)
• No more than 9 hours from non-graduate courses (e.g., 400-level)
• No more than 15 hours at WSU from outside the department
• No more than 12 hours transferred from another graduate school

*The Doctoral Program may contain no Pass/Fail or Audited classes. Any course included on the Program in which a grade a C- of below was earned must be repeated for a grade.

*As a PhD student you must register for at least one Dissertation Credit (Soc 800) each semester to track faculty effort (Graduate Student Policies & Procedures). You must enroll for research credits (Soc 800) while working on your preliminary examination components and while preparing and defending the dissertation. You must register for a minimum of two hours of Soc 800 during the semester in which the final oral examination (dissertation defense) is to be taken.

*A full-time academic load is 10 to 12 credits during the academic year. All TAs and RAs are required to enroll full-time each semester. If you are on summer appointment as a teaching, research, or staff assistant you must register for 3 credits during summer, typically Soc 800.

✝ 800-Level Research Credits are for students working on doctoral research and/or examination. For each semester a student is enrolled in research credits, faculty advisors should discuss expectations and provide a grade based on whether the student met those research expectations. Credits are awarded for a grade of Satisfactory (S); no credit is awarded for a grade of Unsatisfactory (U). A grade of U should be assigned in the event of a failed exam or when the student otherwise does not fulfill requirements related to their research, including engaging in plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind related to the research. Two U grades for 800 credits may lead to dismissal from the Graduate School.

Programs for the PhD must include the department’s core courses:

• Soc 511 Data Management
• Soc 520 Research Methods in Sociology
• Soc 517 Seminar in Contemporary Social Theory or Soc 510 Development of Social Theory
• Soc 521 Regression Models*
• Soc 591 Sociology—The Profession (2 semesters)
• Soc 800 Dissertation Research Hours
• *Students should have completed at least one intro statistics course (undergrad or grad level)

In addition, you must take two advanced methods/analytic techniques classes:

• Soc 522 Advanced Regression Methods (Variable topics) (May be repeated for credit)
• Soc 523 Qualitative Methods Practicum
• Soc 525 Practicum in Survey Research
• Soc 526 Experimental Methods
• Or other approved advanced methods/analytic techniques classes

Please note: To remain in “good standing,” you must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 throughout your time in graduate school. If your GPA falls below that level, the department will be required to petition the graduate school to keep you in the program. Any course listed on your “Program of Study” in which a grade of “C-“ or below is earned must be repeated for credit.

Satisfactory progress toward MA and PhD (entering with Bachelor’s degree)

Year	Fall Progress	Spring Progress
Year 1	Add an M.A. Degree (September 10); Select M.A. Chair and Committee & File M.A. Program of Study (December 1)	Take Core Courses
Year 2	Thesis Proposal to Committee (early Fall); File any Change of Committee & Program Change forms (after Spring registration)	Defend M.A. Thesis (end of Spring)
Year 3	Select Ph.D. Chair/Committee & File PhD Program of Study (September 10); SOC 800 credits: Develop topic of inquiry, reading list, and work through it; Submit Portfolio (December 1)	File any Change of Committee & Program Change forms; Schedule Preliminary Exam Area Paper (by February 10); Submit Preliminary Exam Area Paper (April 10)
Year 4	(Preliminary Exam Re-Take: schedule by August 27; resubmit area paper by September 10); Defend Dissertation proposal (end of Fall or early Spring)	Begin Job Market Preparation
Year 5	File any Change of Committee & Program Change forms (after course registration); Dissertation fully drafted (end of Fall or early Spring)	Defend Dissertation (end of Spring)

Satisfactory progress toward PhD (entering with Master’s degree)

Year	Fall Progress	Spring Progress
Year 1	Select M.A. Chair and Committee & File M.A. Program of Study (December 1) Take fundamental (core) courses	Take fundamental (core) courses
Year 2	Submit Portfolio (December 1); SOC 800 credits: Develop topic of inquiry, reading list, and work through it.	File any Change of Committee & Program Change forms; Schedule Preliminary Exam Area Paper (by February 10); Submit Preliminary Exam Area Paper (April 10)
Year 3	(Preliminary Exam Re-Take: schedule by August 27; resubmit area paper by September 10)	Defend Dissertation proposal (end of semester or early Spring semester); Begin Job Market Preparation
Year 4	File any Change of Committee & Program Change forms (after course registration)	Defend Dissertation (end of Spring)

Part Four. Additional Important Information

Useful Websites and Form Links

These important web sites provide vital information or other forms of support in meeting the requirements and procedures of your graduate program.

WSU Graduate School web page and Graduate Student Services

• Graduate School Policies & Procedures
• Announcements for current students from the Graduate School
• Deadlines for Degree
• Dissertation & Thesis Guidelines of the Graduate School
• Forms to file with the Graduate School
  • Program of study (i.e., “Your Program”)
  • Add a Degree
  • Change of program
  • Committee change/substitution
  • Preliminary exam scheduling
  • Final exam (defense of thesis or dissertation) scheduling

Fees and Expenses Information for Graduate Students are available on WSU’s Tuition and Costs webpage.

GPSA Travel Grant Information can be found on GPSA’s travel grants webpage.

Useful Information for International Students

WSU’s Office of International Programs hosts a number of programs and services useful to incoming international students. Visit the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) website for information on international programs, community events celebrating international cultures, and support services.

International student services, including on how to maintain your F-1 or J-1 student status can be found on the Maintaining F-1 Student Status webpage.

English-language support can be found on WSU’s Internation Lean English webpage.

WSU also has an International Center and webpage.

Tax information for international students can be found on WSU’s Taxes for Students and Scholars webpage.

**Students for whom English is a second language are expected to take a language assessment as soon as possible (or even prior to) arrival at WSU to measure English language proficiencies and to optimize assistantship assignments. Appointments fill quickly. For more information or to schedule an exam go to WSU’s International Teaching Assistant Evaluations webpage.

Long-form notice

Notice of Non-Discrimination

In matters of admission, employment, housing or services, or in the educational programs or activities it operates, WSU does not discriminate or permit discrimination by any member of its community against any individual on the basis of sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity), race, color, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, mental disability, sensory disability, use of a trained service animal, age, religion, creed, genetic information, marital status, protected veteran status, honorably discharged veteran, member of the military, or immigration or citizenship status except as authorized by federal or state law, regulation, or government contract.

WSU policies comply with federal and state civil rights laws and regulations, including, but not limited to: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 USC § 1681), Title IX implementing regulations 34 CFR 106, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq) and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Title I and II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 as amended, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-11) and 45 CFR Part 84, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq), Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq), Chapter 49.60 RCW, and the Gender Equality in Higher Education (Chapter 28B.110 RCW).

Inquiries about the application of these laws and regulations (including inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations), as well as reports and complaints of discrimination and harassment, can be made verbally or in writing to WSU’s Compliance and Civil Rights, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, or both:

Compliance and Civil Rights

• Tel: 509-335-8288
• Email: ccr@wsu.edu
• Online: Online Reporting/Complaint Form
• In-person: French Administration Building Room 220
• Mailing Address: PO Box 641022, Pullman, WA 99164-1022
• Title IX or Deputy Title IX Coordinator email address
• ADA Coordinator email address

U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights

• Online: Online Complaint Form
• Address: Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100
• Tel: 800-421-3481
• FAX: 202-453-6012
• TDD: 800-877-8339
• Office of Civil Rights email address
• Find your local OCR office at this webpage

Reports and complaints about conduct that may constitute discrimination (including sex discrimination under Title IX) can be made verbally or in writing to Compliance and Civil Rights and the university’s Title IX Coordinators at the contact information above. WSU’s prohibition on and relevant procedural guidelines for discrimination, discriminatory harassment, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, are available here:

• WSU’s Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment
• CCR’s Procedural Guidelines
• WSU’s Standards of Conduct for Students
• Employee manuals:
  • Faculty Manual
  • Administrative Professional Handbook
  • Civil Service code
  • Collective Bargaining Agreements

Additional Services

The Sociology Grad Student Resources shared folder provides information and resources that will be helpful to you over the course of your degree. You will need to request access through the graduate program coordinator to use the folder.

Graduate students have access to a host of services on campus, including:

• Counseling and Psychological Services
• Libraries
• Professional Development Workshops and Leadership Opportunities
• Graduate & Professional Writing Center
• Fellowship Opportunities for Graduate Students
• Graduate Student Funding Opportunities and Grant-writing Workshops
• Assistance with grievances

The university has comprehensive safety policy that includes, among many things, information and links to the university sexual harassment policy, campus safety services, counseling services, and service to individuals living with disabilities. You can read about these policies on the Pullman Campus Safety Plan webpage.

Appendix A. Graduate Student Request for Department of Sociology Funds for Unique Opportunities

In limited circumstances, the department may be able to support graduate student professional development and research opportunities for which scholarships through the Sociology Department, SGSO, Graduate School, or other institutions are not feasible or timely. Please submit your request, using this form, to the Department Chair and Program Coordinator via email attachment. The department requires you to apply for GPSA funding following your trip, before any department funds are given out. You will not hear back from GPSA before submitting the department request, but still require you apply post-trip. In the event you are approved for funding, provide all receipts to the fiscal specialist and she will work with you to reimburse your approved travel expenses.

Sample Form (Graduate Student Request for Department of Sociology Funds for Unique Opportunities)

Student Name:

Date:

Amount Requested:

Purpose (fill out all that apply):

Conference Fees:

Research Expenses:

Travel to:

Other (explain):

Have you applied for other sources of funding (i.e., GPSA travel grants)? Yes or No

If so, which ones?

Justification for request (including why other funding sources are not feasible):

Committee Chair Statement of Support (In 2-3 sentences please describe how requested funds will assist progress toward degree):

---

Committee Chair Signature

Your signature indicates that you support this student’s request for funds.

Name:

Signature: ____________________________________________________________________

Date:

---

☐ Approved                ☐ Denied

Name:

Department Chair Signature: ____________________________________________________

Date:

Appendix B. Review of Masters Theses from a Closely Related Discipline

Sample Form

Reviewer Name:

Date:

Student name:

Discipline/Degree:

Refer to Sociology Graduate Handbook, above: “Entering the Program with a Master’s”

Reviewer Decision (choose one):

☐ Accept without Reservations          ☐ Accept with Reservations                   ☐ Reject

Review Criteria

1. Illustrates independent research; asks and answers a research question.
   • Comments:
2. Illustrates knowledge and familiarity with sociological (or closely related) theory, methods, and literature.
   • Comments:
3. Illustrates academic skill commensurate to the master’s level.
   • Comments:

Other feedback: