The Ph.D. program in sociology at Baylor University is collegial, rigorous, and supportive. A defining feature of the program is mentorship. Faculty and students work closely together in research and teaching. The program is structured around three core areas of specialization, reflecting faculty expertise: Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Health, and Social Inequality and Stratification. Most graduate courses fall within these areas, and preliminary exams require students to demonstrate mastery in one of them. Students are encouraged to pursue research interests that intersect with or extend these broad specializations.The first three years of the program focus on coursework. By the end of the second year, students complete research resulting in a journal article or its equivalent, culminating in a master’s thesis. Upon completing preliminary exams after the third year, students are admitted to PhD candidacy and spend the remaining years writing their dissertation. Most students complete the program in five years.All students complete a two-semester teaching-in-training sequence. In the second semester of this training, students lead their own course under the supervision of a faculty instructor.Areas of SpecializationSociology of Religion examines the role of religion in shaping social life, identities, and social institutions. It investigates how religious beliefs, practices, and communities influence societal norms, values, and behavior, with particular attention to the ways religion intersects with power, inequality, and social change.Sociology of Health focuses on understanding of how social forces and structures are linked to human well-being. This specialization integrates sociological theories with disciplines like public health, epidemiology, and gerontology, focusing on social mechanisms that explain the roles of biology, genetics, and stress in shaping mental and physical well-being over the life course.Social Inequality and Stratification considers how diverse forms of inequality—including socioeconomic, racial, and gender—are maintained and reproduced, as well as their implications for individuals, groups, and societies. Students and faculty in this area pursue multiple levels of analysis, using approaches ranging from social psychology to demography. Their work addresses a variety of institutions, including the family, education, the criminal justice system, and the welfare state.
