康奈尔大学

Master's degree candidates major in general sociology. Students in either degree program are expected to prepare themselves to undertake research both through formal course work and through apprenticeships in the ongoing research activities of the faculty.

Department faculty use sophisticated theoretical reasoning and rigorous methodological tools - some of which were developed by Cornell faculty - to answer fundamental questions about the social world, how it is organized, and how it is changing. The Department’s focus on “basic science” is complemented by a deep commitment to public engagement and to informing public policy.

The Department is internationally renowned for its excellence in three broad areas of sociology: computational social science, including mathematical sociology and social network analysis; economic sociology, including the study of market transitions, organizations, and entrepreneurship and innovation; and inequality, broadly defined to include education, poverty, social mobility, spatial inequalities, gender, race and ethnicity, immigration and migration, family, health, and work and occupations. It also has significant strength in comparative and historical analysis, culture, family, political sociology, quantitative methodology, social demography, social psychology, sociology of law, and urban sociology.

Concentrations by Subject

• Economy and society
• Gender and life course
• Methodology (minor)
• Organizations
• Policy analysis (minor)
• Political sociology/social movements
• Racial and ethnic relations
• Social networks
• Social psychology
• Social stratification

Learning Outcomes

When students complete the Ph.D. in sociology, they should be able to

• Conduct original, publishable research.
• Demonstrate a broad knowledge of theory and research in two sub-fields within the discipline.
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge at the research frontier of one area of specialization.
• Write and speak effectively to professional and general audiences about issues in the field.
• Teach effectively: design a course, grade and comment on student work, lead discussion and lecture.