Gr aduate Study at
the ProGr am Graduate Study
The graduate program in sociology prepares students to be sociologists of the highest quality, able to
in SocioloGy
conduct cutting edge research and to teach with excellence. Oriented towards the Ph.D., the program Rice University
offers concentrations in four broad substantive areas:
sociology.rice.edu
• Race and ethnicity
• Population health
• Culture and religion For admission
• Urban and community
in 2011
Our graduate curriculum emphasizes an apprenticeship program centered on close working relationships
between faculty and students. To encourage this, the program is limited to four or five entering Ph.D.
students per year, selected for their potential to become successful professional sociologists. Students
take standard graduate courses (theory, methods, elective seminars), but they also:
(a) Work with professors on research immediately and continually
(b) Acquire mastery of both quantitative and qualitative research, enabling sophisticated mixed-methods
research
(c) Take an empirical seminar designed to help them write the master’s thesis in close collaboration
with professors
(d) Attend workshops in statistical computer programming
(e) Participate in a one-credit teaching practicum, followed by teaching their own course to under-
graduates, and
(f) Attend monthly professionalization workshops throughout their graduate training.
S P e c i a l d e Pa r t m e n ta l r e S o u r c e S
The Institute for Urban Research
Related to our focus on urban issues in the graduate program is the new Institute for Urban Research
(IUR). The Institute for Urban Research conducts scientific research, sponsors educational programs,
engages in public outreach that advances scholarly understanding of pressing urban issues, and fosters
the development of more humane and sustainable cities. The IUR also houses the decades-long Hous-
ton Area Survey, the longest ongoing survey of a major U.S. metropolitan area. Through the IUR, our
Ph.D. students have access to a variety of primary data collection projects, gaining experience in the
practice of survey research, interviewing, and ethnography. They also have expanded opportunities
for publishing original research.
The Hobby Center for the Study of Texas
This center generates objective analysis of the key social and public policy issues impacting Texas and
other parts of the United States, both now and in the future. Analyses from the center provide a wealth
of opportunities for graduate student M.A. theses and Ph.D. dissertations.
The Postdoctoral Fellows Program Sergio Chavez. Assistant Professor. Ph.D. (2007) Cornell University.
Since its inception in 2001, this innovative program has engaged eleven Dr. Chavez has conducted field research in Tijuana and Guanajuanto,
postdoctoral fellows in collaborative and mentoring relationships with Mexico, on issues related to internal and international migration,
faculty, with the intent of furthering the development and skills of recent including labor markets, social networks, and border studies. His
sociology doctorates. Postdoctoral fellows spend two years in residence current work focuses on transnational family separation and skill
at Rice and have hailed from excellent graduate programs across the transference for Mexican migrants.
United States (e.g., Cornell, UCLA, Northwestern, NYU, University of
Texas at Austin). Alumni currently hold tenured or tenure-track posi- Justin Denney. Assistant Professor. Ph.D. (2010) University of
tions in research universities in the United States and Canada (e.g., Colorado at Boulder.
Duke, University of Chicago, Oregon, McMaster). Their presence in As a health researcher with sociological and demographic training,
the sociology department provides graduate students the opportunity to Dr. Denney is principally interested in identifying individual and
interact with recent Ph.D.s who are progressing to the next stage of their structural conditions that jointly contribute to health and mortality
careers and therefore are additional resources for learning, mentorship inequalities. Thus, his research centers on social, economic and
and research collaboration. cultural contributors to health behaviors and health outcomes,
focusing on sociological, demographic and epidemiological
Fac u lt y explanations. His published works focus on topics such as suicide
mortality, obesity, and smoking.
The sociology department currently includes the following tenured or
tenure-track faculty members, each of whom regularly teaches courses Elaine Howard Ecklund. Assistant Professor. Ph.D. (2004) Cornell
and supervises graduate students. University.
Dr. Ecklund joined the Rice University sociology faculty in fall 2008.
Jenifer Bratter. Associate Professor. Ph.D. (2001) University of Texas She is director of the Program on Religion and Public Life through
at Austin. the Institute for Urban Research and a Rice Scholar at the James
Dr. Bratter’s research interests are race, demography, marriage and A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Exploring mechanisms of
family, and health. institutional change draws together Ecklund’s research. She addresses
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Heard’s research interests are families and children, social
demography, life course studies and adolescent development.
Rachel Tolbert Kimbro. Assistant Professor. Ph.D. (2005) Princeton
University.
Dr. Kimbro’s research interests are medical sociology, family,
demography, and poverty and inequality.
Stephen Klineberg. Professor. Ph.D. (1966) Harvard University.
Dr. Klineberg’s research interests are urban sociology, social
psychology and the environment.
Michael Lindsay. Assistant Professor. Ph.D. (2006) Princeton
University.
Dr. Lindsay studies the role of elite power and institutions, religion
and culture. He is currently completing a large research project on the
White House Fellowship, its role in shaping leaders’ lives, and its place
in American democracy. He is the author of Faith in the Halls of Power
(Oxford University Press, 2007).
Elizabeth Long. Professor. Ph.D. (1979) Brandeis University.
Dr. Long’s research interests are culture, gender, theory and
environment.
Steve Murdock. Allen and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology. Ph.D.
(1975) University of Kentucky.
Dr. Murdock’s research interests are demography, applied
demography, socioeconomic impact assessment and rural sociology.
Ruth Lopez Turley. Associate Professor. Ph.D. (2001) Harvard
University.
Professor Turley’s research focuses on educational inequality in the
U.S., addressing current racial and ethnic disparities by focusing
on several understudied sociological explanations, including
neighborhood effects, familism and social capital. Her most recent
work focuses on Hispanics — a rapidly growing group facing, and
this theoretical topic in the areas of religion, culture, science and expected to continue to face, the most severe disadvantage in terms of
immigration. educational achievement and attainment.
Michael Emerson. Allyn R. and Gladys M. Cline Professor of Sociology. S o c i o l o Gy G r a d u at e P r o G r a m S
Ph.D. (1991) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Co-director of the Institute for Urban Research, Dr. Emerson studies Admission Policy
urban issues, religion and race/ethnicity. He has authored ten books, Students are admitted on a competitive basis. Admitted students must
including the award winning Divided by Faith (Oxford University Press) have a baccalaureate degree (B.A. or B.S.) or equivalent, a minimum
and People of the Dream (Princeton University Press). His most recent 3.0 (B) GPA in undergraduate work, and the intent to complete a Ph.D.
books include Transcending Racial Barriers (Oxford University Press) in sociology. Preference will be given to applicants who have the ability
and Religion Implicated (Allyn & Bacon). He is committed to quality to enroll as full-time students. We consider GRE scores, undergraduate
teaching and has won several teaching awards at Rice. GPA, letters of recommendation, writing samples, a personal essay, and
professional experience when making admission decisions for the Ph.D.
Bridget Gorman. Associate Professor. Ph.D. (2000) Pennsylvania State program. We strongly encourage applications from women and minority
University. groups. Application materials are due December 15th to be considered
Dr. Gorman joined the Rice faculty in fall 2002 after completing a for the following fall’s entering class.
two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Her primary research agenda investigates racial, ethnic, Plan of Study and Degrees Awarded
and gender disparities in mental and physical health and health care. Candidates for the Ph.D. usually spend two to three years in full-time
course work and at least one year writing the dissertation, with five years
Holly Heard. Assistant Professor. Ph.D. (2002) University of North as the typical timeline to complete the program for students who enter
with a B.A. or B.S. A master’s degree will be awarded after completion and planning for this proposal are the culmination of graduate training
and defense of the M.A. thesis, typically at the end of the second year. If and the beginning of a student’s independent identity as a scholar.
a student fails the comprehensive exams in the third year, this master’s
will be the terminal degree. Although an undergraduate degree in so- Years Four and Five
ciology or related field may be helpful for graduate study in sociology, After Ph.D. candidacy is granted, students may commence work on their
it is not required. dissertation. As final evidence of preparation for the Ph.D. degree, the
candidate must pass a public oral examination on the dissertation. We
First Year envision the dissertation being either a monograph suitable for publica-
This first year consists of full-time course work, including required tion as a book or structured for publication as three research papers,
courses in research methods, classical social theory and social statistics, once completed.
along with elective seminars and a lab in statistical computer program-
ming for the social sciences. Importantly, students will begin working t e ac h i n G
immediately with at least one professor in their area of interest on
research projects that can lead to published work. During their second year, graduate students serve as teaching assistants
in at least one undergraduate sociology course. After Ph.D. candidacy is
Second Year granted, students prepare a syllabus and teach one undergraduate course
The second year also consists of full-time course work, and includes under close supervision from a member of the sociology faculty.
required courses in contemporary social theory, qualitative research
methods and advanced statistical techniques. Students participate in a Teaching and Professionalization Workshop
teaching practicum experience and are given structured time to develop Meeting seven or eight times each year, this workshop covers a wide range
and write their master’s thesis, which is typically completed at the end of topics designed to help students prepare for the range of roles and
of the second year. This should be a publishable-length paper, suitable obligations involved with a career as a professional sociologist. Relevant
for submission to a scholarly research journal. topics include writing a CV, how to construct a job talk, successful grant
and foundation applications, constructing a course, how to write recom-
Third Year mendations, and how to balance work, family, and other areas of life.
As well as taking further elective coursework, graduate students must
pass comprehensive written exams in three substantive areas. Written
exams will be administered in April of the sixth semester at Rice. The
dissertation proposal may be defended in the second semester of this
year or before the first day of classes in the following fall. The thought
camPuS ViSit *Three letters of recommendation from fac-
ulty who are familiar with the applicant
We encourage you to visit Rice at any time
*Results of the GRE, taken within the last
for a firsthand look at the department and
three years
the beautiful, tree-lined campus near the
*If English is the second language, test scores
heart of historic Houston. If you apply and
from the Test of English as a Foreign Lan-
are admitted, you will be invited to visit the
guage (TOEFL) are required
campus later at departmental expense. Dur-
*Writing sample and a personal statement
ing your time here, you will not only visit with
*Application fee of $70
faculty, but usually you will be hosted by cur-
rent graduate students from whom you can
The deadline for sending completed applica-
learn more about graduate life and lifestyles
tions to the department is December 15. Rice
in Houston. In the meantime, feel free to
will send a notification of acceptance no later
contact the department with any questions
than April 1.
you may have.
F o r F u r t h e r i n F o r m at i o n +For inquiries regarding the GRE or TOEFL
about the ProGr am: exams, contact
Educational Testing Service
Shirley Tapscott Rosedale Road
Administrative Coordinator Princeton, NJ 08541 USA about rice and houSton
Department of Sociology – MS28 609-921-9000 Rice is a leading American research university—
Rice University etsinfo@ets.org or www.ets.org small, private and highly selective—distinguished
P.O. Box 1892 by a collaborative, interdisciplinary culture and
Houston, TX 77251-1892 For additional a global perspective. Only a few miles from
downtown Houston, it occupies an architectur-
Phone: 713-348-4225 * Fax: 713-348-5296 i n F o r m at i o n :
ally distinctive, 285-acre campus shaded by
E-mail: sht1@rice.edu nearly 4,000 trees. State-of-the-art facilities and
Rice University homepage:
Website: http://sociology.rice.edu laboratories, internationally renowned centers
www.rice.edu and institutes and one of the country’s largest
Rice University Office of Graduate and endowments support an ideal learning and liv-
Prof. Elizabeth Long, Department Chair ing environment.
Postdoctoral Studies homepage:
Department of Sociology–MS 28 The university attracts a diverse group
graduate.rice.edu
Rice University of highly talented students and faculty with out-
Graduate Student Association homepage: standing graduate and professional programs in
P.O. Box 1892
gsa.rice.edu the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences,
Houston, TX 77251-1892 engineering, architecture, music and business.
City of Houston homepage:
E-mail: elong@rice.edu With just 2,277 graduate students and 3,279 un-
www.houstontx.gov dergraduates, it offers an unusual opportunity
Houston information from the Houston to forge close relationships with eminent faculty
To contact individual faculty, find their e-mail
Chronicle: scholars and researchers and the option to tailor
addresses on the department website: graduate programs to specific interests.
www.chron.com
sociology.rice.edu. Houston offers all the expected educa-
Houston information from the Greater tional, cultural and commercial advantages of a
h o w t o a P P ly Houston Partnership: large urban center, and more. It’s home of the
www.houston.org Texas Medical Center, the largest concentration
Students are asked to submit the following: Houston information from Citysearch: of medical schools, hospitals and research facili-
ties in the world, as well as several other universi-
*A completed application for admission - houston.citysearch.com ties. Rice has cooperative programs with the Uni-
available online at: https://www.ap- versity of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine,
plyweb.com/apply/ricegrad/index.html the University of Texas Health Science Center
and Texas Southern University. Houston is one of
*Transcripts from all colleges and universi-
the few U.S. cities with resident companies in all
ties attended four major performing arts—drama, ballet, opera
and symphony. It also boasts a museum district
featuring exhibits of national and international
prominence.
As urban as it is, Houston also is a surpris-
ingly green city. Houstonians enjoy the outdoors
in more than 300 municipal parks and 120 open
spaces, and many frequent the beach at Galves-
ton Island, only a 45-minute drive away. Other
short trips include Austin, the state’s capital, and
historic San Antonio, both of which are a little
more than three hours away.