Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Policies and Procedures

II:  Graduate Studies

Enacted 3/7/2001

 

Preamble

These policies and procedures are for the guidance of the Graduate Faculty and Graduate Studies within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.  Requirements printed in the MTSU Graduate Catalog are not reiterated herein, but are considered incorporated by reference.  These policies may not be interpreted in conflict with Department Bylaws, Graduate College requirements, or MTSU Policies and Procedures.

 

                        Article I.  Program Policy Statement

Section 1 The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers a program of graduate study leading to the Master of Arts in Sociology and the Graduate Minor in Sociology.  The program is designed to accommodate students who expect to terminate their graduate education at the Master’s level as well as those students who plan to continue their studies to the Doctoral level.  The graduate program emphasizes the attainment of basic competence in sociological theory, research methods and statistics, applied sociology, and general sociology with the possibility of a concentration in one or more topical areas.

Article II.  Membership and Administrative Personnel

Section 1            Director of Graduate Studies

                        A.  As defined in the Bylaws of the Department of Sociology and

                                    Anthropology Article I, Section 2C.

 

Section 2            Graduate Faculty

A. As defined in the Bylaws of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Article I, Section 2D.

 

Section 3 Graduate Program Committee Membership

                        A. As defined in the Bylaws of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Article IV, Section 3C.

 

                        Article III.  Procedures

Section 1 General Guidelines

                        A. The committee is charged with oversight of the graduate program and makes recommendations to the Department when it deems changes in the program are advisable.

                        B. The committee will consider and recommend: (a) new courses for inclusion in the curriculum; (b) courses to be deleted from the curriculum; (c) new programs; (d) catalog and program revision; (e) scheduling and course offerings; (f) conduct self-studies as required; (g) consider for approval the recommendations of the designated subcommittees. 

Article IV: Graduate Program Subcommittees

Section 1.            General Guidelines.

A. Any recommendations for action will take the form of motions submitted by the subcommittee to the Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate Program Committee for consideration for approval and for inclusion in the agenda of a Department faculty meeting if deemed necessary.

C. Each subcommittee or a designated representative shall have an opportunity to present a report at each regularly scheduled department faculty meeting.

Section 2.            Subcommittee Structure -- Definitions.

A. Subcommittees shall consist of Standing Subcommittees and Ad Hoc Subcommittees

B. Standing Subcommittees are those subcommittees required annually for the conduct of Graduate Program business.  Members of these subcommittees shall be established at the first regularly scheduled committee meeting of the academic year.

C. Ad Hoc Subcommittees are temporary subcommittees formed as necessary to carry out special tasks or functions outside the charge of established standing subcommittees.  These subcommittees may be established at any regularly scheduled committee meeting

Section 3..            Standing Subcommittees -- Composition and Charges.

A. Admissions Subcommittee

1. The Admissions Subcommittee is composed of two members appointed annually by the Director of Graduate Studies who serves as an ex officio member of the subcommittee. One member shall be from the Graduate Program Committee and one from the remaining Graduate Faculty.

2. The Admissions Subcommittee is charged with (a) reviewing applications to the program; (b) rendering recommendations as to decisions to accept, reject, or conditionally accept applications to the program (see Article V); (c) reviewing applications for graduate assistantships; and (d) recommending a slate of graduate assistants to be approved by the Graduate Program Committee (see Article VI)

B. Comprehensive Exams Subcommittee

1. The Comprehensive Exams Subcommittee is composed of two members appointed annually by the Director of Graduate Studies who serves as an ex officio member of the subcommittee. One member shall be from the Graduate Program Committee and one from the remaining Graduate Faculty.

2. The Comprehensive Exams Subcommittee is charged with preparation, distribution, administration, evaluation, and reporting of comprehensive exams (see Article VII).

Article V.  Admissions Procedure

Section 1.            Initial Review. 

A. The Director of Graduate Studies shall initially review applications, compile application files; and prepare a recommendation for:  (a) acceptance; (b) conditional acceptance; or (c) rejection.

Section 2.            Committee Review.

A. The Director of Graduate Studies will provide applicant files and recommendations to the Admissions Subcommittee by April 15 for fall admissions and October 1 for spring admissions.

B. The Admissions Subcommittee shall review application materials and submit a recommendation to the Director of Graduate by May 1 for fall admissions and October 15 for spring admissions.

                    Article VI.  Graduate Assistants

Section 1            Selection Procedure

A. The Admissions Subcommittee shall review completed applicant files for graduate assistantships not later than May 1 of each year.

B. Applications will be individually reviewed and discussed and subsequently ranked by the subcommittee.

C. While not guaranteed, assistantships may be renewed for a second year.

D. At least one alternate will be selected.

Section 2.            Assignment of Graduate Assistants

A. Graduate faculty desiring a graduate assistant will submit a written request including a justification to the Director of Graduate Studies by April 15 for the Fall semester and by November 15 for the Spring semester.

B. The Director of Graduate Studies shall consider the following when evaluating requests:

1. A faculty member’s level of involvement in the graduate program;

2. Graduate and undergraduate teaching loads and course sizes

3. Demands of the faculty member’s research/writing agenda

4. Specific needs identified in the written request

5. Availability, skills, interests, and needs of graduate assistants

6. Prior graduate assistant assignments

C.     The Director of Graduate Studies shall present assignment decisions to the committee, the Department, and to the graduate students by the end of the semester prior to the assignment

D.     Graduate assistants may occasionally be asked to hold class for a department faculty member other than the one to whom they have been assigned.   Department Faculty desiring such assistance should:

1.   Contact the Director of Graduate Studies as far in advance as

      possible with such a request; or

2.     In the event of an emergency in which the G.A. must be contacted directly, inform the Director of Graduate Studies and supervising faculty member as soon as possible.

              Article VII.  Comprehensive Exams

Section 1.            General Requirements, Eligibility and Schedule.

A. All students pursuing a Master of Arts in Sociology are required to complete a comprehensive exam.  The comprehensive exam is designed to evaluate whether students have mastered the material necessary to be granted a Master of Arts degree in Sociology.  Students must pass a comprehensive exam in order to graduate and receive their degree.

B. Students are eligible to take comprehensive exams after: (a) filing their Advancement to Candidacy Form, (b) selection of a thesis committee, and (c) completion of 18 hours of graduate courses.  However, it is recommended that students complete 24 to 27 hours of graduate study before taking the exams.

C.  Students have an option to take only one section (Methods or Theory) of the exam or both sections of the exam at a given examination period.

D. Comprehensive examinations are offered three times a year as follows: (a) the second weekend in November; (b) the second weekend in April; and (c) the second weekend in July.

D. If a student fails to pass their comprehensive exam, they may attempt the exam again the following semester or during any subsequent semester.  However, no more than three attempts will be allowed.

Section 2.            Exam Structure

A. The Comprehensive examination consists of four questions administered in two sessions. 

1. The first session begins at 9:30 am and concludes at 12:00 noon.  In this session, examinees will be given two theory-oriented questions.

2. The second session begins at 1:00 pm and concludes at 3:30 pm.  In this session, examinees will be given two methods-oriented questions.

Section 3.            Compilation of Exams

A. By not later than the final Saturday in the month preceding the examination date, the Comprehensive Exam subcommittee will compile a list of eight possible exam questions and reserve a location for the examination

B. The eight questions shall include four oriented towards sociological theory and four oriented towards research methods.

C. From the distributed list, the Comprehensive Exam Subcommittee shall select the four questions that will actually appear on the exam

Section 4            Exam Scheduling Procedures

A. Students desiring to take comprehensive exams (methods, theory, or both) in a given semester shall inform the Director of Graduate Studies of their intent as soon as possible, but not later than 30 days prior to the date on which the examination is scheduled.

B. Two weeks prior to each examination date, the Comprehensive Exam subcommittee shall distribute a list of four possible examination questions in methods for those taking only that section, four possible examination questions in theory for those taking only that section, or eight possible examination questions to examinees taking both sections. Examinees will be notified of the location where the exam will be administered and of the professors who will serve as examination proctors.

C. Upon receipt of the list of four or eight questions, students are obligated and required to take the exam.  Failure to do so will result in an automatic evaluation of “fail” for the scheduled exam.  Examinees may petition the Comprehensive Exam Subcommittee for an exception based on legitimate extenuating circumstances prior to or within two weeks after the scheduled exam.

Section 5            Exam Administration Procedures

A. The Comprehensive Exam Subcommittee shall designate a member or members to distribute the examination at the beginning of each session and collect the answers at the end of each session.

B. The exam may be typed or hand-written.  Students will be given access to computers and provided blank disks should they desire to type their responses to exam questions.  Students who hand-write their exams may request or be asked by the subcommittee to request that the department have them typed by a professional typist.  However, the student is responsible for all costs incurred and must pre-pay the fee.

Section 6            Exam Evaluation and Reporting

A. The Comprehensive Exam Subcommittee shall be responsible for evaluation of the completed exams

B. Within 30 days of completion of the examination, the Comprehensive Exam Subcommittee shall submit an evaluation to the Director of Graduate Studies for dispersal to the Program Committee in the following format:  (1)  Pass with Honors (the exam was exceptional); (2)  Pass (the exam was adequate); (3)  Conditional Pass (portions of the exam were adequate or exceptional, but others were considered inadequate; this evaluation should include specific conditions and deadlines for submittal of remedial portions of the examination); or (d)  Fail (the exam was inadequate).

C.  Copies of the examination and comments from the subcommittee will be returned to the student. An original copy will be retained in the student’s file.

D. The Director of Graduate Studies will report examination results to the Department.

                    Article VIII.  Thesis and Thesis Committees

Section 1            Thesis Director

A The thesis director (also known as the chair or major professor) shall be a member of the graduate faculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

B. As per the College of Graduate Studies guidelines, no faculty member shall serve as thesis director prior to serving on at least three thesis committees.

Section 2            Thesis Committee

A.  The Thesis Committee shall be comprised of the thesis director and a minimum of two additional members (“readers”) selected by the graduate student in consultation with the proposed members and the Director of Graduate Studies.  One reader must be a member of the MTSU Graduate Faculty (not necessarily in Sociology), and the other must be from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (but not necessarily a graduate faculty member). In any case, the thesis committee must have a majority of membership from Sociology.  A thesis committee may contain more than three members if requested by the student.

B. In consultation with the selected thesis director, the student must provide each member of his/her committee with a thesis statement and procure a signature as to the member’s willingness to serve on said thesis committee.

C.  The Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology will serve as an ex officio member of all thesis committees.

                    Article IX.  Graduate Course Offerings

Section 1.            Graduate Course Schedules

A. Graduate course schedules at the 6000-level shall be prepared, discussed, and approved by the Graduate Program Committee prior to submittal of the schedule during a regularly called Department Scheduling meeting.

B. Scheduling of 6000-level courses shall generally follow a rotation distributed by the Director of Graduate Studies at the first regularly scheduled committee meeting of each academic semester.  However, the rotation schedule is not inflexible and may be adjusted with the consent of the Graduate Program Committee.

Section 2            Cross-listed courses

A. 4000-level courses cross-listed at the 5000-level will only be scheduled at the request of the faculty member teaching the 4000-level section.

B. Faculty electing to offer the 5000-level section should include additional requirements to merit graduate credit including, but not limited to:  (1) additional reading assignments comparable to those expected in a graduate course such as the reading of original sources or extensive reviews of the literature in a substantive area; (2)  additional writing assignments such as a series of essays on topical areas or an extended term paper; (3)  individual research involving the collection and analysis of original data; (4) classroom presentations and lectures; and/or (5) practicum or internship experiences.  Faculty should also assess assignments by students enrolled in 5000-level sections at a higher level than that of undergraduates.

C. Faculty should make this request in writing to the Department Secretary at or before the appropriate Department Scheduling meeting including an indication whether the 5000-level section should be open enrollment or by “permission of department only.”

 

Section 3            Topics Courses

A. Faculty desiring to teach a topics course (SOC 6650) must submit a brief proposal to the Graduate Program Committee for review and approval. The proposal should be submitted in writing by September 15.  For Spring Scheduling, the proposal should be submitted by January 30.

C. At a minimum, the proposal shall include one or more paragraphs describing the course content and goals.

D. At the first regularly scheduled Graduate Program Committee meeting of each semester, the committee will discuss the proposed topics course to approve, approve with suggested revision or reject the topic.