Academic Catalog - 2023-2024

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Sociology

Applied Sociology, Master of Arts


Academic Information

Our program prepares you for professional practice in human service agencies and applied research settings as well as for further academic study in sociology and related fields. Engaged faculty work with graduate students in a highly collaborative academic atmosphere. Funding opportunities include graduate assistantships, competitive stipends, and tuition waivers.

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Academic Catalog - 2023-2024

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Sociology

Applied Sociology, Master of Arts


Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Arts in Applied Sociology?

If you’re wondering how to apply sociological theory and methodologies to find solutions to the problems facing society, you may want to consider an MA in Applied Sociology at Northern Arizona University. Here, you can build on your existing knowledge while preparing for job opportunities in applied research settings, teaching, grassroots community settings, government, or for further academic studies in sociology.

This applied Master’s program offers a diverse and highly collaborative academic atmosphere. You can design your coursework to reflect your personal interests, as well as choose between an internship or a thesis. Learn with faculty who have expertise in a range of areas including health, race and ethnicity, culture, community, environment, gender, social policy, deviance, social psychology, and demography.

Career opportunities that might be pursued:
  • Non-profit executive director
  • Community College Instructor
  • Program evaluator
  • Program planner
  • Researcher
  • Policy Analyst
  • Diversity Coordinator

With further education, one of these paths is possible:
  • University professor
  • Community college instructor
  • Researcher
  • Policy analyst

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Academic Catalog - 2023-2024

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Sociology

Applied Sociology, Master of Arts


University Requirements

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Academic Catalog - 2023-2024

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Sociology

Applied Sociology, Master of Arts


Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

Minimum Units for Completion 35
Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

Fieldwork Experience/Internship Optional
Thesis Thesis may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option.
Oral Defense Oral Defense may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option.
Research Individualized research may be required by chosen emphasis or offered as an option.
Progression Plan Link View Program of Study
Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Plan Optional

Purpose Statement

The Master of Arts in Applied Sociology prepares students for applying sociological theories, methods and skills in researching and analyzing social lives, behaviors and aggregations, for instance, groups, societies, organizations and institutions, for the purpose of understanding social structures, power, and transformations, and building strategies to solve social problems. The Program expands its scope to both the national and global levels, and puts emphasis on NAU three themes of global learning: diversity, environmental sustainability, and global engagement.

The Program includes two optional concentration areas. The Culture, Community, & Health Concentration trains students to understand how norms, practices, and values shape larger social forces and play key roles in community wellness. The Environment, Sustainability and Globalization concentration area keeps pace with the shifting boundaries of sociology to study the interdependencies of the social, economic and ecological dimensions of life, the emergence, structures and dynamics of the global society, and the massive social consequences that result from environmental changes.

Through these concentration areas, students study a variety of social issues, such as, health inequality, sexuality, racial and ethnic conflicts, environmental justice, global social movements, sustainable communities, etc.

In addition to these two concentration areas, the Department will work with individual students to identify and develop their own concentration area. 

The Program will enable students, not only to recall and comprehend a number of theories and methods, but also to select among a variety of classic and contemporary social theories, and a variety of qualitative or quantitative methods the ones that properly fit a certain social phenomenon or problem, be it local or global. Students will be able to apply these theories and methods to analyze, interpret or evaluate specific local or global social phenomena or structures, and sociologically describe them, design sociological solutions to their identified and analyzed problems, and clearly present their findings to either an academic community or the public in general.

Aware of a number of local and global social issues and problems, and armed with the knowledge of sociological theories and methods, and the skills of analyzing data, evaluating programs and designing social policies and solutions, the graduates of this Program can join doctorate programs in sociology or related fields, teach sociology, or work in local or global, research centers, governmental or non governmental organizations, industry, business, marketing departments, etc.

The Master of Arts in Sociology is designed for students, who are interested in building a career in social research, working in human services agencies, teaching sociology in community colleges, engaging in grassroots activism and social change, or pursuing a doctorate degree in sociology.

 Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

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Academic Catalog - 2023-2024

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Sociology

Applied Sociology, Master of Arts


Details

Graduate Admission Information
Additional Admission Requirements
Master's Requirements
Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's Program
Additional Information
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Academic Catalog - 2023-2024

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Department of Sociology

Applied Sociology, Master of Arts


Campus Availability

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