Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Sociology/Master of Science in Sociology

Website: https://twu.edu/sociology/undergraduate-programs/

The Accelerated Bachelor of Science/Master of Arts in Sociology provides exceptional undergraduate students in the Sociology program an avenue toward accelerated completion of a Master's degree and allows undergraduates to begin taking graduate-level courses when they have completed 90 credit hours toward their baccalaureate degree, thus reducing the calendar time necessary to complete their degree. No undergraduate course may count toward the accelerated Master's degree. The Accelerated Bachelor of Science/Master of Arts in Sociology is a highly competitive program, and we anticipate accepting no more than 10 percent of our undergraduate population in any given year.

Marketable Skills

Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."

  1. Apply critical thinking, analytical reasoning skills, and sociological knowledge and skills to real-world settings.  
  2. Work with numbers and demonstrate quantitative skills.​
  3. Make a presentation on and write a non-technical report understood by non-sociologists. ​
  4. Work with people in different groups characterized by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, religion, or immigration status to achieve a goal​.
  5. Make an evidence-based argument.
  6. Use computers to locate and analyze data.​
  7. Gather information and analyze social problems.

Admissions

To apply to the program

  1. Enrolling students must be a current TWU Sociology major.
  2. A student may apply after the completion of 72 credit hours, and no more than 90 hours. Students will typically be eligible to apply and be accepted at the end of their junior year. Admitted students will have completed all additional undergraduate courses specified as required by the degree plan, including advanced SOCI courses (3000/4000) level classes.
  3. Interested students will apply to both the Sociology Master’s program and to the TWU Graduate School when they have completed 72 credit hours, typically during the second semester of their junior year.
  4. Applicants to the accelerated degree plan must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher at the time of application and maintain this GPA during their first year admitted to the accelerated program, through the completion of the baccalaureate portion of their degree, or admission to the accelerated graduate program will be revoked.
  5. Applicants will be required to provide one recommendation letter in support of the application from a Sociology faculty member in the TWU department.
  6. A student who does not satisfy the conditions within three semesters and who has yet to complete the baccalaureate degree may petition for an extension and deferral of admission to a later date. A student who does not satisfy the conditions within three semesters but who has earned the baccalaureate degree may petition for entry into the Master’s program, but without assurance of participating in the accelerated option.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours (SCH): 120   

Major: 33 SCH

Program Code: SOCI.BS.ACC;    CIP Code: 45.1101.00

Texas Core Curriculum

ENG 1013Composition I (10)3
ENG 1023Composition II (10)3
Mathematics (20)3
Life & Physical Sciences (30)6
Language, Philosophy, & Culture (40)3
Creative Arts (50)3
HIST 1013History of the United States, 1492-1865 (60)3
HIST 1023History of the United States, 1865 to the Present (60)3
POLS 2013U.S. National Government (70)3
POLS 2023Texas Government (70)3
Social & Behavioral Sciences (80)3
CAO: Multicultural-Women's Studies (90)3
CAO: First Year Seminar, Wellness or Mathematics (91)3
Total SCHs42

Courses Required for Major

SOCI 3023Introduction to Sociological Theory3
SOCI 3053Social Research3
SOCI 3163Social Statistics3
SOCI 4103Senior Seminar: Theory and Practice3
SOCI Electives9
Total SCHs21

Departmental Requirements

SOCI 1013Introductory Sociology3
Electives (at least 12 SCH advanced) 42
Total SCHs45

Master's Coursework

SOCI 5113Statistical Methods in Sociology3
SOCI 5313Research Methods and Design3
SOCI 5473Foundations of Classical Sociological Theories3
or SOCI 5483 Foundations of Contemporary Sociological Theories
One 3 SCH 5000-level SOCI Elective3
Students may only take a 6000 level elective with permission of the instructor and the Graduate Program Director or Division Head.
Total SCHs12

Plan of Study

First Year
FallTCCNSCHs
ENG 1013Composition I ENGL 13013
HIST 1013History of the United States, 1492-1865 HIST 13013
Life/Physical Sciences Core3
Creative Arts Core3
UNIV 1231Learning Frameworks: First-Year Seminar EDUC 1100, EDUC 1200, EDUC 13001
Wellness or Mathematics CAO Core2
 SCHs 15
SpringTCCN
ENG 1023Composition II ENGL 13023
HIST 1023History of the United States, 1865 to the Present HIST 13023
Life/Physical Sciences Core3
Multicultural Women's Studies CAO Core3
Elective3
 SCHs 15
Second Year
FallTCCN
POLS 2013U.S. National Government GOVT 23053
SOCI 1013Introductory Sociology SOCI 13013
Language, Philosophy, and Culture Core3
Social/Behavioral Sciences Core3
Elective3
 SCHs 15
SpringTCCN
POLS 2023Texas Government GOVT 23063
Sociology Elective3
Elective3
Elective 3
Mathematics Core3
 SCHs 15
Third Year
FallTCCN
SOCI 3023Introduction to Sociological Theory 3
SOCI 3053Social Research 3
Elective (advanced)6
Elective3
 SCHs 15
SpringTCCN
SOCI 3163Social Statistics 3
Sociology Elective3
Sociology Elective3
Elective3
Elective3
 SCHs 15
Fourth Year
FallTCCN
SOCI 4103Senior Seminar: Theory and Practice 3
Elective3
SOCI 5313Research Methods and Design 3
SOCI 5473
or 5483
Foundations of Classical Sociological Theories
or Foundations of Contemporary Sociological Theories
3
Elective3
 SCHs 15
SpringTCCN
SOCI 5113Statistical Methods in Sociology 3
5000-level SOCI Elective3
Electives (advanced)9
 SCHs 15
 Total SCHs:  120