PhD in Sociology - Community and Urban Sociology in Ithaca United States | Cornell University

The Sociology Graduate Field accepts approximately 6-7 PhD candidates annually, maintaining around 40 students in the program at any time. These graduate students receive guidance from over 30 distinguished Sociology Graduate Field Faculty members spanning Cornell University. While many faculty hold primary appointments in the Sociology Department, students may seek advisement from any field faculty member. Prospective applicants should examine faculty research specialties and contact those with aligned interests, though admission isn't tied to specific mentors or labs.

First-year sociology doctoral students begin with core theory and methods courses before selecting two specialization areas from the options below. These concentrations allow students to build expertise - either through two major focuses or one major and one minor focus.

Following first-year coursework, students complete two concentration exams and develop a Qualifying Paper - an original, publishable research article. Successful completion leads to Doctoral Candidacy, typically achieved by the third year. The subsequent phases include developing a dissertation proposal, conducting dissertation research, and defending the final work.

Urban and community sociology form essential sociological foundations, examining society's monumental transition from rural to urban living. This concentration explores both this historical transformation and its contemporary urban consequences. Students master traditional urban ethnography alongside modern analytical techniques for studying urban life, including national survey data analysis.