PhD in Sociology - Inequality and Social Stratification in Ithaca United States | Cornell University

The Sociology Graduate Field admits approximately 6-7 PhD candidates annually, maintaining around 40 enrolled students at any point. 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 choose advisors from across the entire field faculty. Prospective applicants should examine faculty research specialties and consider contacting relevant professors, though admission decisions aren't tied to specific faculty or labs. All doctoral candidates begin with general sociology registration, completing foundational theory and methodology courses in their first year before selecting two specialization areas from the options below - either two major concentrations or one major and one minor focus.

Following first-year coursework, students undertake two concentration exams (one per specialization area) and produce a Qualifying Paper - an original, publishable research article. Upon completing this paper, students become eligible for Doctoral Candidacy, typically achieved during summer before or fall of their third year. Subsequent milestones include developing a dissertation proposal, completing dissertation research, and defending the final work.

Inequality sociologists examine distributions of resources like income, education, health outcomes, social status, and political influence across demographic groups defined by class, race, gender, immigration background, age, or sexuality. Their research analyzes inequality patterns, explores socioeconomic and political impacts, and investigates how disparities evolve across time, geography, and generations through various societal institutions including education systems, labor markets, criminal justice systems, family structures, and government policies.