PhD in Sociology - Gender, Work and Family in College Park United States | University of Maryland, College Park

The Sociology Graduate Program primarily prepares students for a Ph.D., though it also offers an M.A. option for those pursuing a master's alongside doctoral studies or leaving before completing their PhD. The curriculum focuses on four specialized fields: Demography, Political Sociology, Social Psychology, and Social Inequality & Mobility. Approximately 50% of our PhD graduates secure faculty positions at academic institutions, while the other half enter research, administrative, or consulting roles in government agencies or private sector organizations. Being situated in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area provides exceptional research career prospects for our alumni.

The Gender, Work and Family concentration explores the interplay between gender studies and the interrelated disciplines of family sociology and labor sociology. What distinguishes this specialization is its integrative approach, combining these traditional academic domains into a unified framework. Students can study and conduct research on the dynamic relationships between gender roles, employment, and family structures through a curriculum unmatched by other U.S. sociology programs. A key advantage of this specialization lies in the diverse scholarly expertise of its faculty, whose research encompasses Political Economy (including Development and Social Stratification), Social Demography, Social Psychology, Race and Ethnic Studies, Military Sociology, and Theoretical Sociology. This multidisciplinary foundation enables students to analyze gender, work, and family topics through various analytical lenses (macro and micro levels) and diverse frameworks (socioeconomic, demographic, psychological). The program also highlights economic and racial diversity considerations and underscores the value of cross-national comparisons in gender, work, and family research.