Program Overview

Receive advanced training in sociological theory and research methods. Apply your knowledge in a variety of professions to address society's most pressing issues.

Why Earn a Master's in Sociology?

With a master's in sociology, you will study the most pressing social issues of today. You will explore racial/ethnic and gender inequalities, LGBTQ+ rights, political unrest, social media and more. With your degree, you will be able to apply your theoretical and research skills to real-world challenges.

As a graduate, you will be ready to enter non-profit management, evaluation, market research or community college teaching positions. You may also further your education by entering a Ph.D. program and pursuing a career in academia.

Why Study Sociology at CSUN?

Excellent Faculty

Our faculty have a long tradition of research and teaching in a range of specializations which include:

• Race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality
• Immigration, globalization, Social inequality
• Political sociology, social movements, social justice
• Education, religion, media, health, labor/work, crime/deviance
• Social psychology, sociology of emotions, cultural sociology

Our faculty have published the following research:

• Aspects of Sexual Subjectivity Among Young Women
• Children’s Academic Achievement in the U.S. and Great Britain
• Co-constructed Narratives of Pansexuality
• Decentering the White American Religious Experience
• Latino Migrant Day Laborers in Post-Harvey Houston and Critical Environmental Justice
• Photographic Voices of Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Undocumented and Displaced People
• Profiles of Academic Achievement and Persistence: Rethinking Narratives about Latino/a/x College Students in need of remediation
• Role Identities and Self-Efficacy
• Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, and the #MeToo movement in Portuguese politics

Student Research

As a student, you will have opportunities to conduct original qualitative and quantitative research projects. Recent student research projects have focused on:

• Misinformation fatigue on social media
• Women of color faculty in higher education
• Latino/a/x millennials’ views on the Black Lives Matter movement
• Female inmate firefighters in California’s Conservation Camps
• Queer foster parents
• Suicide-loss survivors
• The relationship between gentrification and school choice

You will be able to present your research at academic conferences, and you may receive travel funding to cover the costs. You may even win funding and grants from CSUN's Graduate Studies Office to carry out your thesis projects and prepare for doctoral programs.

Teaching Opportunities

As a graduate student, you will have the opportunity to work in paid positions as an Instructional Student Assistant. Your duties will include:

• Grading assignments and tests
• Providing tutoring/review sessions
• Facilitating classroom discussions alongside faculty

You may also be chosen to participate in CSUN’s Teaching Assistant Fellowship Program. The program focuses on a broad range of topics including: teaching philosophy, syllabus and lesson design, professional development and principles of advanced pedagogy.

What You'll Learn

In your courses, you will learn how to communicate sociological knowledge and ideas through writing and oral presentations. You will build various skills including critical thinking, problem solving, persistence and ethical judgment. Your learning outcomes will be focused in three areas:

• Research methods courses
• Sociological theory courses
• Elective courses

In your research methods courses, you will learn how to design and carry out research projects. You will use various methods including:

• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Surveys
• Secondary data analysis
• Existing statistics
• Content analysis
• Experiments
• Ethnographic research

You will have advanced training in the collection, coding and analysis of data, which can be applied in various careers.

In your sociological theory courses, you will learn frameworks for analyzing the social world around us. You will learn to use various theories and perspectives to explain micro and macro level phenomenon. You will develop critical and analytical thinking and advance your problem-solving skills.

In your elective courses, you will gain an in-depth understanding of published research in the field. You will study how various scholars are grappling with society's most pressing issues. Courses will focus on topics such as:

• Race/ethnicity
• Gender/sexuality
• Social psychology
• Politics
• Religion
• Evaluation research

You will also complete a culminating experience to graduate. You may choose to take the comprehensive exam that proves your knowledge of key sociological concepts. You can also choose to complete and defend a thesis project for your degree.