Graduate Financial Assistance
The Department of Sociology is highly selective in the number of students that are accepted into the program. The small size of the graduate student community in sociology facilitates student-faculty collaboration in research and teaching and the close mentoring of students. Financial support to cover tuition and living costs is available to all incoming students, and this support consists of teaching and research assistantships, as well as University and departmental fellowships and traineeships. For those who receive financial aid, continued support is contingent on satisfactory academic progress. Additionally, some students are supported by training grants in particular areas of study through centers affiliated with the department. Dissertation fellowships awarded by thie Graduate School also are available on a competitive basis. Further summer fellowships of about $2500 are available. The Graduate School provides funds to pay for health insurance, and additional coverage for dependents is available for a fee.
Evaluation Process
All students will receive an annual status report of their progress in the graduate program. This evaluation will include a review of coursework and general academic performance, provide an indication of the possibility of future funding, and assess whether the student is proceeding "on time" in the program. In addition to these evaluations, special attention will focus on students at the following points in their program:
During the first year, the qualification of graduate students for Ph.D. work will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee. The committee's evaluations will be based on grades, scaled general evaluations by faculty members who had academic contact with a given student, and progress on the M.A. thesis. In order to make a balanced judgment possible, students are urged to develop a first-year program that involves both conceptual and analytical work.
All students also are evaluated after the third semester of their residence for suitability for continuing in the Graduate Program. If the Graduate Committee's evaluation of a student's qualification was negative during the first-year evaluation, this will be the subject of special scrutiny after completion of the third semester. A student who is not considered qualified for Ph.D. work in the review after the third semester cannot enroll in sociology at Brown beyond the Master's degree.
Students enrolled only for the M.A. degree may decide they want to continue for the Ph.D. They can ask for the equivalent of the first-year evaluation, in order to seek admission to the Ph.D. program.