Application Deadlines
- Fall Admission: January 15*
- Spring Admission: December 1**
*Priority funding and international applications deadline. Applications for self-funded students will be accepted up to August 1.
**Self-funded students only. Admission waiver for Spring must be requested from the PhD program.
Admission to the doctoral program in medical sociology requires the approval of the UAB Graduate School opens a new website and the doctoral program committee of the Department of Sociology. The committee:
- recruits the most qualified graduate students
- balances the interests of the medical sociology program with available financial resources, and
- reviews and makes recommendations for admission.
Educational Background
Students may enter the program with a bachelor's degree only or with a master’s degree.
Students with a Bachelor’s Degree
Students entering the program with a bachelor’s degree, without a master’s degree, will be required to write a master’s thesis as they matriculate through the PhD program. They will have an option to earn an MA in Sociology, or just to complete the master’s thesis and proceed to complete the PhD program without earning the MA degree.
Students with a Master's Degree
Students entering the program with a master's degree (e.g., MA, MPH, MPA) are granted waivers for a maximum of 15 semester hours of substantive graduate work. Students who have completed a master’s thesis will submit their master’s thesis for review by the PhD program. If the thesis is deemed acceptable, the master’s thesis requirement on the way to PhD is waived. Students with a master’s degree who have not written a master's thesis for their prior degree will be required to write one as they matriculate through the PhD program. Earning MA in Sociology from UAB on the way to PhD in Medical Sociology is optional.
Graduate Transfer Students without a Graduate Degree
Students transferring from another graduate program without a graduate degree may be granted waivers for a maximum of 12 semester hours of substantive graduate work. Waivers are approved by the PhD program director and the professors in charge of the respective coursework in question. The transfer credit allowance is governed by the UAB Graduate School and may change (check the current Graduate Catalog).
Minimum Admission Requirements
- A bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited institution in sociology or a related field with a minimum of 18 hours of social science coursework, preferably including social theory, statistics, and research methodology.
- An overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 based on a 4.0 system, or a 3.2 GPA for the last 60 semester hours in a BA/BS program.
- A 3.0 GPA in all previous graduate coursework.
- For international students, a minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 80 and an acceptable score on the Test of Written English (TWE) or a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS.
Exceptional students who fail to meet any of the above requirements will be evaluated on a case‑by‑case basis. The following criteria are also considered in the admissions process:
- Evidence of scholarship
- Statement of career goals, with emphasis on research and scholarship
- Evidence of quantitative preparation/ability
- Letters of recommendation
- Professional experience
Graduate School Application Process Checklist
- Complete and submit online application opens a new website
- Submit application fee payment
- Domestic: $50.00
- International: $60.00
- Please ask the individuals from whom you request references to submit them via the Graduate School's online application form opens a new website.
- Request one (1) official transcript to be mailed by the issuing institution to the UAB Graduate School (WES translations are sometimes required for transcripts):
UAB Graduate School
LHL G03
1720 2nd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0013 - Submit official TOEFL test score (for international applicants only — this score is required even if you went to an English-speaking school outside of the U.S.):
- Institution code: 1856
- Submit CV/resume
- Submit statement of career goals
- A writing sample is optional, but suggested
- GRE is optional