The program requirements are described in the current Medical Sociology PhD Handbook. Note the following overview of master’s-level and other PhD requirements.

Master's Thesis

All students entering the program without a master’s degree and an accepted master's thesis will be required to complete a master’s thesis as they matriculate through the PhD program.

Earning MA in Sociology on the way to PhD degree is optional. This is done through the Graduate School’s Plan I. Please note that the online MA in Applied Sociology (Plan II) is a professional program and cannot be used as a step toward obtaining a PhD in Medical Sociology.

Applicants with a Master's Degree

The graduate director will review your transcript, evaluate course transfers, and devise a course plan.

• Students without a master’s thesis: If you have an MA, MPH, MPA, etc., but have not written a thesis, you will be required to write a thesis on the way to PhD.
• Students with a master’s thesis: If you are entering with a master's degree and a thesis approved by another accredited institution, you are not required to make oral defense of your thesis. However, you must submit your thesis for review by our program. If the thesis is deemed acceptable, the master’s thesis requirement in our program is waived. Otherwise, you must write a master’s thesis in our program on the way to PhD.
• Students who have already taken comprehensive exams: If you took comprehensive exams at your prior institution, you can petition the graduate committee to waive the exam at UAB. Otherwise, all students entering, whether they have a master’s degree or not, must take comprehensive exams at UAB.

Students entering the program with a master's degree can transfer up to 12 hours of credit so long as these credits were not used for any other degree program. The department may also waive up to 15 credits of coursework from electives for those who come in with a master’s degree.

Applicants without a Master's Degree

Students without a master’s degree must be admitted into the PhD in Medical Sociology program. We don’t have a self-standing master’s program in medical sociology to which you may apply. However, if you’re admitted into the PhD program, you may be eligible to earn an MA in Sociology on the way to PhD, after earning 30 credit hours in the PhD program and completing a master’s thesis (see Plan I). Earning the master’s degree is optional, but completing the master’s thesis is required.

To be admitted in good standing, candidates must meet all Graduate School admission requirements. Learn more about program admissions.

If you lack 18 semester hours in social science courses, you will be evaluated for academic deficiencies. Supplemental coursework may be recommended by the graduate faculty.

Plan I course requirements, including required courses and electives, are listed in the UAB Graduate School Catalog opens a new website.

Additional requirements for Plan I include:

• 6 semester hours of thesis research (SOC 699);
• an acceptable research-based thesis; and
• a final oral examination based on the thesis.

Medical Sociology PhD Program

This program is designed to provide students with the coursework and research experiences to become leading researchers, professors, and practitioners in medical sociology.

Required coursework includes:

• SOC 780. Medical Sociology and two medical sociology electives (9 hours)
• Theory core courses (6 hours)
• Statistics and Research core courses (15 hours)
• Dissertation Research (24 hours)
• Sociology/Health Electives/Transfer Credits
• GRD 717. Principles of Scientific Integrity
• SOC 702. Proseminar: The Profession of Sociology (Fall, Spring, and Summer)

All PhD course requirements and descriptions are listed in the UAB Graduate School Catalog opens a new website. In addition, review the program’s Required Coursework Checklist opens a new website and Course Sequence Form opens a new website.

In addition to coursework, students are required to complete and pass the comprehensive examination before they proceed to the dissertation stage and doctoral candidacy. The format and rules for the comprehensive exam is described in the current Medical Sociology PhD Handbook opens a new website.

Teaching Requirement

All students are expected to develop teaching as well as research skills. The summer semester of SOC 702 is devoted specifically to developing teaching skills. Students will have the opportunity to observe, review, and critique their own teaching performance, learn various pedagogic techniques, develop syllabi, etc.

After having completed the master's thesis, students are required to teach at least one undergraduate course in the department prior to graduation. A student who serves as the Teaching Assistant for Research, Methods, or Statistics courses at the undergraduate or graduate levels may fulfill the teaching requirement with that assignment.