Sociology and Criminology & Law

Requirements and Recommendations

The BA/MA program provides academically talented students the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in 5 years. The program allows students to explore graduate work in sociology before entering a graduate program. If the student then applies and is accepted into the graduate MA program (see application procedures for the graduate program), up to 12 hours of graduate coursework completed while an undergraduate is allowed to double count towards both the BA and the MA, thus reducing the time it would normally take to complete the two degrees.

Typically, the student begins graduate coursework during their junior year and completes the first-year required MA courses by the end of their senior (undergraduate) year. The 5th year of college is spent completing the MA, including the remaining elective graduate seminar credits and an MA thesis or nonthesis research project.

How to Apply

Students can apply for the joint program any time from their second year forward, but students will most likely apply during the spring semester of their sophomore year. We require students to submit all application materials by March 15 for admission to the fall semester and by October 15 for admission to the spring semester for full consideration.

Minimum Requirements for Competitive Admission

• A UF GPA of 3.5 or higher
• Completion of all tracking requirements in sociology (SYG2000; one 2000 level sociology elective; one 3000 or higher level sociology elective; and STA2023), with a minimum 3.5 Sociology tracking GPA
• One letter of recommendation from a sociology faculty member
• A personal statement of purpose

NOTE: Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission into the combined degree program.

Suggested Steps in the Application Process:

• Plan ahead when scheduling courses through the sophomore year (see sample schedule below). Although undergraduate sociology majors typically complete tracking requirements by the end of their 5th semester, BA/MA students must have these completed by the end of their fourth semester.
• All of the student’s general education requirements should be completed by the end of the student’s junior year.
• SYA4300 Research Methods must be completed by the end of the 5th semester.
• At the beginning of the semester in which the student is applying to the BA portion of the program, the student should approach a sociology faculty member about writing a letter of recommendation. The student should also begin working on a personal statement of purpose, using the following guidelines:
• • Length: 2-4 pages
  • Describe your reasons for undertaking graduate study in sociology
  • Describe your future career plans
  • Identify and briefly discuss your proposed area of concentration within sociology

  Applying to the BA/MA Program is a Two-Step Process

  Step One: By March 15 of the sophomore year (the student’s 4th semester), the student should apply for the BA portion by submitting the following items to the Undergraduate Coordinator:

• • Personal statement of purpose
  • Letter of recommendation
  • UF’s combined BA/MA application form
  • Sociology’s BA/MA application form

  The Undergraduate Coordinator and Graduate Coordinator will review the application materials. If accepted into the BA portion of the program, the UGC will work with the student to devise a proposed plan of study, including sociology coursework for the remainder of the undergraduate semesters. The UGC and Grad Coordinator will determine which courses will apply toward the BA and MA degrees.

  Step Two: By January 15 of the senior year (the student’s 7th semester), the student must apply on-line and to the Graduate Coordinator for entry into the MA portion of the program. Minimum requirements include:

• A UF GPA of 3.0 or higher
• GRE exam scores of approximately 150 verbal and approximately 150 quantitative
• Three letters of recommendation from sociology faculty or instructor; at least one letter from faculty recommended
• A personal statement of purpose. The statement may be an updated statement submitted for the BA portion.
• An academic writing sample, (i.e. a term paper, research article, or honors thesis).
• A copy of your CV or resume

Additional information about admission into the graduate program, including information on how to apply is available here.

• Requirements Once Admitted into the Combined BA/MA Program

  Once admitted into the BA/MA program, students are required to complete a minimum of 12 graduate credit hours for the combined degree before graduation. An additional 6 are recommended and based on the student’s substantive interests.

  Again, keep in mind that acceptance into the BA portion of the program does NOT mean automatic acceptance into the MA program upon graduation. The student must still take the GRE and submit an admission application for graduate study in Sociology.

  Model Plan of Study for the BA/MA Program in Sociology

  * Submit BA/MA application packet in spring semester, by March 15. This may be modified for transfer students.

  ** Submit MA application packet in fall semester, by December 1
  

  	Fall Semester	Spring Semester
  Sophomore	SYG2000 STA2023 SY elective @2000+	SYA4300 SY elective @3000+
  Junior	SYA4110 Proseminar	SY elective @3000+ Research Design
  Senior **	Classical Theory Qualitative Methods	Graduate Seminar 1 Graduate Seminar 2
  Year 5	Intro to Quantitative Methods Graduate Seminar 3 SYA6971 or SYA6942	Quantitative Methods Graduate Seminar 4 SYA6971 or SYA6942

  Contact Us
  If you have questions about this combined degree program, contact the undergraduate coordinator.