Graduate Program

graduate students working on project

The Duke University Department of Sociology is committed to maintaining its Ph.D. program at the highest level of quality, and entrance into our program is highly competitive. To those who are accepted and enroll at Duke, we offer an intensive program of study, a supportive research environment, and the opportunity to learn the craft of scholarship from Duke's productive and diverse faculty. Our placements of recent Ph.D.s in excellent jobs within academia and elsewhere is for us a source of pride and professional satisfaction.

The Sociology Department at Duke University believes in fostering an inclusive environment where differences are respected, valued and integrated into every facet of the graduate experience. Through our commitment to diversity, we hope to create an atmosphere conducive to high quality education and research that supports the broad spectrum of differences of our students, faculty and staff. 

The Department of Sociology offers a challenging and rigorous program of study and research training leading to the Ph.D. degree. Although graduate students headed for the Ph.D. receive a Master’s degree at an appropriate point in their graduate careers here, our program of study is organized primarily for Ph.D. candidates.