Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology - Global Social Change

This concentration of graduate study focuses on cross-national, comparative research, and long-term, world-scale social change. The goal of the program is to give students knowledge of the various theoretical perspectives in these areas, experience in data collection and analysis, and expertise in one or more substantive fields. The program does not focus on a particular geographic area, although faculty members have conducted extensive research on Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Instead of a geographical approach, the emphasis is on issues of development and social change that cut across different countries and world regions. Examples are globalization and regionalization, labor and development, city systems and urban primacy, social movements and revolutions, state violence, migration and labor force formation, family structure and change, social structure and personality, and national and international stratification. Students enroll in a sequence of courses and seminars, and participate actively in ongoing faculty projects dealing with one or more of the above issues.
In addition, the interdisciplinary character of graduate education at Johns Hopkins offers students ample opportunity to enroll in courses or collaborate in research of faculty in other departments. Faculty associates of the program include distinguished scholars in anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, and public health.
The department's primary educational goal is to train first-class sociology PhDs. The sociology graduate experience at Johns Hopkins is best characterized as a research apprenticeship a careful blend of formal instruction, faculty-directed individual study, and supervised yet self-initiated research. The department's small size and specific concentrations yield a personalized course of study and close relationships with faculty members and fellow graduate students. The social climate is informal, and the mix of students and faculty, all drawn from a wide variety of geographic and social backgrounds, constitutes a rewarding intellectual community.

Unofficial transcripts, All applicants are required to upload unofficial transcripts of all previous college and university study to their online application. If your transcripts are not issued in English you must submit documents in both the original language and English translation from a professional third party service.

Applicants should also send a list of current courses and any other courses that will be taken before beginning graduate study at Johns Hopkins that do not appear on their transcripts. Transcripts for study abroad courses are not required, provided the courses and credits are listed on the transcripts of an applicant's primary degree-granting institution.

Applicants seeking admission who have taken the TOEFL test will preferably have a score of at least 100 for the Internet Based Test, 250 for the Computer Based Test, or 600 for the Paper Based Test. Applicants seeking admission who have taken the IELTS test will preferably have an academic Band Score at least equal to 7.