Program Description

Application Requirements

Program-Specific Instructions

Additional Information

Applicants should have completed a minimum of 3 credits each in undergraduate sociological theory, statistics, and research methods or equivalent courses in other disciplines.

The goals statement should be approximately 600 words and explains the student’s interest in sociology and the reasons for wishing to pursue an MA in sociology at Mason.

The writing sample should be academic and at least 15 pages (uploaded online). The sample need not be from work that you have published, however, it should be an academic piece of writing such as a research paper or article, a thesis, a formal report, an academic essay, or a paper that was submitted for a course assignment at an institution of higher education.

Academically strong Mason undergraduates with a commitment to research or graduate or professional studies can apply for an accelerated Master’s program and earn a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in as little as five years.

Accelerated Master’s Application Requirements

Accelerated Master’s Program-Specific Instructions

Preparing to Apply

Prior to submitting your application, meet with the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s (BAM) Coordinator, director of your undergraduate program and with the director of the master’s program. 

• Applicants to the accelerated MA must have a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 and a cumulative GPA of 3.50 in sociology courses

Applicant must submit:

• Transcript
• Resume
• Goals statement
• Two recommendation letters that should come from faculty in the department

Be sure to:

• Go over your schedule for completion of the undergraduate degree
• Plan appropriate graduate course work
• Be familiar with the: policies for accelerated master's programs

English Proficiency Requirements

All Mason students must have a full command of academic English to be successful in their studies. For this reason, Mason requires applicants to demonstrate English proficiency for admission consideration, regardless of citizenship. Click here to view the requirements.

International Transcript Requirements

All transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be translated into English, if applicable, and submitted for evaluation to the Mason Office of Admissions. Mason will provide evaluation service free of charge for all international transcripts, however, some programs may request an outside evaluation be completed. Because of volume, more time may be needed to process applications requiring a Mason evaluation. You should submit your application 6 weeks prior to the deadline if you plan to utilize Mason’s free evaluation service. For expedited service, students may submit their documents to any NACES member organization at their own expense. If you decide to use an external evaluation service or if your program requires an outside evaluation, GPA and Degree equivalences must be included with your course-by-course evaluation. Mason evaluations are used for internal purposes and are not released to applicants. For information on international transcript requirements, go here.