Five-Year BA/MS Program

The Field of Applied Digital Sociology

In response to the growing demand for professional social researchers in the public and private sectors, the Hunter College Department of Sociology offers an extensive graduate program in Applied Digital Sociology. The program is distinctive in its focus on applied social research in the real world. Course work concentrates on building skills in research design, sampling, data analysis, and interpretation. It offers areas of specialization in media research and analysis, marketing research and consumer behavior, research and training in international development, and policy analysis in the public and private non-profit sector. Students can also customize their areas of specialization provided faculty supervision is secured.

Applied digital sociology is an expanding field with challenging, creative and well paid positions in applied social research, policy analysis, and program planning and evaluation. Graduates of the program have been working as senior executives, research directors, research analysts, and consultants for Comedy Central, ABC, Sesame Workshop, Cornell University Medical Center, Lifetime Television, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, McCann-Erickson Worldwide, Philip Morris, Harris Interactive, the National Urban League, Warner Brothers, the New York Times, TBS/TNT, the Center for Disease Control, and Fox TV International. Other graduates have entered PhD programs in schools such as the University of Wisconsin, Rutgers University, SUNY Stony Brook, The University of Maryland, Columbia University, NYU, Fordham University, Michigan University, CUNY Graduate Center, and the Annenberg School of Communication or focused on other graduate programs such as law and social work. Our graduate social research program offers two degree options:

• A 30 credit Master of Science in Applied Digital Sociology degree program for students with a Bachelor’s degree
• An accelerated program leading to a combined BA and MS degree requiring 100 undergraduate and 30 graduate credits for outstanding students majoring in sociology.

Five year BA/MS program in Sociology and Applied Digital Sociology

The accelerated degree sequence permits Hunter College sociology majors in excellent academic standing to obtain both the BA and the MS degree in five years rather than the customary six years (4 years for the BA and 2 years for the MS) with significant savings in tuition. The last year of undergraduate studies is identical to the first year in the graduate program with credits earned in this year applied towards both degrees. In the normal six-year sequence, the students have to complete 120 credits for the BA plus 30 credits for the master degree, for a total of 150 credits. In contrast, the BA/MS sequence requires only a total of 130 credits.

Undergraduate students admitted to the program generally start their graduate course work towards the end of their junior year and must engage in full time studies. Specific graduate courses may be taken at an earlier point with the approval of the program advisers. No student however may commence full-time graduate studies without having met the requirements listed below. Students interested in the accelerated BA/MS program should contact the undergraduate advisors as early as possible.

Eligibility and Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the program students must have completed the core, pluralism and diversity; and sociology major requirements for graduation. Strong candidates will have an overall grade point average of 3.30 or above. Note that the total number of credits accumulated before entering the BA/MS program may not exceed 100 credits.

The student must also meet honors requirements by completing either the honors seminar (SOC 473 or SOC 474) or honors independent study (SOC 471 OR SOC 472), a course in the graduate social research program (SOC 425 code) or a research internship (SOC 498). Credits generated though the honors requirement count towards the 30 required for the sociology major. Students are expected to have met these requirements by the end of their junior year.

In addition, students must meet all other requirements for admission to the graduate social research program as listed in the current graduate catalog except for taking the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). Before applying to the program students should meet with the undergraduate advisor, Professor Halling. BA/MS applications are sent to the graduate director. To apply, send the following by email to the Program Director, Jessie Daniels (jdaniels@hunter.cuny.edu).

• A cover letter
• A copy of your undergraduate transcript
• One letter of recommendation from a faculty member in sociology

Degree & Major Requirements

The accelerated program requires the completion of 130 credits of which 30 credits count toward both degrees and 30 count toward the MS degree only. Upon completion of 130 credits, students obtain the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Master of Science in Applied Digital Sociology degrees.

For details on undergraduate degree requirements, visit our Undergraduate page.

For details on graduate degree requirements, visit our Graduate page.

Tuition

Students in the BA/MS program pay the undergraduate tuition rate for the first 120 credits required for the BA. They pay graduate tuition for the 10 additional credits needed to complete the master’s degree.