Higher study options in sociology

Updated on: Monday, March 08, 2010

Higher study options are available at the degree, Master's, M.Phil. and Ph.D. levels. Students who complete their three-year degree course in sociology or graduates in any discipline are eligible to get admission to the MA sociology course.

The areas of specialisation in the Master's degree course include industrial sociology, medical sociology and social psychology. After completing their MA course, students can enroll for M.Phil. or Ph.D. programmes. Those who qualify the UGC-JRF examinations could secure a fellowship for research leading to the award of Ph.D. degree.

Syllabus

The course content for the Master's degree course in sociology covers history or social thought, social stratification concepts and theories, populations and society, social dimensions of development, urban sociology, peasant and rural sociology in India, sociology of family, industrial sociology, sociology of health-concepts and organisational theory, sociology or legal systems interpretation of sociological theories, methods and techniques in social research, basic methods in population studies, social development in India, sociology of gender roles, political sociology, determinants and concepts of population growth, sociology of human migration, rural developments in India, environmental crisis and sustainable development, political economy of industrialisation and labour, community health and social problems.

Core courses and elective courses are included in the syllabus. Duration of the postgraduate course is two years.

Study facilities

Several universities in India offers Master's degree course in sociology in the regular stream. Some of them are given below.

# Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi. Website: www.jnu.ac.in

# Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. Website: www.du.ac.in

# Shivaji University, Kolhapur

# Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli. Website: www.bdu.ac.in

# University of Pune, Pune. Website: ( www.unipune.ernet.in)

# University of Madras, Chepauk, Chennai. Website: www.unom.ac.in

# Bangalore University, Jnanabharathi Campus, Bangalore – 560056

# Pondicherry University, Puducherry. Website: www.pondiuniv.org

# University of Hyderabad. Website: www.uohyd.ernet.in

Medical sociology

The Department of Sociology under Loyola College, Chennai – 600034, offers Master's degree in medical sociology. It prepares students for a career in various areas of health care services management which include hospital human resources management, health programme management, medical ethics and law. The programme includes internship in a multispecialty hospital for six months as a course requirement.

Allied optional subjects open to a sociology student are public administration, comparative economic systems, industrial relations, economics of social issues, basic economics, world history, principles of marketing and media skills and advertising.

Distance education

Several universities also provide distance education facilities for Master's degree course in sociology. Some of them are as follows:

# Indira Gandhi National Open University, Regional Centre, Kaloor, Kochi – 682017. Website: www.ignou.ac.in

# Institute of Distance Education, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram – 695581. Website: www.keralauniversity.edu

# School of Distance Education, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills . P.O, Kottayam – 686560 Website : www.sdemgu.org

# School of Distance Education, University of Calicut, Calicut University. P.O – 673635. Website: www.universityofcalicut.info

Career prospects

Those who successfully complete their Master's degree or Ph.D. programme in sociology and qualify the UGE-NET lectureship can make a career as lecturers or faculty members.

Those who specialise in social psychology can work as counsellors in hospitals or with NGOs. Those who specialise in medical sociology can work as a data collection officer in the field of medical research. Social welfare specialisation is a wide field that offers options to work in hospitals and non-governmental organisations.

Qualified sociologists will be considered for a job as probation officers in various child welfare departments and they can be placed in charge of juvenile homes or observation cells.International bodies such as World Health Organisation and United Nations Organisation sometimes advertise projects where in the services of people with knowledge of sociology are required.

Social Welfare Department of State government carries out research projects for which sociologists are required.

Population and development studies will open new vistas for those who choose sociology as a career option. Sociology is a good option for those who plan to appear for the civil services examination.

Higher study options in sociology

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