Research Opportunities

Graduate students in the Department of Sociology can receive training by participating in one of our faculty members' ongoing research projects. Working with a principal researcher, a student research assistant (RA) can develop a variety of academic and professional skills in a project of direct relevance to his or her own field of interest. Typical RA contributions include data collection and analysis, literature reviews, project management, community engagement, and sharing of results through presentations and publications. Prospective students applying for admission, please note the following:
  • If the principal researcher for a project has encouraged you to apply for admission, indicate this in the graduate application and refer to the project in your Statement of Research Interest;
  • Admission decisions are made independently of RA decisions;
  • Admission to the department does not automatically guarantee that you will be appointed as a Research Assistant to one of these projects;
  • The principal researcher may be but is not necessarily your thesis supervisor; supervision is usually decided by the second term of your program.

When deciding if one of the long-term research projects listed below is right for you, consider the following:

  • Do my research interests align with those of the project and of the principal researcher? Am I pursuing graduate research on a closely related topic, using similar or complementary theoretical and methodological approaches?
  • Do I have specific skills that meet the needs of the project? Are there specific skills I need that the project could directly help me develop?

If you see yourself as a strong candidate for the project, or are not sure without knowing more, contact the principal researcher. Interested students are normally expected to so do no later than December 1 for projects listed for the following academic year.

Current students, please contact the principal researcher to express interest.