Applications forms for admission may be obtained from:

Department of Sociology
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2539
Tel. (213) 740-3533
Fax (213) 740-3535

Or by downloading an online form.

The following provisions govern acceptance

Criteria: Admission to regular graduate status ordinarily requires possession of a bachelor's degree, a GPA of at least 3.0, one or more courses in undergraduate statistics and/or college algebra, and three letters of recommendation. The Graduate Record Examinations are also required; we prefer to see scores of 550 or better on each of the verbal, quantitative, and analytic portions of the GRE. International applicants must also submit their score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Approximately six to eight students enroll each year from the available pool of applicants. Each application receives careful attention and is judged in terms of the full set of criteria.
A limited number of graduate course units taken elsewhere may be considered for transfer into the graduate program. These units are transferred on a course-by-course basis.

Application Procedures

The following steps should be followed in applying for graduate study:

I. Submit the following to the USC Graduate Admission:

1. Online University of Southern California application form plus a check for the admission fee http://www.usc.edu/admission/graduate/admission/
2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
3. The official results of the general aptitude scores of the Graduate Record Examinations (verbal, quantitative, and analytical).
4. For international students, a TOEFL score.
5. A completed Departmental Graduate Application form.
6. One example of written work (normally a paper written for a course) of no more than 20 pages.
7. Three letters of recommendation from persons who can write about your academic performance and your potential as a social scientist.
8. Personal Statement: Describe (1) your present sociological interest, (2) the instructors, books, and/or journalsthat have had the greatest infulence on your interests in sociology, and (3) what you hope to be doing in the field of sociology ten years after you receive your degree. Please include any other aspect of your experience that you want to include.

Conditional Status

Most admissions for graduate study are for "regular" status. On occasion, however, an applicant may be admitted on "conditional" status so that some deficiency can be removed and proficiency demonstrated. When this occurs, up to 12 units of specified performance in graduate or undergraduate course work may be required and/or steps must be taken in order to qualify for acceptance as a "regular" student.

Deadlines

Completed applications must be received by the Sociology department and Graduate School respectively, by December 1st. All applications received by December 1st, will be considered for selected university fellowships.

Further Information

Further information may be obtained by writing to

Stachelle Overland
Student Services Advisor II
Department of Sociology
Kaprielian Hall, room 352
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2539
Tel. (213) 740-3533
Fax (213) 740-3535
overland@usc.edu

Complete detail on courses of instructions and degree requirements may be found in the University of Southern California Catalogue.