SOCIAL SCIENCE PhD PROGRAM

Admissions & Financial Aid

Successful applicants to the Program come with an accredited masters degree and reasonably well defined research interests that would be better served by an interdisciplinary program than within a traditional disciplinary department. In consultation with the Program Chair and their faculty advisers, students design their own programs of study within a general framework of methodology, theory and topical seminars. This greater freedom to pursue individual scholarly interests in a largely self-directed way means, however, that students must assume greater personal responsibility for clarifying their academic goals and organizing their program of study in a way that moves them toward these goals in a coherent and efficient manner.

While most students in the Program follow a conventional full-time graduate schedule, some study part time while continuing to work at Syracuse University or in the community. Some come at mid-career seeking either a change in profession or growth within their current one.  The Ph.D. in social science prepares students to undertake a broad range of careers, principally college and university teaching, but also nonacademic research, consulting, public service, as well as organizational administration and institutional leadership. Regardless of career goals, training for rigorous social science research and scholarship is the main purpose and requirement of the program for all students.

Decisions on admissions and financial aid are governed by three criteria: evidence of superior academic ability, evidence of reasonably focused interdisciplinary research interests, and availability of Maxwell School faculty with interest and scholarly expertise in the areas of inquiry the applicant wishes to pursue. Students planning to apply to the Social Science program should first contact the Program administrative secretary, Mary Olszewski (mtolszew@maxwell.syr.edu) for advice on how to proceed and may also contact the Program Chair, Vernon Greene (vgreene@maxwell.syr.edu) to discuss academic issues. For students requesting financial aid, the GRE or its equivalent is required, and is strongly preferred in any case.

The Social Science Program each year awards financial support in the form of  graduate assistantships, fellowships and tuition scholarships to its students, based on merit. Graduate assistantships and fellowships offered to incoming students are for three years of support, and cover full tuition, stipend and benefits. Where necessary and merited, a fourth year of support can often be provided, but is not guaranteed. Students with Social Science graduate assistantships are typically paired with individual Maxwell faculty as research assistants, or assigned to Maxwell departments as teaching assistants. Matches are made in consultation with students and are intended to be consistent with their teaching and research interests to the extent possible. In general, students on fellowship are not required to teach or perform other services in exchange for their support during their fellowship years. Prospective students should indicate their interest in financial support on their applications. Instructions regarding application for graduate admission and financial support can be found on the Maxwell School Admission and Finances webpage.