UC Irvine School of Social Sciences Graduate Programs


The School of Social Sciences offers graduate training in the following areas: Anthropology, leading to the Ph.D. in Social Science; Cognitive Sciences, leading to the Ph.D. in Psychology; Economics, leading to the Ph.D. in Economics; Linguistics, leading to the Ph.D. in Social Science; Mathematical Behavioral Science, leading to the Ph.D. in Social Science; Politics and Society, leading to the Ph.D. in Political Science; Social Networks, leading to the Ph.D. in Social Science; and Social Relations, leading to the Ph.D. in Social Science. In addition, an interdisciplinary concentration in Public Choice is offered within the programs in Economics and Political Science, a specialized concentration in Transportation Economics is offered within the program in Economics, and a concentration in Political Psychology is offered within the program in Political Science. When an applicant's interests lie outside of or across these areas, the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, School of Social Sciences, may, on rare occasions, appoint a three-member faculty committee to guide an independent course of study leading to the Ph.D. degree in Social Science.

Although the School does not admit students for a Master of Arts degree, the M.A. degree in Comparative Culture, Economics, or Social Science may be conferred upon students in progress toward the Ph.D. degree.

A graduate program leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Transportation Science is supervised by an interdepartmental faculty group. Information is available in the Interdisciplinary Programs section of the Catalogue.

Graduate Courses

Graduate courses are listed alphabetically by department.

Admission

Potential graduate students should apply by January 15 to receive fullest consideration for financial aid. Applicants should indicate the title of the degree sought (Ph.D. in Comparative Culture, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, or Social Science), and the academic area of concentration (see above). All applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Examination General Test scores. Letters of recommendation and the applicant's statement of interest are important factors in the admission decision.

In addition to the University admission requirements described in the Research and Graduate Studies section, individual graduate programs may prescribe special requirements or expectations of applicants, subject to the approval of the Graduate Council. Such requirements are minimum standards only; successful applicants typically must exceed them by a substantial margin.

Financial Support

Many students receive financial support in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships available under grants to individual faculty. Before accepting an offer of admission with financial support for the first year, applicants should inquire about the likelihood of such support in future years. Occasionally, a newly admitted student may receive a multiyear commitment of some specified financial support, but this is not the rule. Students are also advised to seek aid from sources external to the University. (NOTE: Teaching assistantships do not include remission of fees or nonresident tuition.)

Length of Study and Residence

Students who enter with normal academic preparation should be able to earn the Ph.D. within four to five years, or in the case of Comparative Culture, six years.

Because the intellectual training offered by the School requires full-time study and constant contact with the faculty, the School does not accept part-time students.


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