The Graduate Certificate in Social Research provides you with the knowledge and experience to participate in building equitable, humane, and sustainable institutions. Course work stresses education and research for social justice, and the application of professional research skills to inform effective policies and programs for social change.

Application Requirements

Open to students with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution.

Please return the certificate application with all official transcripts to the Sociology Department. You can download an application form or order a copy from the department directly (see below for contact details).

Certificate Requirements

15 credit hours of approved course work with at least 6 credit hours at the 600-level or above, with grades of C or better. Grades of C- or D in certificate program courses are not accepted toward the fulfillment of certificate requirements, although these grades will be included in the calculation of the GPA. Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA in certificate courses in order to be awarded a certificate. Students in certificate programs must take a minimum of 6 credit hours during each 12-month period and complete the certificate in four years. International students must enroll in 9 credit hours each semester (except for summer). A maximum of 3 credit hours earned at an accredited college or university may be applied toward the certificate as transfer credit.

Prerequisites

STAT-514 Statistical Methods (3), or other graduate-level statistics course, or statistics examination

Course requirements

• SOCY-620 Social Research I (3)
• SOCY-621 Social Research II (3)
• 9 credit hours from graduate-level sociology courses selected in consultation with the graduate director. Courses outside the Sociology Department may be substituted with the approval of the graduate director.

 

Contact Information

Sociology Department
American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC, 20016

Phone: (202) 885-2475
Fax: (202) 885-2477
E-mail: socio@american.edu