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A recent ranking of graduate schools in sociology, according to the quality and effectiveness of doctoral programs, by the National Research Council (reported in the American Sociological Association's Footnotes, 23 (8), November, 1995), is presented below:
Top 20 Graduate Schools in Sociology (National Research Council)
1 University of Chicago
2 University of Wisconsin--Madison
3 University of California--Berkeley
4 University of Michigan
5 University of California--Los Angeles
6 University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill
7 Harvard University
8 Stanford University
9 Northwestern University
10 University of Washington
11 University of Pennsylvania
12 Indiana University
13 Princeton University
14 University of Arizona
15 Columbia University
16 University of Texas--Austin
17 Johns Hopkins University
18 Pennsylvania State University
19 Yale University
20 Duke University
The Queens Sociology faculty suggested the following distinguished departments (not ranked in order): Berkeley, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Indiana, University of Texas--Austin, University of Washington, the CUNY--Grad Center, and SUNY at Albany and at Stony Brook.
These ratings ought to help you identify some of the superior
departments of sociology in the country and they should be utilized
as a guide for this purpose. However, your final choice depends
upon which department would be the most suitable for your personal
needs. Students are encouraged to get as much professional career
counseling as possible, and to research the available options.
It is useful to consult the university bulletins in the college
library or in the public library; and also to seek advice from
your professors and peer (student) advisers. The burden is on
you to explore various areas of knowledge at college, and then
later link your interests with a professional career. Many prestigious
universities favor the "liberal arts" students who has
developed a broad reservoir of knowledge over the "vocationally"
oriented undergraduate. Thus, philosophy or history courses may
be just as valuable as economics. There is only one requirement
that we know is a certainty: to be able to write and articulate
your ideas well. Don't shy away from taking English courses--writing,
vocabulary building, and reading labs are an excellent way to
improve your skills.
In the end, success is earned by hard work, perseverance, brains,
guts, personality, good judgement, and good luck. We offer you
GOOD LUCK, the rest is up to you!!