About
SOCIOLOGY M.A. | PH.D.
Sociology is the scientific study of society, social institutions, social relationships, and human organization. Located at the heart of California’s Central Valley, a historic epicenter of innovative movements of farmworkers and immigrants, UC Merced is an internationally recognized hub for sociological research.
In this regional context, Sociology faculty have built a vibrant graduate program that combines intellectual community, outstanding research, engagement in local and global public discourse, and dynamic teaching. We strive to foster rigorous empirical research to produce groundbreaking new ideas in a range of fields, including the study of education, environment, gender and sexuality, health, immigration, inequality, labor, organizations, political economy, race and ethnicity, and social movements.
Our program is nationally and internationally recognized for its scholarship and graduate training. Students master a diverse toolkit of research methods and conceptual approaches for carrying out independent research, while also learning in depth about core research areas. We support community and policy engaged research through our faculty and graduate students’ affiliations with the UC Merced Community Labor Center; Higher Education, Race and the Economy Lab; and Latino Research Group.
Doctoral students have the option to obtain master’s degrees in sociology en route to their Ph.Ds. Our graduates are in turn highly successful in securing tenure track professorships and impactful applied research and policy jobs.
CORE research areas
- Education
- Gender and Sexuality
- Health
- Immigration
- Labor
- Race and Ethnicity
- Social Movements and Political Sociology
Our 14 faculty members are recognized as experts in their areas of study, producing award-winning scholarship that is shaping the field of sociology along with other interdisciplinary areas of inquiry. Sociology faculty frequently involve graduate and undergraduate students in ongoing research projects. We also provide an array of professional development opportunities to set our graduates up for successful careers
The application deadline is December 15, 2026.
sociology at uc merced
PROVIDES intensive mentoring to graduate students, with personalized attention given to small cohorts of entering students. Each student is matched with a faculty mentor immediately upon starting the program, and the curriculum includes small core classes and substantive seminars, a professionalization class, and an intensive writing course to facilitate independent research and scholarly writing.
OFFERS a unique and highly relevant set of substantive foci at the cutting edge of the discipline within an interdisciplinary campus environment. Sociology faculty members study a combination of topics that are especially important for California's Central Valley, the state and the nation, such as race, education, social movements, and health disparities.
INCLUDES opportunities to participate in collaborative research projects with faculty and students, as well as informal and formal seminars in Sociology and across the university. Our program is designed to train students for research and teaching careers in higher education as faculty members, as well as for careers in public and private agencies outside of academia.
alumni name
Class of 2015
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alumni name
Class of 2015
Satatium voloration pos volorem aut inuscip santur sa endignis etus, coruptatia aut fugiatis aut occullu ptatem que num exped quia volorerestia nectem a sequia et autatis. Nostiam es egi aleris noxim me vernica vividi menius in etiquam. Nostiam es egi aleris noxim me vernica patquodiu in.
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Subheading for this paragraph Satatium voloration pos volorem aut inuscip santur sa endignis etus, coruptatia aut fugiatis aut occullu ptatem que num exped quia volorerestia num exped quia volorerestia nectem a sequia et autatis et vernica autatis. Litatiorem atus blabore plate cerrum nobit. Satatium voloration pos volorem aut inuscip santur sa endignis etus fugiatis que.
FUNDING SUPPORT
Students in good standing are eligible for year-round financial support, including payment of fees and tuition. Students are typically supported by teaching and research assistantships, which can be supplemented by fellowships, faculty research grants, awards and other forms of financial assistance.