Sociology_PhD

Doctor of Philosophy | Sociology

PhD

Provided by

Programme Type

Full-time, Part-time

Enquire here Apply now

Investigating the Invisible, Unveiling the Uncomfortable

Sociologists examine the taken for granted “facts” of society, often exposing unsavoury and under-investigated parts of contemporary social life. NTU Sociology provides research training through full-time and part-time M.A. and Ph.D. by research, designed to give you the academic training needed to pursue your interests and produce rigorous social science. Our graduates have gone on to academic teaching and research jobs in institutions such as the University of Glasgow (UK), Georgia Gwinnett College (USA) and the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.


Our faculty members are highly active in research and specialise in a wide range of topics including (but not limited to): Ageing and Gerontology, the Sociology of Health and Mental Health, Cultural Sociology, Demography, Deviance and Subcultures, Economic Sociology, Environmental Sociology, Migration and Globalisation, Popular Culture, Race and Ethnicity, Religion, Science and Technology, Social Inequality, Social Psychology, Sociology of Family, Tourism, and Urban Sociology. Our faculty’s research projects have included inequality and poverty in Singapore (A/P Teo You Yenn), nuclear leaks and governance in Fukushima (A/P Sulfikar Amir) and hip-hop culture amongst Muslim American youth (A/P Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir). Our professors are regularly featured in the media, in a wide range of outlets such as in The Straits Times, South China Morning Post (SCMP), BBC, CNN, The New York Times, Al Jazeera and Channel News Asia (CNA).

Through the programme, you will form a strong theoretical foundation in Sociology, and build skills across various approaches to research, including quantitative and qualitative methods. You will also be given opportunities to teach – a sure way to ensure you are well acquainted with Sociology and gain valuable interaction with undergraduate students. There are also opportunities to connect with NTU’s partner universities, such as NUS and SMU, and funding opportunities for independent overseas research and conference attendance. Previous graduate students of the department have undertaken research on a wide range of topics, including online gaming, Star Wars, female labour migration, ethnic minority Koreans in China, and the politics of choral groups in Singapore.

We encourage our graduate students to collaborate in research projects with faculty members. Students have published co-authored articles in journals such as Symbolic Interaction, Asian Anthropology and the International Journal of environmental research and public health. NTU offers a range of funding opportunities and schemes for students to pursue their postgraduate work, such as the NTU Research Scholarship (RSS) and the Nanyang President's Graduate Scholarship (NPGS) for top candidates.

The M.A. and Ph.D. programmes in Sociology are MOE subsidised. Please visit our website for more details.

 

Admission Criteria

  • A Master’s degree in sociology or a closely related field from a internationally recognised university.

  • A good language proficiency score: IELTS score at least 7.0 (on all subtests); TOEFL score at least 105 – Internet Based Test Score or 580 – Paper Based Test Score. IELTS is preferred.​

    Applicants from Singapore universities (with at least 3 years of study) where English is the medium of instruction are exempted from IELTS/TOEFL.

  • It is strongly recommended for applicants to contact one of the faculty members whom they wish to work with. Applicants can discuss their proposal with the faculty member and ask for suggestions and feedback prior to submitting the application.

IMPORTANT

  • Substitute tests due to COVID-19 safe distancing measures could be submitted. The University recognizes the TOEFL ITP PLUS (offered by ETS) and IELTS Indicator (offered by British Council).

Please refer to our quick application guide here.

Application Period & Other Information

Candidates may start applying online from 1 October for consideration to the following August intake. The application deadline is on 15th November for the Nanyang Research Scholarship (RSS) (same portal for self-financing students), and the Nanyang President's Graduate Scholarship (NPGS)​. All applications received after 15 November will be processed for the next intake instead.  

Applications for the January intake will begin on 01 June and end on 15 July prior to the admission period. The application portal closes on 15 July for the Nanyang Research Scholarship (same portal for self-financing students).

Candidates who would like to be considered for Scholarship should meet the stipulated deadlines. Candidates applying for the Nanyang President's Graduate Scholarship (NPGS), need not submit an additional application for the Nanyang Research Scholarship (RSS). However, RSS candidates will not be considered for the NPGS unless application has been made directly for the NPGS.

All graduate research applicants will have to pay an application fee of S$50.00. Only the first choice of the application will be processed. Candidates who wish to be considered to more than one subject area will have to make separate applications. 

Incomplete applications will not be processed by the School. Please ensure that your referee is aware of your application and is prepared to make the referee report submission as soon as he/she receives the automated official email from NTU. Applications will only be considered upon the receipt of the referee reports.

Applicants have to ensure the accuracy of all data before submission is made as no amendments are permitted once the application is submitted.

Admission depends on the quality of the application as a whole, including the academic record, relevant experience, and research proposal​​. The research proposal is the essence of the application. Applicants need to design their proposal with clarity and sound judgement on the scope of the research in the subject area that they want to undertake. Please use this template to input your research details. 

Decisions on admission to the University are made on academic merit, the availability of an appropriate supervisor and/or availability of scholarship. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed to ascertain their holistic suitability for graduate studies. The School considers every application carefully before making recommendations for admission. Successful candidates will receive the offer from the University’s Office of Admissions. Candidates shortlisted for admission will be notified of the outcome anytime between March to May for the August intake and November to December for the January intake (if applicable).

​The Research Programmes in the School of Social Sciences are MOE-subsidised​.

For more information, please visit the Research Programmes Admission Guide page.

Enquiries can be sent to [email protected].

Typically, Ph.D. students must complete the coursework requirement within the first three semesters. They should maintain a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.50. Students on scholarship might have additional requirements to fulfil such as teaching and service requirements. Students are encouraged to work closely with their supervisor and the graduate co-ordinator to ensure timely completion of all the requirements. 

Ph.D. students will have to submit and defend their thesis proposal as part of the Qualifying Examination (also known as the Confirmation Exercise). The Qualifying Examination should be completed within 18 months from start of candidature. The final completed thesis will be examined by a panel of internal and external examiners, after which, an oral examination (viva) will be held. 

Thesis submission is made at the end of four years which dovetails with the expiry of the scholarship. Candidature expires at the end of five years.
 For Ph.D. programme in Sociology, students must complete and pass the following: 

  • Three core courses: HS7001 Classical Sociological Theory and Research, HS7002 Contemporary Sociological Theory and Research and HX7001 Research Methods for Social Sciences (9 Academic Units)
  • Three elective courses (9 Academic Units)
  • Qualifying Examination​
  • Thesis
  • Oral Examination
  • Other degree requirements