Accelerated Bachelors/Masters Program

Qualified Virginia Tech undergraduates may begin earning graduate credit while completing the undergraduate major in Sociology. Students must apply and be accepted into the B.S.-M.S. program before the beginning of the semester in which graduate courses are taken. Graduate credit will not be granted retroactively.

Virginia Tech’s Sociology graduate program offers ideal training for academic, applied, and research careers. The master’s program requires 24 graded credits and is both stimulating and rigorous, with faculty academic advisors that are open and supportive.

Master’s students will receive advanced methodological training, gain experience teaching and develop a teaching portfolio, have opportunities to collaborate with faculty and other students on research projects, and explore a range of topics in and beyond the discipline.

Students enrolled in the accelerated B.S.-M.S. program may double count up to 12 credits. Only 4000 and 5000 level courses taken in the last 12 months of your bachelor’s degree may count toward both degrees. All requirements must be met for both the undergraduate major and the graduate degree, including the M.S. thesis or reading list exam.

The core course series consists of theory, research methods, research design, and a foundations course on inequalities.

Students can tailor their program towards their interests with 9 credits of within-discipline electives. Departmental electives are typically offered within our Areas of Specialization. 

B.S. students may apply, as they approach their last twelve months of undergraduate study, for enrollment in the B.S./M.S. program of accelerated study, which permits the double-counting (toward both B.S. and M.S. degrees) of a maximum of twelve hours of 4000 and 5000 level graded course work. See the Director of Graduate Studies or your undergraduate Academic Advisor for a list of double-countable courses.

B.S./M.S. applications are only accepted for fall semesters and they must be completed by April 1 of the the previous semester. 

Criteria for admission are as follows:

• Current enrollment as a Sociology or Criminology major at Virginia Tech
• attain an in-major GPA of at least 3.7 and an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2
• At least 6 hours of course credit in Sociology at the 4000 level
• Applicants must be on track to complete 93 hours of coursework before their senior year (the first year in the B.S./M.S. program)
• Applicants must be on track to complete Social Research Methods (SOC 3204), Sociological Theory (SOC 3104), and Quantitative Approaches to Community Research (SOC 2104) before their senior year
• Required application materials include: the application cover sheet; a written statement that discusses your motivation for pursuing the B.S./M.S., research goals, and career objectives; a resume; and two letters of recommendation 
• The GRE is no longer required but is still recommended. If you elect to take the GRE, please have the testing agency send your official scores to the Virginia Tech Graduate School, code 5859. 

If the Graduate Committee finds these materials acceptable, then at least three members will interview each applicant. 

If you are interested in the accelerated program, you should talk with your academic advisor about this early in your junior year because you will need to apply by the end of your junior year. If it doesn't seem like the accelerated program will fit into your timeline, click here to learn more about our regular master's program. 

Click here for more information on how to apply to the accelerated program.