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Main Office
Chilton Hall, Room 300

Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #311157
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2296

Web site: www.unt.edu/soci

Daniel G. Rodeheaver, Chair

George Yancey, Graduate Program Director
 

Faculty 

The department offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees:

• Master of Arts with a major in sociology 
• Master of Arts with a major in long-term care, senior housing and aging services 
• Master of Science with a major in sociology 
• Master of Science with a major in long-term care, senior housing and aging services 
• Doctor of Philosophy with a major in sociology 

Areas of concentration include (but are not limited to) social inequality, health and illness, globalization and developing societies, and sociology of aging.

The department offers a graduate academic certificate: specialist in aging .

Sociology and Applied Gerontology

The Department of Applied Gerontology merged with the Department of Sociology, reuniting the two programs initiated by Hiram J. Friedsam. The combined resources and faculties provide students with a variety of training opportunities in research and application. The Master of Arts and the Master of Science degrees in sociology and the Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees in long-term care, senior housing and aging services will continue as unique degree programs. The Doctor of Philosophy degrees in sociology and in applied gerontology have been combined into the PhD with a major in sociology. Students seeking the PhD in applied gerontology must now apply for admission to the PhD in sociology program and may pursue a concentration in sociology of aging in the doctoral program.

Research

Research in sociology at UNT, including sociology of aging, covers a wide range, from studies of individuals to the global community. Examples include studies of sustainable societies and social interactions of individuals within social organizations, such as the study of nurses aides’ empowerment on job performance and the determinants of racial identities. Studies of whole organizations and social institutions includes the study of work teams in nursing homes, racially integrated churches and environmental groups. Studies of global communities include assessing disaster preparedness, determinants of sustainability and the worldwide impact of HIV/AIDS. Faculty apply for and obtain research grants from funding sources such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Commonwealth Fund. Doctoral students are expected to engage in research with their faculty mentors and to conduct independent research projects.

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