Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Top Colleges, Syllabus, Scope and Salary

Ph. D. in Sociology is a 3 to 5-year doctoral course, the minimum eligibility for admission to which is the successful completion of post-graduation in Sociology, completed from a recognized university.

The average tuition fee charged for the course in India ranges between INR 4,000 and 5 Lacs for the span of three to 5 years.

Admissions for the course is based on a round of counselling conducted after candidates’ qualification of a relevant entrance test such as UGC-NET, etc.

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Successful doctorate-holders in Sociology are hired in professional capacities such as:

• Professor
• Sociologist
• Political Scientist
• Policy Analyst
• Management Consultant
• Social Worker
• Survey Researcher/ Pollster
• Human Resources (HR) Representative
• Public Relations Specialist
• Guidance Counselor, etc.

Popular areas of employment for such professionals include industries such as:

• research institutes
• criminal justice system
• public health and welfare organizations
• private businesses
• law firms
• international agencies
• medical centers
• educational institutions
• advertising firms
• survey and polling organizations, etc.

The average annual salary offered in India to such professionals ranges between INR 4 and 15 Lacs, varying with the candidate’s experience and expertise in the field.

Ph. D. in Sociology: Course Highlights

Listed below are some of the major highlights of the course.

Course Level	Doctorate
Duration	3 to 5 years
Examination Type	Semester System
Eligibility	Post-graduation in Arts
Admission Process	Based on counselling after qualification of entrance tests such as UGC-NET
Course Fee	INR 4,000 to 5 Lacs for three years
Average Starting Salary	INR 4 to 15 lacs per annum
Top Recruiting Companies	Drug Manufacturing Companies, Public Health Entities, Blood Service, Industrial Laboratories, Cancer research institutes, Research Departments, Educational Institutes, Environmental Pollution Control, Agriculture and fisheries, Forensic Science, Hospitals, Public Health Laboratories, Cosmetic Industries, etc.
Job Positions	College Professor, Sociologist, Political Scientist, Policy Analysts, Management Consultants, Social Workers, Survey Researchers, Pollsters, Human Resources (HR) Representatives, Public Relations Specialists, Guidance Counselors, among others such.

Ph. D. in Sociology: What is it About?

The course has been designed to equip eligible candidates with the adequate skills needed in becoming professional researchers and academics. The course’s major components include:

• Basic academic and research projects.
• The core training programme, which covers issues of social science research in general.
• Issues of research specific to particular disciplines or areas of interest.
• Research design, including the integration of methodological, theoretical, and substantive issues.
• Core training program.
• Departmental seminar series.
• A 10,000-word piece of written work to determine whether the candidate can proceed to a full program of Ph. D. research.

Students enrolled to the course are offered an advanced learning in:

• research in the study of human society, its development, functioning and structure. Sociology as a subject including many diverse topics relating to humans and human society.
• Sociological topics such as crime, religion, family, State, division of race, social class, culture, social stability, radical change, etc. 
• Chosen specializations, which may include:
• social inequality
• race and gender
• political systems
• ethnography or urban sociology, among others.

The program includes the compulsory completion of a doctoral dissertation, which is the culmination of original research and analysis conducted by the student.

The dissertation typically represents a large portion of the academic credits needed to complete the course.

The course also offers traditional subjects of study to help students understand research-based sociological models and theories.

Common subjects of study so included are:

• Advanced sociological research methods
• Ethnographic approaches to studies
• Sociological theory of race and gender
• Urban sociology
• Globalization and political science
• Dynamics of the shifting social world
• Devising solutions to difficult social problems.

The discipline involves an advanced study of elements of sociological relevance such as:

• Criminal Justice- Corrections, Rehabilitation, Law Enforcement, The Justice System, Parole System.
• Business and Industry- Advertising, Consumer and Market Research, Management of Non-profit organizations, Human Resources, Training and Human Development, Leadership Training.
• Research and Planning- Governmental and Regional Planning Departments, Research Firms, Evaluation Research, Public Opinion Research.
• Agencies-Social Services, Mental Health Services, Adoption, Child Care, Youth Services, Developmental Disability Services.
• Education- Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities, Administration, Alumni Relations, Placement Offices, Educational Research.
• Advocacy- Environmental, Child Welfare, National Policies, Victim Rights, Labor Rights, Community Organization.
• Communications- Technical Writing, Newspaper and Magazine Reporting, Public Relations.

Top Institutes Offering Ph. D. in Sociology

Listed below are some of the top institutes in India that offer the course, along with their corresponding details.

Name of Institute	City	Average Fees
JYOTI NIVAS COLLEGE - [JNC],	BANGALORE	INR 1,20,000 (course)
Jadavpur University	Kolkata	INR 25,000 (course)
Christ University	Bangalore	INR 1.54 Lacs (course)
JNU	Jaipur	INR 3 Lacs (course)
CT University	Ludhiana	INR 29,500 (course)
Lovely Professional University	Punjab	INR 39,500 (course)
IIT	Hyderabad	INR 11,400 (course)
Periyar Maniammai University	Thanjavur	INR 26,500 (course)
Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts & Science	Coimbatore	INR 18,150 (course)
BARKATULLAH UNIVERSITY	BHOPAL	INR 21,800 (course)
SRI RAMACHANDRA UNIVERSITY	Chennai	INR 75,000 (course)
RTMNU	Nagpur	INR 12,000 (course)
BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY	Coimabatore	INR 30,500 (course)
Banasthali University	Jaipur	INR 3.3 Lacs (course)
MGKV	Varanasi	INR 1,50,000 (course)
TMV	Pune	INR 4,50,000 (course)
MAHARSHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITY	Rohtak	INR 5,000 (course)
Hyderabad University	Hyderabad	INR 15,840 (course)
Mumbai University	Mumbai	INR 4,000 (course)
SAVITRIBAI PHULE PUNE UNIVERSITY	Pune	INR 20,000 (course)

Eligibility for Ph. D. in Sociology

Candidates wishing to apply for the course need to fulfill the following minimum eligibility criteria:

• Post-graduation (M. Sc.) in any of the disciplines consistent with the research areas of the department, completed from a recognized university.
• A minimum aggregate score of 55% (50% for SC/ST/OBC candidates) at the level of post-graduation.

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Ph. D. in Sociology: Admission Process

Most institutes offering the course admit students based on their performance in a relevant entrance test followed by a round of Personal Interview. Some institutes conduct their own entrance tests for offering admission. Admission process generally varies across colleges. A few institutes also provide direct admission based on the candidate’s score at the level of post-graduation, but necessarily followed by a round of Personal Interview.

The application necessarily includes the submission of a research proposal, detailing the proposed outline of the candidate’s Ph. D. project, and explaining the methodology planned to be employed.

Most commonly, all institutes accept the candidates’ NET scores,

National Eligibility Test (NET) is administered by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for most subjects, with the exception of those belonging to disciplines of Science and Engineering which are covered by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Ph. D. in Sociology: Syllabus and Course Description

A section-wise breakup of the course’s syllabus is tabulated here.

Section I	Section II
The meaning and characteristics of sociological theory	Structural-functionalism
Type of theories	The emergence of functionalism
Relationship between theory and research	Functional dimensions of social system: Talcott Parsons
-	Codification of functional analysis: Robert King Merton
Section III	Section IV
Conflict theory	Interactionist perspective
Marx critique and dialectics of conflict: Ralf Dahrendorf	Symbolic interactionism: Herbert Mead
Conflict functionalism: Lewis Coser	Phenomenological sociology: Alfred Schutz
The power elite: C. Wright Mills	Ethnomethodology: Harold Garfinkel
Section V
Structuralism, post-structuralism and post-modernism	Deconstruction: Jacques Derrida
Anthropological structuralism: Claude Levi-Strauss	Relationship between knowledge and power: Michel Foucault

Ph. D. in Sociology: Career Prospects

The course lays an overarching focus on:

• oral and written communication
• quantitative and qualitative data analysis
• themes of race, class and gender
• global awareness
• topics related to businesses, nonprofits, and professions
• sociological topics of marriage and family
• health, education, organizations, social networks
• gender roles and interpersonal relationships
• crime, poverty, and inequality
• religion, culture, social movements and social change.
• social work, education, public policy
• religious ministry, mass communications
• public health
• non-profit administration
• international affairs.

Job Position	Job Description	Average Annual Pay Scale in INR
College Professor	Professor of Sociology in a collegiate setting require a doctoral degree, and instruct undergraduate or graduate students. Like many other teaching positions, Sociology Professors create lesson plans, present class material to students, and perform academic evaluations.	5,40,282
Sociologist	Sociologists study society and behaviour, mainly through the different groups, cultures and institutions to which people belong. They also study behaviour of different group members and how different groups interact with each other. A sociologist can specialize in a wide array of fields including family, ethnic relations, and gender roles.	1,200,000
Political Scientist	Political Scientists examine the government, from a structural and theoretical level, and attempt to seek out solutions to a range of political issues and problems. Political Scientists evaluate all aspects of government when seeking solutions, including public opinion, public policy, and government ideology.	6,08,786
Policy Analysts	Policy Analysts research issues which affect the public, and recommend legislation and governmental intervention to address such problems. Knowledge of Sociology helps such Analysts assess the impact of legislation on social problems and various populations.	2,51,118
Management Consultants	Management Consultants analyse business issues, research possible remedies or enhancements, and present solutions to clients. Armed with adequate problem-solving skills, Management Consultants help generate viable solutions to sociological issues. They possess effective writing and public speaking skills, for making reports and presenting analyses and solutions to clients.	1,006,667
Social Workers	Social Workers make referrals to appropriate community agencies to leverage resources on behalf of individuals and families. They possess active listening and verbal communication skills for assessing problems and advising clients about ways to improve their lives.	2,52,692
Survey Researchers/ Pollsters	Survey Researchers/ Pollsters write and present reports to share their findings with clients. Survey Researchers tap knowledge of groups and sub-cultures as they assess the opinions of targeted demographics.	3,51,516
Human Resources (HR) Representatives	Human Resources (HR) Representatives typically possess finesse in people and interact effectively with a broad range of individuals and groups. They tap assessment skills to evaluate personnel initiatives and programs. HR Representatives use analytical and decision-making skills to evaluate alternative structures for employee benefits.	6,13,085
Public Relations Specialists	Public Relations Specialists are ideally the ultimate communicators. They possess effective writing skills for crafting highly impactive press releases.	4,84,604
Guidance Counselors	Guidance Counselors tap knowledge of Sociology in helping students successfully navigate the academic world. They work with families to devise strategies to support the achievement of their students. Guidance Counselors utilize interview and counseling techniques to help students uncover personally meaningful academic and career choices. Guidance Counselors employ problem-solving skills to mediate conflicts and resolve social problems within schools. They facilitate group sessions and instruct students about social issues such as bullying, substance abuse, and safe sex.	2,94,741

Aspirants seeking admission to 3-year Full-time Ph.D. program should have passed Master’s Degree in the relevant stream or its equivalent from a recognized university. Admissions will be made on the basis of the rank obtained by the Candidate in the Entrance Test conducted by the University.