Sociology/International & Development Economics (4+1), BS/MS

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This program provides Sociology students an opportunity to develop strong skills in quantitative analysis of social phenomena, with a focus on the challenges faced by people of the Global South. This skill set opens doors to international careers involved in developing and evaluating social policies, both in the public and private sectors. Other students may choose to apply this same skill set to the analysis of social problems closer to home in the United States, working in think tanks, policy analysis consultancies, or other nonprofits.

Admission

Students may join the 4+1 program if they fulfill the following requirements:

Sophomore standing
Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
Major GPA of 3.0 or higher
Complete MATH, either ECON 110 or ECON 111, ECON 311, and either ECON 120, MATH 101, Math 103, or SOC 319, all with a grade of B or higher.

Required Undergraduate Courses (16 units)

Students complete 16 units of the following coursework:

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will:

Analyze critically major social practices, structures, and inequalities
Discuss and differentiate major sociological theories, frameworks and traditions
Formulate, conduct, and communicate independent social research
Connect sociological analysis to practical social action
Understand the application of modern micro and macroeconomic theory to the key problems of economic development, trade and finance, including the analysis of market failures, poverty traps, the structure of incentives, the use of game theory to model institutional behavior, and open economy models of trade, migration, foreign direct investment, financial markets, and exchange rate determination
Design and carry out a fieldwork-based research project, including formation of an original research question, planning of an effective methodology, development of field protocols/survey instruments, and data collection in a developing or transition country
Conduct original quantitative empirical analysis of an international or development economics problem. Specifically, students should be able to express an economic theory in terms of an observable model; determine the appropriate estimation method for the empirical model; utilize statistical software to conduct such estimation; and meaningfully interpret the results
Effectively communicate research finding both in writing and orally, including compilation of a professional literature review, clear presentation of theoretical and empirical models, econometric analysis, and the relevance of the study’s principal findings and implications for international and/or economic development theory and policy

Sociology Major Requirements (44 units)

Sociology Required Courses (20 units)

Senior Thesis Workshop or Capstone Seminar (4 units)

Complete 4 units from the following:

Electives (20 units)

Major in Sociology with Concentration

To receive an optional concentration designation that will appear on university transcripts (e.g., Major: Sociology, with concentration in Education and Youth), students are required to take at least four courses (16 units) in one of the following clusters. If a student wishes, one of the courses could be a First Year Seminar (on a case-by-case basis) or a Directed Study (SOC 399), as long as the student’s project is relevant to her/his chosen concentration.

Please see the:

Double-counted courses

Up to 8 units of coursework can be double-counted both toward MS International and Development Economics (IDEC) program requirements and toward undergraduate degree requirements.

SOC 302 Global Inequalities/Social Justice (4 units) can count both toward the Sociology major and toward IDEC program requirements, if taken for a minimum grade of A-. This replaces 4 units chosen from ECON 670, 672, 663,673, or 676.
Up to 4 units of graduate-level coursework from the following list can be counted both toward IDEC program requirements and Sociology elective requirements

MS in International and Development Economics (4+1)

MS IDEC Major Required Courses (32 units)

All of these courses are required.

MS IDEC Electives (4 units)

Two courses from the following list:

Overseas Field Study Internship

This requirement is typically met during the summer before the student’s final semester in the program, and involves a 1-3 month period of field study in a developing country, with arrangements to be worked out between the student and supervising faculty. Universities in countries such as the Philippines, El Salvador, and others have partnered with USF for the field study program. In most cases, research data and interviews obtained during field study will be applied toward the master’s research project.

Master’s Research Project and Presentation

Students enroll in the graduate seminar during the latter part of their coursework where they receive guidance and supervision in completing their own research projects. Upon completion their research is presented to faculty members, with the student receiving one of the following grades: pass with honors, pass, pass conditional upon revision, or fail.