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    Sociology

    • The Department of Sociology builds on its historical connections to European social science and further develops the ideas and thinking for today's world. Develop a uniquely insightful approach to the investigation of social life alongside faculty and students who conduct research and critical inquiry that engages with academic communities around the globe.

      The Department of Sociology emphasizes theoretically-informed ethnographic, historical, and interpretive inquiry into the significant social issues of our times in local, national, and transnational contexts. The department is a vibrant hub of scholarship and intellectual life for students, faculty, and visitors from many countries.

      Core areas of research in the department reflect the interests and research of our renowned faculty: social inequalities; culture and politics; law, rights, and citizenship; historical and comparative sociology; cities and publics; media and communication; and political participation in the Global South.

      Through the department's activities, our goal is to help students better understand the major transformations in modern and postmodern societies and to prepare them for the normative or analytical challenges these transformations continually pose.

      Students pursuing a degree in Sociology take part in the intellectual life of NSSR's many centers, including the Robert L. Heilbroner Center for Capitalism Studies, and the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility. Students contribute to our online publication, Public Seminar, and engage with New York City's peerless array of scholarly and cultural institutions.

      Our alumni pursue doctoral study at The New School for Social Research and other top universities or put their training to use successfully in a wide range of non-academic careers.

      Sociology Degrees

      The Department of Sociology offers master's and doctoral degrees in Sociology. At the PhD level, a minor field in Historical Studies is offered in association with the Committee on Historical Studies.

      Featured Courses

      Our courses offer a scholarly approach to understanding how societies work, why societies change, and where societies will go next. These courses cover the theory behind societal transformation through advanced academic inquiry, spirited debate, rigorous research, and critical thinking. Graduate students must take four core courses in Classical Social Theory, Contemporary Social Theory, Historical Sociology, and Logic of Inquiry, and can choose from a range of electives from across the school.

      Explore the courses

  • Scholars and Work

    Look closer at our work that’s reshaping and rethinking modern societies:

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    Meet Julia Sonnevend, Assistant Professor of Sociology

     Learn more about research
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    Gregory Snyder, Sociology PhD '94, is a professor at Baruch College, where he researches the study of subcultures

     Graduating student outcomes

  • Take The Next Step

Submit your application

Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.