Seeking an online Masters in Sociology or American studies.

Must be accredited and related to a brick and mortar school with a good rep.

Any ideas?

 

New Mexico State University MA in Sociology
Sam Houston State University MA in Sociology
Arizona State University Master of Advanced Study in American Media and Popular Culture

Let me add these interdisciplinary degrees into the mix:
Skidmore College Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (short residency)
Syracuse University Master of Social Science (short residency)
Ohio University Master of Social Science
Baker University Master of Liberal Arts
Texas Christian University Master of Liberal Arts (some relevant online courses)

Every regular reading this is thinking of Western New Mexico University MA in Interdisciplinary Studies, California State University, Dominguez Hills MA in Humanities, and Fort Hays State University Master of Liberal Studies, but their available concentrations and coursework might be a bit too removed from what you're looking for. But maybe you could make one of them work.

Good luck!

 

Thank you! My own research only turned up the Arizona State, and I am not terribly interested in the Pop Culture emphasis.

I'm not at all opposed to a short residency.

With a self designed or MALS degree, in your estimation does that limit the possibility of being hired as an adjunct professor? That is my short term goal.

 

Having the discipline in which you'd be applying to teach in your graduate degree title, and in your transcripted graduate course codes, would be one of a number of factors in the thing. Would not having either reduce your marketability as an adjunct? Looking at the whole academic job market, probably, by a factor of more than zero. Not necessarily prohibitively. The weight these carry will vary by school and department.

 

And, with that in mind, and the schools that you have recommended; which would you recommend?

 

Hello, Afterhours,

I thought I'd chime in with my 2 cents of limited knowledge to see if I can help you in some way.

Firstly, it is going to be all but impossible to secure an adjunct teaching position in Sociology with a master's degree. The thing about the social sciences/liberal arts is that so many people went into them with the intention of working in academia, that the vast majority have finished PhD degrees and will most likely beat you to the punch for jobs based on their credentials. This will absolutely be the case at universities. If you happen to know someone (this is an absolute MUST as they are shamelessly known for nepotism) at a community college or for-profit school, they may be willing to hire you with a master's since 1. someone knows you and 2. you're cheaper to pay than a PhD... but don't count on it. Unless you're paying cash or your employer is paying your way, accruing that kind of debt just to make a little side income makes no sense. Take it from me; I learned the hard way. I have a master's in a somewhat related subject. I earned it with the intention of teaching and 2 years later, I still have seen no teaching opportunities for someone with a master's in my field.

Unfortunately, many of us had this same idea - to become adjunct instructors (not professors - professors have PhDs, long histories of research/publishing experience and have proven themselves through the refiner's fire of the tenure track). I am not saying that it isn't somehow possible or couldn't be rewarding in some way if you ever did receive a job offer, but I am saying that I was hugely disenchanted after realizing what everything was all about. One of my greatest disappointments in education has been the whole "canned curriculum" disaster where schools have paid other people to design courses, then have hired contract workers (ahem, adjuncts) to come in and sit as warm bodies and grade papers for classes that they did not design. The school considers them "experts" in their fields, yet they do not have the latitude or the respect from the institution to teach their classes as they see fit or, heaven forbid, choose the textbooks from which students learn their material (by the way, many CCs actually have contracts with book publishers which is why this is the case). Sure, major universities do not operate this way but more and more are picking up on this efficient, McDonaldization of education model and it bothers me.

Still, if I could find adjunct work, I'd be happy to do it even though it is not what I thought it would be - who wouldn't enjoy working from home? I am in a position where I'm in so deep that I cannot decide if I should just cut my losses at this point (since I am not likely going to find a teaching job in my field with only an MA) or just finish ripping off the figurative band-aid and finish through to the PhD. Then again, unless I know someone of influence at a university, the PhD would mean little in an already saturated academic discipline.

Good luck to you. I would suggest, however, that if you are earning a master's degree in the social sciences for the sole purpose of teaching, that you reconsider. You are going to have a very difficult time finding a position with only an MA and even if you do, the work is low-paying (oftentimes less than minimum wage), unreliable (contracts are renewed from semester to semester) and probably would not justify the kind of debt you'll end up with trying to achieve the credential.

I hope this helped in some way. I just wish that someone would have told me this 4 years ago before I added another $30k in loans to my debt burden.

 

Really wonderful post! So informative. I know it's a long shot, but currently I don't live on the coasts. There are many instructors with master's degrees here in flyover country. And not only at community colleges.

Part of my purpose is not job related at all. I love the subject mater and I'm one of those people who still value education for the sake of learning.

So while it might be at odds with conventional wisdom, I am giving it a shot.

 

I hear you - I definitely still value education for education's sake. My master's thesis covered higher education and the unfortunate way in which it is becoming less about the expansion of human knowledge and more about paying for a ticket (diploma) in order to enter the workforce. I personally view this perspective with disdain. In my opinion, if you're going to school to acquire a skill for a job, you belong in a technical/vocational school. I am traditional and believe that it is not a university's job to train you for a career... but in this day and age, many would argue with me. I studied this subject extensively throughout my program. I, too, love to learn and while knowledge is technically priceless, I'm just saying that at some point, when you get on the other end and it's time to pay the piper, sometimes you wish that you would have just raided your public library instead of mortgaging your future...

I do realize that a formal education is still more thorough than 100% self-directed learning and that is mostly because in self-directed learning, we may not learn everything we should about a subject, just what we enjoy (for example, we may be tempted to skip over the research methods/statistics portion of Sociology if we aren't forced to learn it for our degrees).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your program. I just wanted to give you my two cents so that you could go into this fully informed. I do not regret my master's program - I learned a great deal and even if I never work a day in the field, the benefits are intangible... but boy, it came at a price...

 

I know I'm rather late in my reply, however; your posts are informative and interesting, and I have more questions!

There is a community college here that will consider using adjunct instructors who only hold bachelors degrees in their fields! Since I am originally from an East Coast suburb, this is unheard of. But it does exist.

The issue here at several of these colleges, is that they require 2-3 years of experience. But a BA is OK.

Confusing, am I correct? How do I get 2-3 years of experience?

That's my question. I've heard propriety schools might be an answer.

Do I just send a massive amount of resumes to these schools?

Honestly, I do not care how much money I do or do not make. I am married and I have another source of income. I have been wanting to teach at the college level for, oh; about 20 years.

I know that people do this. But HOW?

 

There are a lot of openings for criminal justice. Get a degree in criminology which is really just a sub-field of sociology. Problem solved.

 

Auburn University Montgomery Auburn Montgomery offers an online MLA in Sociology.

 

I'm almost certain that Salford University Home | University of Salford, Manchester offered an online MA in Sociology, but I cannot seem to find it on their website anymore.

 

University of Alabama at Birmingham MA in Sociology

 

Arizona State University MA in Sociology

 

For people who have a masters in another subject, there is also Appalachian State University, which offers a certificate in Sociology.

Ft. Hayes State University offers several certificate programs.