classroom full of students working in groups with a group of three talking in the foreground

Sociology and Criminology

  • February 15th (to be considered for financial support)
  • May 1st: Preferred fall semester deadline
  • November 15th: Preferred spring semester deadline*

*Out-of-Cycle Terms: Other terms may be available based on program capacity. It is recommended that applicants first contact the program director to confirm space availability before applying. Complete applications submitted for Out-of-Cycle Terms will be reviewed on a space-available basis.

Application Procedures

If you are interested in applying to our graduate program, please complete the online application found on the . 

As part of the application process, you will also be asked to submit the following items.  You will submit items 1-3 through the online application. Items 4-5 can be completed subsequent to submitting the online application.

  1. Statement of purpose. This should be a typed statement of approximately 750 words (maximum of 2 pages) explaining your educational goals and why you wish to pursue them at the 猎奇重口.
  2. Writing sample. This should be a sample of your academic writing, such as a term paper or a professional article, that exemplifies good grammar, sentence structure, organization and content.
  3. Email addresses for three references. You will need to provide email addresses for three individuals who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you. Once you have submitted the email addresses through the online application, the Graduate School will provide your recommenders with instructions to submit their letters. Letters of recommendation should speak to your ability to complete a Master's Degree, so you should ask people to recommend you who can comment on your academic work and scholarly potential.
  4. Undergraduate Transcripts. Official transcripts should be sent directly to the Graduate School. We also accept transcripts electronically through the , parchment or e-script. Be sure to list the email for the Graduate School as grad.school@umontana.edu.

Admission Criteria

To be admitted to the graduate program, you must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and meet the following criteria:

  1. A minimum grade point average of 3.3 during the last two years of undergraduate work

  2. Academic transcripts and reference letters that establish your readiness for graduate-level coursework

  3. A writing sample that demonstrates your potential for success in graduate school

Occasionally, students with little or no undergraduate coursework in Sociology or Criminology are admitted provisionally and expected to take additional undergraduate courses. For example, an applicant who lacks training in research methods or statistics might be expected to take undergraduate research methods and/or statistics course(s) before enrolling in a graduate-level methodology class. Similarly, an applicant who lacks training in sociological or criminological theory might be expected to take an undergraduate theory course before enrolling in a graduate-level Sociology or Criminology class. Upon successful completion of provisional coursework, the provisional status will drop off. Provisional admission does not preclude an applicant from being awarded a teaching assistantship.

If you do not meet the requirements for admission, you may take courses as a graduate nondegree student. Should you be accepted at a later date, you may apply one semester's credits to the Master's degree. Please be aware that non-degree students are not eligible for financial aid.