Doctoral program in Sociology

Program Description

The Doctoral Program in Sociology is a full-time, daytime, on-campus graduate training program that enables students to conduct research and teach at a higher level in universities and equivalent institutions. It is aimed at graduates or masters in Sociology or related disciplines, with academic excellence and a profound vocation for social research.

The studies leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology focus on acquiring in-depth knowledge and competencies to carry out original research or creation autonomously, achieving sufficient preparation to generate significant contributions to the development of the various areas of the discipline and its applications.

Years of Accreditation

• Six years, up to 17 Mayo 2029.

Program Objectives

General Objective:

To train academics with analytical and methodological competencies that will enable them to carry out university teaching and develop, autonomously, original and cutting-edge sociological research.

Specific Objectives:

To train researchers with advanced analytical and methodological skills capable of developing a sociological research agenda autonomously and contributing to the advancement of knowledge in both disciplines and related areas.

To train and enable students in teaching and university academic training at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

To promote the integration of students in national and international research networks through the transmission of academic, linguistic, and technical skills.

To provide a space for rigorous and empirically supported sociological reflection that generates specialized and helpful knowledge to understand better the social processes occurring today in Chile, Latin America, and other regions of the world.

Learning Outcomes

Following the general and specific objectives of the Program, the expected profile of its graduates includes the development of the following skills:

• Having the tools, discipline, and knowledge to develop advanced research in specialized areas of sociology autonomously.
• The critical and analytical capacity to replicate studies and research designs to document constant phenomena of social reality.
• The ability to conduct comparative research.
• The critical and analytical capacity to innovate and offer new answers, theories, and methodological tools to study society.
• The ability to adapt to new theoretical and methodological approaches. 
• Possess specialized knowledge and the necessary experience to teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• The ability to apply instruments and methodological designs that provide relevant information to guide public policies.

Analytical capacity and research experience allow them to integrate and collaborate in national, interdisciplinary, and international research networks. 

Therefore, graduates of the Program are able, based on rigorous sociological reflection, to understand the recurrence and change of social processes occurring in Chile and the rest of the world. Our graduates can work in academic or research jobs in universities in Chile and abroad and in research, innovation, and knowledge-intensive occupations such as research centers, NGOs, government, international organizations, and the private sector.