During the first two-and-a-half years of the program, doctoral students receive training in sociological theory and a range of research methods through required coursework and through faculty mentorship and collaboration. Students are expected to take additional elective courses in multiple substantive areas of the discipline. Through the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium (IUDC), students may also enroll in courses at NYU, Princeton University, and other consortium member schools.
In addition to coursework requirements, Columbia's program involves a series of task-based requirements that the department has deemed essential for students' professional development. The tasks (which include presenting original research at a professional conference, submitting a research article to a scholarly journal, and others) are meant to facilitate students' specialization in a substantive area of the discipline and to train students in the practical work of being a sociologist.
Doctoral students are expected to participate in the department's numerous workshops and seminars, and are encouraged to affiliate with the department's associated labs, centers, and institutes, including the Justice Lab, the Trust Collaboratory, the Labor Lab, the Center for the Study of Wealth and Inequality, the Data and Racial Inequality Project, the Center on Organizational Innovation, and others.
The typical trajectory through the Ph.D. program includes the awarding of the M.A. degree (usually after the second year) and M.Phil. degree (usually after the third year). On average, students receive the Ph.D. in six years.