The State Board of Higher Education this month approved a new doctoral degree program in Sociology and Social Inequality at Portland State University, effective fall 2007. It will be the first Ph.D. of its type to be offered in the Pacific Northwest.

The Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Inequality is a program consistent with Portland State’s initiative in sustainability, where social sustainability is an important component, and especially of interest to Oregon’s healthcare professionals working in both research and service agencies. Housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the program draws on PSU’s Sociology faculty, whose expertise includes areas such as access to healthcare; new immigrants and barriers to their assimilation; neighborhood-level race relations; and educational attainment for specific populations, all of immediate relevance to the urban and regional environment of PSU and the nation as a whole.

“The Sociology Department's scholarly and research profile has grown remarkably over the last few years and we are well-poised to move to the next tier,” said Veronica Dujon, Sociology professor and department chair. “We have invested heavily in growing areas of national importance and we anticipate making significant contributions at both the state and national levels.”

The program is expected to attract new students interested in this field from surrounding states as well as throughout Oregon and the Western U.S., particularly healthcare professionals working in research and service agencies. The Portland area is home to a number of recognized research and medical treatment institutions such as Providence Health Systems and Oregon Health & Science University; a multi-ethnic urban population that does not have a dominant single minority; and an array of schools that educate students and provide services in complementary and alternative medicine.

“The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is very pleased to have PSU take a vital leadership position in Sociology, with its special emphasis on healthcare and on social inequality,” said Marvin Kaiser, dean of the College, which houses the Dept. of Sociology.

The new doctorate is a 106 credit hour program. The University anticipates that it will enroll five to eight students per year in the Ph.D. program.

Portland State University (PSU) serves as a center of opportunity for over 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Located in Portland, Oregon, one of the nation’s most livable cities, the University’s innovative approach to education combines academic rigor in the classroom with field-based experiences through internships and classroom projects with community partners. The University’s 47-acre downtown campus exhibits Portland State’s commitment to sustainability with green buildings, while many of the 120 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. PSU’s motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” inspires the teaching and research of an accomplished faculty whose work and students span the globe.

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