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Sociology
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Sociology is the study of the many groups that humans form: families, communities, and states, as well as a variety of social, religious, political, business, and other organizations. Sociology studies the behavior and interaction of these groups, their origin and growth, and the influences of group activities on individual members.
The Department of Sociology offers both the bachelor of arts and the bachelor of science degrees. The bachelor of arts is the more general degree, while the bachelor of science requires higher-level skills in mathematics and statistics. Students anticipating graduate school or a research career should seriously consider the bachelor of science option.
Sociology majors pursuing the bachelor of arts or the bachelor of science degree may also choose to complete a concentration in law, crime, and society. This sequence of courses is designed for students who are interested in careers in law school, the criminal justice system, or graduate school. Students who complete the required courses for the sociology major and an additional sequence of courses in criminal justice will receive a law, crime, and society certificate.
The Department of Sociology offers a minor for students in other academic majors.
RELATED EXPERIENCES
Undergraduates are encouraged to apply to work as teaching or research assistants with sociology faculty members and to be involved with the Sociology Club. Outstanding students may be eligible to participate in the sociology honors program. Internships and education abroad experiences are strongly encouraged for both bachelor of arts and bachelor of science students.
CAREER DIRECTIONS
Sociology graduates who do not go on to graduate work are highly competitive with other liberal arts majors for jobs in government (local, state, and federal), the private sector (business and industry), educational and health settings, and social and community services. Sociology majors with training in social statistics may be employed as statisticians or researchers. Some occupations in which sociology graduates are employed include: advertising representative, caseworker, child care worker, counselor, fund raiser, human resources representative, labor relations specialist, management trainee (banking, finance, retail, etc.), paralegal, probation officer, public administrator, public relations specialist, and sales representative.