Sociology is the science of society, social institutions and social relationships. Sociologists study how people live, work and play using this information to create and inform social policy.

A Bachelor’s degree in Sociology prepares graduates for employment in diverse fields, especially careers requiring work with people. Current graduates are employed in social services, community work, criminal justice, business, health services, publishing, public relations and government agencies. With appropriate teacher certification, a Sociology graduate can also teach in high school.

An undergraduate degree in Sociology provides a solid liberal arts base for admission to law school or graduate programs in counseling, social work and other related programs. Of course, some students have gone to graduate school, earned a Ph.D. and become professional sociologists. 

1. Sufficient familiarity with the methods and techniques of social research to be able to apply them in a concrete setting and also to evaluate their use by other social scientists.
2. Recognition of the practical and ethical issues involved with the scientific study of social phenomena.
3. Knowledge of the different sociological theories and the ability to use theory to conceptualize a problem and select and organize relevant social facts.
4. Awareness of the historical record of Sociology’s development and efforts to understand society scientifically.
5. Expose students to the practice of public sociology and engage them with the community so they can see how sociological issues are manifested in real life, and bring sociological insights into the community to improve it.
6. Ability to express and communicate sociological knowledge to others.
7. Recognition of how Sociology can inform analysis of social policy and is applied in the academic, public, and private sectors.

To graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology, students must complete the University's General Education requirements, the Sociology major program, a minor in a related field (Criminology, Political Science, History, Gender Studies, Business, Psychology, or another field of the student’s choosing aselected after consultation with an academic advisor), and have earned at least 125 total credit hours.

The following courses are required for the Sociology major.

 

Required Core Courses (16 credits)

 

• SOC 150: Introduction to Society
• SOC 301: Research Methodology
• SOC 302: Statistics for Social Research
• SOC 303: Quantitative Methods Lab
• SOC 325: Introduction to Sociological Theory
• SOC 398: Public Sociology and Community Studies

Complete One of the Following Cultural Competence Courses (3 credits)

• SOC 336: Race and Ethnicity
• SOC 337: Sociology of Gender
• SOC 420: Social Inequality

Complete One of the Following Community Engagement Courses (1 - 3 credits)

• SOC 152: Social Problems in the Community
• SOC 300: Service Learning
• SOC 319: Environmental Sociology
• SOC 320: Political Sociology

Additional Electives in Sociology (to bring total credits in the major to 37)

Current additional Sociology elective offerings include:

• Social Movements
• Work and Society
• Social Deviance
• The Family
• Urban Sociology
• Delinquency and the Juvenile Justice System
• Feminist Theories
• Race and Ethnic Group Relations
• Medical Sociology
• Sociology of Law
• Religion in Society
• Social Inequality
• Aging in Society

It also is possible to major in another area and minor in Sociology.  The Sociology minor requires 18 credit hours as follows:

• SOC 150: Introduction to Society
• SOC 301: Research Methodology
• SOC 325: Introduction to Sociological Theory
• Nine additional elective hours in Sociology

Each sociologist in our program has a Ph.D. in the discipline. The department faculty brings a wide range of academic experience and interests, and strives to offer progressive, innovative, and stimulating courses. All faculty engage in research, including community-based research, activities involving publishing in academic sources and presenting papers to community groups and at professional conferences. To learn more about the Sociology faculty, visit our department website.

Sociology courses are taught in Strong Hall, a state-of-the-art classroom building. Strong Hall contains high-tech classrooms bringing numerous computer-assisted techniques into the learning environment.

Students majoring in Sociology may become eligible for membership in Alpha Kappa Delta, a national honor society for undergraduate Sociology students. To be eligible, a student must be a declared Sociology major, in junior standing, have earned at least a 3.0 GPA in Sociology courses, and have completed 12 credit hours in Sociology courses. New members are initiated at the end of each Spring Semester. Membership in Alpha Kappa Delta creates opportunities for academic scholarships and career enhancement.