Undergraduate Program

The university's program in sociology provides opportunities for students to investigate critical questions about the workings of their social world - from the environments of the individual and the family, through the organization of schools, work places and churches, to the ways in which nations of the world wage or avoid waging war. Students major in this study of social institutions and social processes for a variety of reasons and anticipate diverse career possibilities, especially those which require computer assisted data analysis. The undergraduate program in sociology is designed to allow maximum flexibility in selecting an integrated program of 12 courses that serves the student's needs and interests. Students are encouraged to plan their programs with an adviser.

As examples of individual academic programs leading to possible careers for a sociology major, the Department of Sociology curriculum is organized along three tracks or principal fields: (1) Crime, Justice and Pre-law; (2) Global and Comparative Processes; and (3) Public Policy Analysis.  Students not interested in any of these three concentrations can major in General Sociology by passing the core requirements and taking courses from any of the tracks to fulfill the necessary number of credits for the major. Students who plan a career in law or politics might major in sociology; taking, in addition to the core courses, courses in political sociology, the sociology of work and occupations or crime and delinquency. Courses in economics and politics could also be integrated into this program. Students anticipating work in community services, such as teaching, social service or probation and parole, would choose courses such as those in marriage and the family, childhood and adolescent socialization, minority relations and social psychology.

A major in sociology provides good background for some business careers, such as management, personnel work or customer relations; business-oriented students would elect courses such as those in formal organization, the sociology of work and occupations and inter-group relations. For the sociology major, there are also occupational possibilities in public and private agencies, organizations or industries that do social research; students interested in research and analysis would augment their program with courses in statistics, computers and advanced research methods. Internships for credit are also available to students.

A major in sociology must take 12 SOC courses, eight of them specifically required. See Suggested Sequence of courses at the left of this page.

To be accepted as a major, a student must have a 2.0 GPA overall and a 3.0 GPA in sociology courses. Special exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.