Majoring & Minoring: Sociology

Sociology Degree Requirements

Although it is a diverse field, sociology is united in:

• its acknowledgment that race, gender, and class deeply affect our perceptions and lived experiences,
• its focus on inter-group comparisons, and
• recognition of the sociological imagination as the foundation of the discipline.

The sociology major is designed to help students critically examine the link between our daily experiences and larger social structures. Though we specialize in social patterns and processes in the United States, we connect these issues to larger transnational phenomena.

Students seeking a major in Sociology will complete the requirements for a BA degree. The major in Sociology is built around a cumulative curriculum with courses at four different levels. 100-level courses are introductory, and serve as prerequisites for most of the courses at the 200-level or above. Courses at the 200-level include courses required of all sociology majors as well as courses which serve a broad audience of majors and non-majors. Courses at the 300 and 400-level are primarily for sociology majors and minors or other students with a particular interest in the discipline. In general, students should take at least two other courses in sociology and anthropology before taking 300 or 400-level courses.

In order to ensure that they gain skills in qualitative research, students are required to take a course which includes a qualitative research component, one of 34-233, 34-263, 34-313. Courses at the 900-level are designed for senior sociology majors, but others may enroll in these courses with the permission of the instructor. Skills are built at each level of the curriculum. Majors considering graduate school or careers in Social Work or Public Health are strongly encouraged to register for an Academic Internship.

Major in Sociology

For sample degree plans, click here.

Required Courses: 32 semester hours, including Anthropology 35-103; Sociology 34-113 or 123; 34-201/ 203 (to be taken in the sophomore or junior year), 213, 964 (Capstone, to be taken in the fall of the senior year); one from Sociology 34-233, 263, 313; 12 additional hours of Sociology, nine hours of which must be above the introductory level (eight of these hours may be in Anthropology).

Required supporting course in the Sociology major: Mathematics 52-113.

Additional requirements for the Sociology major: Successful completion of a senior oral examination during the last semester of study; completion of the Major Field Examination in Sociology sometime during the senior year.

Minor in Sociology

Required Courses: 18 semester hours, including Sociology 34-113 or 123; 15 additional semester hours of Sociology, 12 hours of which must be above the introductory level (four of these hours may be in Anthropology).