How our program prepares you for the field

The Department of Sociology is ranked among the nation's leaders in the study of family and the life course, and its strong commitment to teaching is indicated by its receipt of the University-wide Award for Outstanding Departmental Teaching.

The department emphasizes research and teaching in the sociology of health, social inequality (especially race, ethnicity, class, and gender), and crime and deviant behavior.

Students often work with faculty members on research projects, which often leads to presentations of findings at professional association meetings and publication in sociology journals.

The department maintains a Resource Center for research and writing and an extensive library of sociology books, journals, and videos.

The Bureau of Sociological Research provides a setting in which students can get hands-on experience in questionnaire construction, interviewing, and data analysis techniques. Many students have used data collected by NASIS for their own research projects.

Complete 30 semester hours for the major Take the introductory course (Sociology 101: Introduction to Sociology), a two-semester methods sequence (Sociology 205 and 206: Introduction to Social Research I and II), and a theory course (Sociology 355: Theory and Intensive Writing). Apply classroom knowledge to real-world settings through a significant hands-on research experience: taking the two-semester sequence Sociology 310A-310B (Doing Sociology: Community-based Research), taking the Senior Seminar (Sociology 495), writing an Honors Thesis, or working with researchers.

Sociology faculty are leaders in teaching, research, and service to the community.

Meet with others and learn more about the field

The Undergraduate Sociology Association sponsors speakers from government agencies, private employers, other universities, and the community. Speakers' topics in the recent past have included career opportunities, job interviewing techniques, internships, and applying to graduate school.