Sociology - BA

Sociology is an empowering discipline, giving its students useful intellectual tools for their personal as well as public lives. Sociology majors will graduate with valuable skills in three important areas: communication (especially written), data collection and analysis, and an understanding of social and organizational structure.

A sociology major prepares students for a variety of careers, in the non-profit sector, criminal justice, government service, demography, law, human services, urban planning, public health, and many other areas. Many students continue their education in graduate school or in law or other professions. Recent sociology majors have pursued careers as: college professor, director of information and technology, legal assistant specializing in immigration law, freelance website writer and community project coordinator, and juvenile correctional worker. If students are interested in teaching sociology in the secondary schools, they may pursue a social studies major.

Students are encouraged to investigate career possibilities through internships. Many sociology majors complete an off-campus internship as part of their course work. Internship sites vary greatly. Recent students have interned with Sarah's: An Oasis for Women, the Minnesota AIDS Project, Jane Addams School Neighborhood House, Emerge, Chrysalis, Hennepin County Juvenile Center, the Minnesota House of Representatives, and  the City of St. Paul. Many students interested in pursuing a career in law intern in law offices as undergraduates.

This major is offered in the College for Women.

Curriculum

The sociology major consists of eight courses (32 credits)

NOTE: Students who transfer sociology courses worth fewer than four credits may need to take more than eight sociology courses to reach the 32 credit minimum.

Departmental Honors

The Sociology Department extends departmental honors to those graduating majors who earn a 3.67 grade point average in sociology courses.

Membership in Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honor society, is offered to students who meet the following criteria (extracted from the AKD Handbook , Article III, Section 3):

1. Must be an officially declared sociology major or demonstrate a serious interest in sociology within an official program of the host institution.
2. Must be at least a junior (third year) by standards of the host institution.
3. Must have accumulated the equivalent of an overall GPA of 3.0 (by a four point scale where: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0) and rank in the top 35% of their class in general scholarship
4. Must have maintained the equivalent of a 3.0 GPA in sociology courses taken at the host institution prior to initiation.
5. Must have completed at least four regular courses in sociology prior to initiation (exclusive of extension or courses graded pass/fail).

Sociology majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing SOCI 3700W Sociology in Action: Understanding Social Worlds. They complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with two other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000W The Reflective Woman and CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice).

NOTE: Students who transfer sociology courses worth fewer than four credits may need to take more than eight sociology courses to reach the 32 credit minimum.