SOCIOLOGY, B.A. AND MINOR

This major and minor is available only to students who matriculated prior to the fall 2025 academic year.

The Sociology major has a choice of four concentrations: Criminal Justice; Family Studies/Social Work; Social Inequality and Social Justice; and Academic Sociology. Criminal Justice is the scientific study of the social phenomenon of crime. Through their studies, students become familiar with law enforcement theory and practice, correctional theory and practice, and criminal law. It prepares students for careers in law enforcement, corrections, and court services as well as graduate work (e.g. law school). The Family Studies/Social Work concentration is ideal for students seeking to pursue careers and graduate work in sociology or social work, social service agencies, public policy, community development, advocacy, education, local/state/federal government agencies, health services, (family) law, among other sectors. Students exploring “the family” as an emotional, economic, historical, and sociocultural institution.

Families hold great paradoxes. On one hand, they are a deeply mundane and ordinary part of the human experience; and on the other hand, families can contain incredible drama and pain, along with profound love. They both shape our individual lives and social world, and are fundamentally shaped by our society, history, laws, and existing inequalities. Social Inequality and Social Justice investigates how social structural factors, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social class and their intersections relate to power, social status, wealth, income, and criminal justice. Through their classes students gain knowledge about these issues but also skills that will guide students as they create a more just and fair world for all. This concentration is relevant for students interested in careers related to human or social services, nonprofit and community organizations, social advocacy, activism and social policy settings, and research and government agencies. In the Academic Sociology concentration students explore and analyze the functions and institutions of societies, which include but are not limited to social stratification, race, ethnicity, gender, the family, social psychology, and laws. These programs are housed in the Sociology and Anthropology Department.

Academic Programs

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Academic Programs