Sociology
Exploring the Human Experience
Please Note: Following the 2024-25 academic year, the College will no longer offer Sociology as a major or a minor.
Our students explore how humans interact, create change, and coexist in social structures as well as addressing social programs and the ongoing reform to the criminal justice system. Graduates will gain a strong ability to conduct research, analyze information, and think critically about topics like relationship building and community interactions.
What Can I Do With a Degree in Sociology?
After completing our Sociology degree, students will be ready to enter a variety of careers in several industries. Students frequently explore careers case managers, policy analysts, survey researchers, or statisticians. Students preparing for graduate studies in social work, education, public policy, public health and international affairs all can benefit from a degree in Sociology.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Gain Experience
Sociology students have access to opportunities to gain experience in areas such as public opinion research, demographic research, and marketing research. Students conduct research on major social issues and problems using data collected by organizations such as Gallup Poll, the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, the National Opinion Research Center, the U.S. Department of Justice, among others.
Research What Interests You
Upper-class students may take an Independent Studies in Sociology to pursue independent research or explore areas of interest not included in the regular offerings of the department. Students may also analyze primary data collected through their own research projects. Each spring, students present their findings at the Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Social Research Conference. Students with high-quality papers may present them at professional conferences and publish them in professional journals.
Explore Relevant Internships
We prepare our graduates for leadership and service in a complex society. Students learn both conceptual and applied approaches from these disciplines so that they are prepared for a broad variety of career opportunities. As part of the applied approach, the department requires students to complete an internship during their senior year that provides them with practical experience in some aspect of their major discipline and enables them to apply its theory, principles, and methods in a professional context.