Department of Sociology
Careers in Sociology
Many public or nonprofit agencies, governmental bureaus, and community programs hire applied sociologists, as do organizations that need people with skills in sociological methodology and social statistics.
Often, sociology serves as a pre-professional background. Sociology is similar to other liberal arts degrees, such as philosophy and history, insofar as the skills you acquire are "transferrable" to many fields. People with bachelors degrees in history do not become historians, nor do sociology bachelors become sociologists without graduate training. However, our students go into a variety of fields because a liberal arts degree equips students to do research, write and read critically and analytically so they can be trained for any kind of work.
Our students mostly work in human service agencies, but also go on to Masters in social work programs, law school, etc. One former student started her own business drawing upon her sociology courses in gerontology. Another former student became an investment advisor. Sociology majors generally leave with excellent people skills and presentation skills, which prepares them for any field of work.
Why study Sociology? (PDF)
What Research Skills Do Sociology Undergraduates Take into the Labor Market? (PDF) by William Erskine and Roberta Spalter-Roth
What are they Doing with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology? (PDF) An ASA Research Brief by Roberta Spalter-Roth and Nicole Van Vooren, January 2008
Last modified April 04 2010 05:28 AM