Sociology career paths

As a Sociology major, you will have a wide range of career choices because you will develop many skills employers find desirable, including a deep knowledge of our society's most pressing problems, and problem-solving skills that help you address them; skills in gathering, analyzing and reporting data; improved written and oral communication skills; an appreciation for people from diverse backgrounds; the ability to work both independently and in teams; and computer skills, including information retrieval from government and other sources, as well as familiarity with data analysis software programs. In addition, we offer six different optional advising paths which match your interests to particular courses to help you gain the appropriate knowledge, skills, and marketability for the career you seek. As a Sociology major, it is not required that you follow one of these paths, but doing so will give a practical coherence to your studies that will position you well in the job market. Whether you choose to follow one of the career paths below or not, we strongly recommend that you meet with your advisor in the major to help you plan your progress through the major.

For each path, suggestions are made for a complementary theme and minor. Note that taking a minor is not required, and that a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology alone is usually sufficient for starting a career in your desired field. If you wish to take a minor, the minors suggested below will complement your sociology coursework well and further round out your preparation for your chosen career path.

The following links list all of the courses that are directly relevant to your chosen career path. You should choose from among the courses listed for your career path-you do not need to take all of the listed classes. The listed classes are suggestions only-you also do not have to follow each path exactly.

For those using the 07-09 catalog choose

• 2 courses from the list of core courses
• 1 course from the list of institutions courses
• 4 electives (at least two must be upper-division)

For those using a catalog prior to 07-09 choose:

• 3 courses from the list of core courses
• No institutions course is required