
The sociology major is designed to provide students with the knowledge and experience needed to navigate the many social worlds of peers, family, work and other cultural and institutional settings. Through course work, service learning and opportunities for research and internships, students gain the understanding of and ability to analyze human behavior and contemporary social issues and to evaluate and interpret research findings.
A major in sociology prepares students for professions such as those in human resources, social services, student services, management, marketing, higher education, among others. The sociology major also prepares students well for graduate study in sociology or other social sciences.
Prerequisites: The department recommends SOCI 1001 Principles of Sociology as the beginning course in Sociology. Most upper-division courses have a recommended prerequisite of SOCI 1001 Principles of Sociology. This means that the instructor will teach the course as if all students enrolled have completed satisfactory work in the prerequisite. Students who have not taken SOCI 1001 Principles of Sociology may enroll in most upper-division courses, but they should be prepared to take full responsibility for independently obtaining an adequate background should they or the instructor feel that it is necessary.
Edit "Major: Sociology"

Major in Sociology
The major in sociology consists of a total of ten courses (30 credit hours): five required courses (15 credit hours) and five elective courses (15 credit hours) as listed below.
Required Courses: | ||
SOCI 1001 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 2060 | Social Statistics | 3 |
SOCI 3000 | Sociological Theory | 3 |
Methods Course: | ||
SOCI 3050 | Methods of Social Research | 3 |
or CRLS 3050 | Methods of Criminological Research | |
Capstone Seminar: | ||
SOCI 4997 | Capstone Seminar in Sociology | 3 |
* Elective Courses: Choose five SOCI courses, three of which must be upper-division. | 15 | |
Up to two of the following courses may be counted as electives. | ||
Anthropology Course: | ||
Cultural Anthropology | ||
Criminology and Law Studies Courses: | ||
Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice | ||
Criminological Theory | ||
Women, Crime, and Criminal Justice | ||
Race, Crime and Punishment | ||
Family Violence and Public Intervention | ||
Social Welfare and Justice Courses: | ||
Immigrants and their Communities | ||
Human Behavior in the Social Environment | ||
Arab and Muslim Americans | ||
Faith-based Activism | ||
Total Credit Hours | 30 |
* Electives: Students must choose five courses, three of which must be upper-division (3000 or above). These courses may be chosen from Sociology (SOCI) or up to two courses from the ANTH, CRLS, or SOWJ courses listed above. If the student chooses CRLS 3050 Methods of Criminological Research to fulfill the Methods Course Requirement, then four out of the five elective courses must be in Sociology.
Notes:
- An elementary course in statistics from another department may substitute for SOCI 2060 Social Statistics with the approval of the department chair, but 30 credit hours in Sociology will still be required.
- SOCI 2060 Social Statistics may be used simultaneously to satisfy the sociology requirement and to contribute toward the six credit hour College of Arts and Sciences requirement for mathematics-logic-computer science.
- SOCI 4997 Capstone Seminar in Sociology will ordinarily be taken in the final year of the major after 21 credit hours in Sociology have been earned.
- Students wishing to complete double majors in SOCI and ANTH, CRLS or SOWJ must complete the requirements for both majors. Two courses that are accepted by both majors (see the list of approved courses within each major's bulletin entry) may double count for both majors, for a total of 54 credit hours.


Minor in Sociology
Eighteen credit hours, including SOCI 1001 Principles of Sociology and either SOCI 3000 Sociological Theory or SOCI 3050 Methods of Social Research (preferably both). The remaining four elective courses (12 credit hours) may be chosen from among all courses designated as SOCI, as well as one of the approved non-SOCI courses listed below.
Required Courses: | ||
SOCI 1001 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 3000 | Sociological Theory | 3 |
or SOCI 3050 | Methods of Social Research | |
Elective Courses: Choose four courses from SOCI | 12 | |
One of the following courses will also count as elective: | ||
Anthropology Course: | ||
Cultural Anthropology | ||
Criminology and Law Studies Courses: | ||
Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice | ||
Criminological Theory | ||
Methods of Criminological Research | ||
Women, Crime, and Criminal Justice | ||
Race, Crime and Punishment | ||
Family Violence and Public Intervention | ||
Social Welfare and Justice Courses: | ||
Immigrants and their Communities | ||
Human Behavior in the Social Environment | ||
Arab and Muslim Americans | ||
Faith-based Activism | ||
Total Credit Hours | 18 |
Department of Public Instruction Certification - Sociology Minor
College of Education students pursuing Department of Public Instruction certification, must complete six courses (18 credit hours), including three required courses (9 credit hours) and three elective courses (9 credit hours) in sociology, as listed below.
Required Courses: | ||
SOCI 1001 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 3000 | Sociological Theory | 3 |
SOCI 3050 | Methods of Social Research | 3 |
Elective Courses: Choose three SOCI courses | 9 | |
Total Credit Hours | 18 |

Department of Public Instruction Certification - Sociology Minor
College of Education students pursuing Department of Public Instruction certification, must complete six courses (18 credit hours), including three required courses (9 credit hours) and three elective courses (9 credit hours) in sociology, as listed below.
Required Courses: | ||
SOCI 1001 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 3000 | Sociological Theory | 3 |
SOCI 3050 | Methods of Social Research | 3 |
Elective Courses: Choose three SOCI courses | 9 | |
Total Credit Hours | 18 |