Sociology Degree Plan

Degree Options

  • Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Minors

  • Sociology
  • Workplace Diversity
  • At-Risk Youth

Certificate

  • Sustainable Organizational Leadership

Program Strengths

  • In sociology course work, students focus on developing analytic and writing skills, data analysis, and the ability to understand issues from different points of view.
  • Developing the sociological imagination so students understand their lives and other’s lives are affected not only by their personal psychology, but by their place in the social world.
  • Opportunities to investigate a range of issues from inequality to human ecology, from deviance to the family, from medicine to politics, and a wide variety of others. Few fields offer students opportunities of such breadth.
  • In today’s changing job market, the skills developed by sociology majors are important. Students focus on developing skills in analyzing problems, understanding diverse peoples, and assessing how changes in the broader social structure shape individuals’ daily lives. Sociology also provides training in social science research methods and statistics, communication, and critical thinking.

Career Options

  • Business management and human resources
  • Public relations, consumer research, and marketing
  • Community planning and development
  • Non-profit and community based agencies
  • Program support and recruiting
  • Human and social services
  • Counseling and advocacy
  • Education administration, advising, development, and teaching
  • Criminal justice professions
  • Local, state, and federal government agencies
  • Case management, rehabilitation, and social work
  • Public policy and administration
  • Financial and statistical analysis
  • Social science research

Admission to the Major Requirements

Students may be admitted as Sociology majors upon declaring their intent to the department.

Student Clubs

  • Sociology Club
  • Alpha Kappa Delta national honor society

Suggested Classes for Freshmen

  • SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
  • SOC 102: Social Problems
  • SOC 103: Social Psychology of Communication
  • UCORE courses

Suggested Classes for Transfer Students

  • Upper level courses in sociology

Math Requirement

  • Any UCORE [QUAN] Quantitative Reasoning

Recommending

  • MATH 105: Exploring Mathematics
  • MATH 205: Statistical Thinking
  • STATS 205: Statistical Thinking

Core Courses

The Bachelor of Arts in Sociology requires a minimum of 31 credit hours of sociology coursework, as well as 24 credit hours in a concentration track (work and family, crime deviance and social control, or sustainable societies) or related field courses. Core required courses include 16 credit hours:

  • SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
  • SOC 310: Development of Social Theory
  • SOC 317: Research Methods in Sociology
  • SOC 321: Quantitative Techniques in Sociology
  • SOC 495 or 497 Capstone

For more information

soc.wsu.edu
soc@wsu.edu
509-335-4595

Download this degree plan (PDF)

Career Advisor

Sarah Whitley, Ph.D.
whitley@wsu.edu
Wilson-Short Hall, Room 204
509-335-4597

Academic Advisors

Laurie Sue Torkelson
torkelson@wsu.edu
Wilson-Short 204E & 301B
509-335-4475

Frank Hill
fhill002@wsu.edu
Wilson-Short 204E & 301B
509-335-5670