Double Major in Sociology and Social Work
This cooperative venture between the Departments of Sociology and Social Work enables students to complete two majors before graduation. There are several advantages to this plan of study. Potential employers tend to value the double major as because students gain a breadth of knowledge and skills to analyze issues and problems. By beginning with the Sociology major, students develop a comprehensive understanding of society and its influence on individual behavior. In addition, graduates of the CSWE accredited social work program may be eligible for advanced standing in a Masters in Social Work program. This generally means graduates may complete that program in one summer and one academic year rather than two years.
During the first two years at SUNY Brockport, double majors in sociology and social work complete General Education requirements and Sociology major requirements. Additionally, the sociological coursework helps prepare students for admittance to the Social Work major by completing one prerequisite course (SOC 100: Introduction to Sociology) and a required statistics course (students should complete SOC 200: Social Statistics, which will fulfill the statistics requirement in both the sociology major and the social work major). Students who have met the prerequisite requirements start in the Social Work Program in their junior year. In their third and fourth years, double majors complete all remaining Social Work requirements, prepare for professional social work practice, and finish the remaining Sociology requirements.
Students interested in completing the double major in Sociology and Social Work should declare a Sociology major as early as possible, preferably in their first year, and indicate their intent to major in Social Work at the same time. If students sign up later, it could take longer than four years to complete all requirements for the two majors. Double majors are assigned an advisor in both departments to guide them through the sequence of required courses.
Students planning to pursue an MSW degree should consult with their Social Work advisor regularly to receive assistance in selecting and applying to a suitable program, such as the SUNY Brockport MSW program. Graduates of the accredited SUNY Brockport BSW program are often granted advanced standing in MSW programs.
For questions, please contact the Department of Sociology at (585) 395-2619 or the Department of Social Work at (585) 395-2324.