Description
Sociology explores how our lives, behaviors, and identities are shaped by social ties to others, from intimate spheres to global ones. Sociology students examine both cultures and social structures, gaining significant insights into social institutions, social change, and their own social identities. Our bachelor’s degree in sociology provides students with the technical and analytic tools, critical thinking skills, and global perspective necessary to navigate successfully 21st century careers. Sociology is an especially valuable major for students planning careers in social research, community/urban planning, criminal justice, public administration, health care, business, market research, counseling, and social work.
Completion of the sociology major maximizes students’ career options by providing a set of highly transferable skills grounded in a broad-based liberal arts education. Required courses develop students’ skills in critical thinking, data collection and analysis, and effective written and oral communication. Our wide range of elective courses (on topics as diverse as sports, health, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, education, food, aging, the environment, social movements, and human rights) enables students to develop a specialty to meet their particular career interests or satisfy graduate program admissions requirements.
Recent Brockport Sociology alumni work in a variety of careers with titles such as academic advisor, events planner, social media marketing specialist, community engagement coordinator, talent recruiter, and compliance specialist, and are employed at Human Rights Campaign, City Roots Community Land Trust, Companion Care of Rochester, Planned Parenthood, UR Medicine, and ESL Federal Credit Union, to name a few. Other graduates have pursued highly competitive masters and doctorate programs at nationally recognized universities in sociology, law, higher education administration, social work, public health, nursing, public administration, and physician assistant school.
Admission to the Program
Any undergraduate student can declare this major.
Program Requirements
Students in the sociology major pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree, and must complete its requirements. The sociology major requires students to earn 33 credits in sociology. Electives should be chosen based on student interest and career goals, in consultation with your sociology advisor.
General Education Requirements (31-40 credits)
Major Department Requirements (33 credits)
Required Coursework (18 credits)
- SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology*
- SOC 200 Social Statistics**
- SOC 300 Sociological Theory
- SOC 310 Methods of Sociological Research (Prerequisite: SOC 200)
- SOC 400 Capstone Career Seminar (Prerequisites: SOC 300 and SOC 310)
- ONE of the following courses, which must be taken at Brockport:
- 15 credits of electives in undergraduate sociology courses chosen based on interests and goals, in consultation with your sociology advisor.
** NOTE: Students who substitute another statistics course for SOC 200 Social Statistics must take 18 credits of sociology electives.
Total Number of Credits: 33
*Denotes courses that meet both major and general education requirements
Electives (49-55 credits)
Total Credits (120 credits)
Additional Degree Requirements
- Students must earn a “C” or higher grade in SOC 200, SOC 300, and SOC 310.
- A minimum overall GPA of 2.0 in all required major courses (Major Departmental Requirements).
- Completion of all university-wide degree requirements
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Apply sociological theories to understand social phenomena
- Explain how culture and social structure shape individual experiences and opportunities
- Rigorously analyze social science data
- Effectively communicate sociological concepts and empirical findings