What Can I Do With This Major

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society and human social behavior through the lens of groups, institutions, religion, family, gender, race, and other identities. Coursework includes research methods, psychology, classes about society, history, and other social science courses.

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General Sociology

Common Career Paths

  • Higher education research, teaching
  • Education, K-12
  • Research
  • Advocacy, organizing
  • Social statistics
  • Program analysis
  • Demography
  • Public administration
  • Policy analysis
  • Program development
  • Urban/City planning
  • Federal Government:
  • State and local governments
  • Social science research firms

Employers

  • Federal government:
    • Bureau of Labor Statistics
    • Bureau of Justice Statistics
    • Bureau of Economic Analysis
    • Bureau of Transportation Statistics
    • National Center for Health Statistics
    • National Center for Education Statistics
    • U.S. Census Bureau
    • U.S. Agency for International Development
    • Center for Disease Control
  • Local and state government
  • Universities
  • Research institutes
  • Non-profit agencies
  • Advocacy organizations
  • Labor unions
  • Private industries
  • Advertising and marketing firms
  • Consulting firms
  • Newspapers, magazines, news agencies
  • Public opinion research polls
  • Political campaigns
  • Polling firms

Strategies

  • Earn a Ph.D. to teach and research at a four-year institution. A master’s degree or Ph.D. is required to teach at two-year schools.
  • Research graduate school requirements, seek out advise from advisor, and faculty mentors.
  • Participate in research as an undergraduate. Take research coursework, become involved with faculty research, get to know graduate student research.
  • Present research as a poster presentation at university research showcases or at conferences.
  • Consider honors sociology concentration to conduct independent research.
  • Join appropriate professional organizations and attend conferences as a student.
  • Earn a minor or supplement curriculum with coursework in statistics and social research.
  • Gain practical experience through government internships, NGO internships, research thinktank internships, part-time jobs, or summer work.
  • Develop a specialty area such as race and ethnicity, criminal justice, or political sociology, and the environment.
  • Seek leadership roles in relevant student groups and develop sociology undergraduate community.
  • Become involved in student government.
  • Participate in cross-cultural, multicultural organizations.
  • Research government agencies and identify federal job titles that are right for your combination of education and experience.
  • Become familiar with the government application process.
  • Apply to the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps.
  • Earn a minor or supplement curriculum with coursework in research methods, and/or complementary fields such as anthropology, Africana Studies, and geography.
  • Develop advanced methodological skills in quantitative and qualitative methods.
  • Learn to use statistical software packages as well as database, spreadsheet, and presentation programs.
  • Network with professionals working in areas of interest.
  • Attend sociology regional and national conferences.
  • Gain experience working on teams and communicating ideas with others from varying disciplines.

Environmental Sociology

Common Career Paths

  • Soil and water conservation
  • Land use, recreation, and community planning
  • Environmental law
  • Wildlife preserve management
  • Natural resource management and planning
  • Land and green space acquisitions
  • Parks and outdoor recreation
  • Environmental education/Teacher
  • Environmental and social justice advocacy/Lobbying
  • Local, state, and federal environmental administration and management
  • Environmental communications-media
  • Business-green product and energy efficiency program development
  • Research
  • Site operations and maintenance
  • Ecotourism

Employers

  • Waste management firms
  • Health agencies
  • Local planning agencies
  • Environmental advocacy groups
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Local, state, and federal government agencies
  • National Park Service
  • State, county, or city parks
  • Consulting firms
  • Private business and industry
  • Media companies
  • Environmental periodicals
  • Resorts and marinas
  • Privately-owned facilities
  • Tourism agencies
  • Land trust organizations such as The Nature Conservancy or Trust for Public Land

Strategies

  • Enhance curriculum with courses in ecology, social justice, global studies, environmental studies, and research methodology.
  • Earn a minor or concentration in environmental studies or global studies.
  • Obtain a graduate degree in environmental sociology or environmental studies for advancement into administrative/supervisory positions.
  • Join environment-related student organizations.
  • Join professional associations and environmental groups as ways to network.
  • Volunteer to work on environmental clean-up projects with an organization such as Student Conservation Association (SCA).
  • Gain practical experience through a related internship, part-time, or summer job.
  • Obtain a law degree for environmental law.
  • Participate in travel and/or recreation programs.
  • Learn environmental laws and regulations.

Globalization & Political Economy

Common Career Paths

  • Non-government organization
  • Non-profit organization
  • Political organizing, campaign management and support
  • Policy analysis
  • Social scientific research
  • Government research
  • Private research
  • University positions involving study abroad, international learning, etc.
  • Human resources

Employers

  • Government, federal, local
  • Political campaigns
  • Labor unions
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Global oriented associations and groups
  • Corporate social responsibility units in businesses

Strategies

  • Enhance curriculum with courses in economics, political science, anthropology, geography, etc.
  • Earn a minor in Global Studies.
  • Join globalization and PE-related student organizations (e.g., Global Studies Club, Amnesty International, PSA, etc.)
  • Learn a foreign language.
  • Study abroad.
  • Do a “global” internship locally (take SOC 4xx – Internship Class).
  • Gain practical experience through a related internship, part-time, or summer job.
  • Gain research experience through an undergraduate research project or with direct research with a professor.

Ethnic Studies

Common Career Paths

  • Community organizing
  • Civil rights leading
  • Multicultural teaching
  • Immigrant rights organizing
  • Culturally competent teaching
  • Journalism and media centered on racial equality
  • Law and legislation
    • Human rights, civil rights, and international service
    • Nonprofit or public interest law
    • mediation
    • Movement law, civil rights
    • Lobbying
    • Law assistance
  • Group facilitation, moderation

Employers

  • Government, federal, local
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Racial justice national groups, like NAACP, Movement for Black Lives, Color of Change, national immigrant rights
  • Racial justice groups within states
  • Community organizations
  • Law firm, legal services
  • Businesses that have a DEI focus

Strategies

  • Research racial and ethnicity related topics for government offices
  • Community expert and liaison in government offices
  • Advocate for equity and inclusion with organizations
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion positions in universities, businesses, organizations
  • Take advanced classes outside of sociology, such as in Africana Studies.
  • Join racial justice student organizations, get involved with Multicultural Student Life.
  • Join national student racial justice organizations.
  • Advocate for racial equity on campus and in local community.
  • Develop research project centered on contemporary racial dynamics.
  • Develop community relations and networks within communities who are fighting for racial equality.
  • Volunteer on local racial advocacy campaigns.
  • Develop cultural competency, racial literacy.

Criminology/Criminal Justice

Common Career Paths

  • Advocacy
  • Counseling
  • Community organizing
  • Case management
  • City planning/Budgeting/Urban planning
  • Environment advocacy (green criminology; forestry; climate change)
  • Government
  • Immigration advocacy and services
  • Journalism and media studies focused on crime and justice policy
  • Programming coordinator
  • Public health
  • Teaching
  • Law and legislation:
    • Defense attorneys
    • Progressive/Decarceral prosecutors
    • Movement lawyers
    • Mediators
    • Clinic directors
    • Human rights, civil rights, and international service
    • Nonprofit or public interest law
    • Mediation
    • Movement law/Civil rights
    • Lobbying
    • Law assistance
  • Research
    • Grant writing and evaluation
    • Think tank director
    • Research specialist for nonprofits, community organizations, government
    • Campaign and policy support
  • Entry-level justice, counseling, and community service:
    • Attorneys
    • Counseling services in justice institutions, community settings, and schools
    • Courts advocacy
    • Community and public safety
    • Children and family advocacy services
    • Youth justice
    • Anti-violence and prevention work
    • Gender violence
    • Drugs and substance use support
    • Mediation and restorative justice
    • Mental health services
    • Racial justice auditing
    • Treatment and rehabilitation services
    • Housing and homelessness services
    • Social justice specialist/consultant
    • Victim advocacy

Employers

  • Law firms
  • Federal, state and local government
  • International and human rights law
  • Community organizations
  • Advocacy organizations
  • State, federal government offices
  • Nonprofit and public interest organizations, e.g., ACLU, NAACP legal defense fund, and legal services corporation
  • Legal aid societies
  • Private practice
  • Colleges and universities
  • Grassroots organizations, NGOs

Strategies

  • Choose criminal justice/criminology courses or concentration in sociology.
  • Pursue internship and community engagement research offered by faculty in sociology.
  • Volunteer/seek experience through and with the communities and people most directly impacted by harm, violence, and the legal system.
  • Volunteer/seek experience with entry-level community, justice, counseling, and legal services.
  • Seek out experience and engagements working with diverse populations.
  • Supplement your degree with interdisciplinary work in the study of gender, race, psychology, law, public health, urban planning, etc.
  • Become familiar with the work of city, state, and federal government through internships/volunteering.
  • Learn a second language to work better in communities and globally with demographic shifts.
  • Coursework related to the hard sciences (biology, chemistry, biochemistry) is often necessary for career opportunities in forensics. Additionally, earning a graduate degree in forensic science or a related discipline may be necessary.
  • Supplement curriculum with classes that help prepare students for the rigors of law school.
  • Participate in a debate team to hone communication skills.
  • Develop strong research skills and attention to detail.
  • Gain experience with mediation and conflict resolution.
  • Get involved with pre-law organizations.
  • Obtain a summer or part-time job in a law firm.
  • Plan to shadow an attorney to learn more about the field and various specialties. Look for ways to get experience in field of interest, (e.g., content) sports, juvenile justice, environment, etc.
  • Plan to attend law school and earn a JD from a school accredited by the American Bar Association. Maintain an excellent GPA and secure strong faculty recommendations. Plan to take the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test).
  • Complete a certificate program to prepare for paralegal positions.
  • Complete a ride-along with law enforcement

Getting Started and Advancing in Major

  • Many transferable skills such as analytical, organizational, research, interpersonal, computer, leadership, teamwork, and oral/written communication are associated with the sociology degree.
  • Internships, part-time jobs, summer jobs, and/or volunteer experiences are critical to reaching career goals. Research fields of interests and gain the right skills, experiences, and advanced degrees (if necessary).
  • An undergraduate degree is sufficient for many entry-level positions in non-profit organizations, business, and government.
  • A bachelor’s degree in sociology prepares students for graduate or professional education in sociology, law, counseling, psychology, social work, medicine, education, college student personnel, higher education administration, planning, and other related fields. Research pre-requisites for graduate or professional programs of interest.
  • There are two main types of master’s degree programs in sociology including: traditional programs and programs with an applied, clinical, or professional track. Traditional programs are to prepare students to enter academia and a Ph.D. program. Applied, clinical, and professional programs are vocationally oriented and prepare students to enter the workforce by teaching job skills.
  • To enhance graduate or professional school opportunities, maintain a high-grade point average, secure strong faculty recommendations, join student or professional organizations, and gain relevant experience outside of the classroom through work, internship, volunteer, and research opportunities.
  • Get involved with a population of interest (i.e., children, college students, elderly adults) and develop multicultural sensitivity and understanding.
  • Talk with professionals working in areas of interest and build a network of contacts.

Professional Associations

Related Resources

Occupational Outlook

Employment Opportunities