Sociology Majors
The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology at the University of Northern Iowa offers teaching and bachelor of arts degrees in sociology. The sociology B.A. requires 34 hours of major course work, 43 hours of electives and 47 hours of Liberal Arts Core (includes three hours double-counted in the major) for a total of 124 hours. The sociology teaching major requires 34 hours of major course work, 21 hours of electives, 32 hours of Professional Education courses, 47 hours of Liberal Arts Core (includes six hours double-counted in the major) and a teaching minor, for a total of 131 hours. The following course sequence is for the sociology major.
Majors:
Sociology, B.A.
Sociology, B.A.-teaching
Minors:
Sociology, B.A.
Sociology, B.A.-teaching
Certificate Programs:
Conflict Resolution
Skills in Social Research
(Click major/minor/certificate title to see typical courses for the program)
Sociology is the scientific study of human social interaction. This can include the investigation of small groups, such as families, to entire societies and their cultures. Sociologists use various methods to study meaningful human behavior, as our individual biographies are shaped by the times in which we live. Sociologists often find that ordinary truths and realities in social life are not obvious at all and that human society is a fascinating and subtle drama. Lifestyles of various communities are studied by sociologists, especially as those lifestyles are shaped by institutional social change.
Common minors and certificates pursued
It is common for our students to complete a minor in anthropology, criminology, psychology, history or another social or behavioral science. We encourage our students to consider earning a certificate in skills in social research (22 hours of course work) or in conflict resolution (15 hours of course work). The sociology minors at UNI require 21 hours of course work, including Principles of Sociology and Social Problems. Courses from other departments are often recommended to complement your work in sociology.
A bachelor’s degree in sociology gives students a good grounding in the comprehension and design of social research at the undergraduate level. You will graduate from our program with an excellent generalist education, as well as with specific skills in interviewing, statistical analysis, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. Our undergraduate degree in sociology is useful preparation for careers in law, community organizations, government and administrative positions, public relations, market research, personnel work, labor organizing, public opinion surveying, retail sales and city planning.
A sociology major serves as a good background for becoming a professional social scientist, lawyer or administrator and for obtaining a greater understanding of other peoples and cultures. Your work in our department will give you the base of knowledge needed for study in professional areas such as teaching, social service, medicine, counseling, international law, corporate work and government work.Since many positions open to professional sociologists require a Ph.D., some students go on for further graduate work. A number of our students have gone on to receive Ph.D.s at prestigious universities.
We are especially proud of our faculty. Most are given very high ratings for the quality of their teaching and most spend a great deal of time with students helping them with their course work. Some of our faculty have won awards in teaching, others for scholarship. Some have written a number of books and articles, others have received large grants for social research. Some do active community work.All are committed to excellence in teaching our undergraduate students. Our faculty encourages undergraduate research and some work independently with students in a particular area of research.
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Scholarships are available to incoming freshmen for amounts of $5000 per year. Applicants must attend a campus visit day during spring semester.
More information on department scholarships can found at Financial Aid.