Sociology

Sociology is the study of social life and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists examine the structure of groups, organizations and societies and how people interact within these contexts. Sociologists use diverse research methods and many unique perspectives to analyze virtually any social issue.

Overview

A liberal arts degree in sociology provides students with opportunities to develop skills deemed essential for many different types of careers. These skills include learning how to identify and solve problems, conduct research, relate to others and write effectively. Graduates frequently are employed in business (e.g., advertising staff member, human resource manager), community and social services (e.g., environmental organizer, family planning worker), education (e.g., teacher, public health educator), government (e.g., human rights officer, urban planner), and research (e.g., social research assistant and market researcher). Sociology is also an excellent major for pre-law, pre-health, M.A. and Ph.D. studies.

Coursework for the Major

Majors are required to complete 31 semester hours of coursework in sociology and six hours of statistics with minimum grades of C. At least 22 semester hours of sociology credit must be in courses numbered 3000 or higher and at least 18 credit hours must be completed at UF.

Required Coursework

• SYG 2000 Principles of Sociology. Sociology majors are encouraged to take SYG 2000 as their first class.
• SYA 4110 Development of Social Thought must be taken after 90 credits.
• SYA 4300 Methods of Social Research should be completed by the end of the sixth semester. (STA 2023 and STA 3024 are prerequisites for SYA 4300)
• 20 additional hours of sociology coursework for a total of 31 hours.

Students select additional sociology courses to complete the 31-hour minimum by matching interests in different substantive areas.

Majors can count toward the major only two other 2000-level courses besides SYG 2000, for a maximum of nine credits at the 2000 level. There are no prerequisites for 2000-level courses.

In addition to the 31 hours of sociology coursework, majors are required to complete:

• STA 2023 Introduction to Statistics 1 with a minimum grade of C. STA 2023 must be taken no later than the end of the third semester and is a prerequisite for STA 3024.
• STA 3024 Introduction to Statistics 2 with a minimum grade of C. STA 3024 must be taken no later than the end of the fifth semester.

To graduate, students must also pass a department exam covering fundamental sociological concepts developed by the sociology faculty.

Course Details

All majors should review the department's guidelines or visit 3206 Turlington Hall for information about the major, the plan of study worksheet, an informational handout, descriptions of current and prospective courses and other information.

Combined Degree Programs

The Department of Sociology, Criminology and Law offers a combined BA/MA degree to eligible undergraduate students. Please see the graduate coordinator for more information regarding this degree option. Sociology majors may also consider various combined degree programs with other departments and colleges. For example, a Master of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in management is offered through the Warrington College of Business Administration to eligible students who have majored in sociology. Please see the undergraduate coordinator for more information about such degree options.

Research

The department encourages students to engage in the research process, either by conducting their own projects in collaboration with a sociology faculty member or by working with sociology faculty on their current research. These opportunities may be pursued by conducting a senior honors thesis or registering for Individual Work credits (SYA 4905). Please see the undergraduate coordinator for more information and eligibility requirements.

Critical Tracking

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements. For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements — Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

Semester 1

• 2.0 UF GPA required for semesters 1-5

Semester 2

• Complete 1 sociology course

Semester 3

• Complete 1 additional sociology course (1 of the 2 courses must be SYG 2000)
• Complete STA 2023
• 2.75 GPA in all 3 critical-tracking courses

Semester 4

• 2.75 critical-tracking GPA

Semester 5

• Complete 1 additional sociology course (1 of the 3 courses must be at the 3000/4000 level)
• Complete STA 3024
• 2.75 GPA in all 5 critical-tracking courses

Recommended Semester Plan

Students are expected to complete the writing and math requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are required to complete HUM 2305 The Good Life (GE-H) in semester 1 or 2. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H or S).

* In addition to SYG 2000 (GE-S), the remaining six credits of GE-S can be satisfied by sociology or non-sociology GE-S courses.

** Upper-division transfer students should complete STA 3024 no later than semester 5, followed by SYA 4300 no later than semester 6.