Download Top Ten Reasons to Graduate With A Sociology Degree

Why Sociology?
The Top Ten Reasons Why
You Should Major in Sociology
1. Job Prospects for Sociologists are
Excellent.
Many sociology BAs continue in master’s or PhD programs, but many go
directly into the job market where they are in strong demand in human
services organizations, criminal justice, analysis, and corrections agencies,
research and evaluation companies, educational settings, business/market
analysis, governmental agencies, urban or community planning, and in
departments of human resources and employee relations in many business
settings. Recently, Forbes magazine ranked Sociology as the 17th most financially lucrative college major. You can obtain a brochure describing
Careers in Sociology in the main departmental office.
2. Sociology offers an innovative, integrated
undergraduate curriculum emphasizing
practical, applied skills development.
Research, data analysis, data interpretation, computer literacy, and utilization of Web resources are emphasized throughout the sociology curriculum. These skills are in high demand in today’s informationintensive economy.
3. The Department Boasts a
Friendly, Accessible, and Highly
Qualified Faculty.
Only a few sociology courses are taught by graduate students. They are
taught instead by research-active PhD sociologists whose own work is at
the cutting edge of the discipline. Despite their often heavy research commitments, the Sociology faculty take pride in their reputation as friendly
and accessible to students.
4. Majors have numerous exciting
opportunities to apply classroom
theories and concepts in real-world
settings.
Through its many service-learning courses, internship opportunities, and
faculty involvement in the larger Orlando community, sociology majors
have numerous exciting opportunities to apply classroom theories and
concepts in real-world settings. These off-campus learning experiences also prove highly useful in attracting the attention of employers.
5. Sociology provides an intellectual
framework for understanding
contemporary problems and issues in
their larger social context.
In contrast to the “individualizing” tendencies found in other social sciences, sociologists understand such issues as crime, homelessness, domestic violence, aging, urban sprawl, and environmental degradation as embedded in large-scale political, economic, and social structures that are beyond the direct control of individuals. By making vivid the social basis of
everyday life, sociology develops critical thinking by revealing the social
structures and processes that shape human existence.
6. Sociology majors can “customize”
their undergraduate education.
The department offers numerous areas of specialization through the major requirements and is presently developing more. As a sociology major,
you can specialize in crime analysis, domestic violence, aging, applied social analysis, pre-law, social inequalities, community action, activism and
social justice, or other areas within the discipline. In some cases, special
certificates are awarded to students who complete these specialized courses of study, and these too look good on a student’s resume.
7. Sociology majors have opportunities
to interact and socialize with others in
the major.
Sociology majors have opportunities to interact and socialize with other majors
through the undergraduate sociology club, AKD honor society, and various other events held throughout the year. These events also allow majors
to interact with departmental faculty outside the classroom setting.
8. Sociology majors learn how social
data are produced, interpreted, and
manipulated.
These days it is virtually impossible even to read a newspaper without confronting empirical information that must be digested, assessed, and evaluated. Every day, there are new survey and poll results, new releases of data
from the federal government, new studies. A key element of the sociology
curriculum is to make students sophisticated consumers of data. Persons
unable to evaluate and assess social data are often sitting ducks for anyone
peddling glossy ideological wares.
9. Sociology majors participate in the
great political and intellectual debates
of the 21st Century.
9. The substance covered in the undergraduate sociology curriculum –
race and racism, diversity, culture, women’s issues, inequalities, urbanization, crime and violence – comprise the leading issues confronting the nation and the world here at the dawning of the New Millennium.
10. Sociology majors are part of an
intellectual community, not just a seat in
the classroom or a name on the roster.
10. Sociology is a relatively small department with a small number of majors. Most majors know one another and, more importantly, know and
are known by the departmental faculty. Even as undergraduates, sociology majors can expect a great deal of one-to-one interaction and mentoring.
The sociology department is not a place where students get lost in the
crowd.