Program Contact: Xi Chen 203-582-6408
Students interested in careers in therapy, social work and social justice, as well as those interested in law and politics, are often attracted to sociology. American society is in the midst of rapid social change, which affects families, schools, the economy, healthcare systems and social institutions. Students in the Sociology major graduate with marketable skills equipping them to analyze social change and address a wide range of social issues.
Sociology majors examine invisible structural forces and learn how these affect organizations and individuals. They analyze broader social trends, including trends in illness and wellness, changes in marriage and family formations, rates of educational attainment or patterns of hiring in organizations. These valuable sociological skills can be used to study nearly any aspect of social life—schooling, health and well-being, religious devotion, immigration patterns and more. Sociology majors find a place to explore and develop their own unique interests and talents with thoughtful mentorship and guidance from faculty in the department.
The required internship course, which is one of the program's capstone experiences, allows students to apply their sociological skills in real world situations. Through the close mentorship of our departmental internship coordinator, students gain valuable insight into how their acquired knowledge and capabilities translate into marketable job skills. The program retains a long list of possible placement sites—from work in schools, hospitals and foster care settings to providing assistance with newly arrived immigrants to mentoring disadvantaged youth—to ensure that students can match their internship experience to their interests. Graduating seniors in Sociology are well prepared to continue their education or assume careers in teaching, social work, public administration, healthcare, law and criminal justice.
Social Services Concentration
A sociology degree with a concentration in social services integrates a traditional liberal arts education with the specialized training and field background for students who intend to pursue a career in social services or pursue graduate education in social work, health-related fields or public administration. Society is increasingly faced with challenges in delivery of social services to a growing set of underserved populations. For students who want to work for a social service agency, for nonprofits who help disadvantaged individuals or families, for mental health and counseling services, in social work or for local and state government, this concentration provides a perfect background. Students focus their coursework in the areas of social institutions, social inequalities and social issues. They also complete an advanced internship in the field, providing them with the experience and expertise to work with a wide range of client needs. For those wishing to pursue graduate education in social work, the concentration provides necessary background coursework helpful for success in graduate programs as well as work experience that will help distinguish students in the application process.
Medicine and Health Concentration
In our increasingly diverse nation, there is a growing need for medical professionals who understand how cultural and social factors affect individuals’ health statuses, behaviors and interactions with the medical community. This concentration is well suited for students who wish to pursue careers and/or graduate work in any health-related field: medicine, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse prevention/treatment or nonprofits addressing the mental and physical health of their clients. Students focus their coursework in such areas as sociology or anthropology of medicine, death and dying, disability, illness and mental health. Through this coursework, students learn about the varying medical and health needs of diverse populations, including the causes and consequences of health disparities, that will enable them to improve the health of groups with different cultural and social needs. Students in this concentration may complete their internships in hospitals, hospices or other health-related settings.
BA in Sociology Curriculum
Students majoring in sociology must meet the following requirements for graduation:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| University Curriculum 1 | 46 | |
| Modern Language Requirement | 3-6 | |
| Sociology Core Requirements | ||
| SO 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| or SO 225 | Social Problems | |
| or SO 244 | Social Inequalities | |
| SO 205 | From College to Career (CJ/GT 205) | 1 |
| SO 244 | Social Inequalities | 3 |
| SO 290 | Research Methods (GT 290) | 3 |
| SO 392 | Internship in the Community (CJ 392/GT 392) | 3 |
| SO 382 | Studying Social Issues with Statistics (GT 382) 2 | 3 |
| SO 400 | Senior Seminar (GT 400) | 3 |
| Select 6 electives 3 | 18 | |
| Free Electives | 16-20 | |
| Total Credits | 102-109 | |
- 1
All students must complete the University Curriculum requirements.
- 2
If students take MA 206 to fulfill the university quantitative literacy requirement, MA 206 can be used to fulfill the sociology statistics requirement. The sociology statistics course (SO 382) cannot be used for the university quantitative literacy requirement.
- 3
One of the electives could include AN 101 or AN 103; and one could be a criminal justice (CJ) course that is not cross-listed with sociology.
If students wish to focus their electives, they may take three classes (9 credits) of their 6 electives in either a social services concentration or a medicine and health concentration.
Social Services Concentration
For this applied concentration, students must take:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SO 394 | Advanced Internship in the Community (CJ/GT 394) | 3 |
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Social Problems | ||
| Women in the Criminal Justice System (CJ/WGS 232) | ||
| Youth Crime (CJ 250) | ||
| Social Control and Deviance | ||
| Community Program Development (GT 270) | ||
| Introduction to Social Work (GT 211) | ||
| Case Management (GT 315) | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Medicine and Health Concentration
For this concentration, students choose three classes (9 credits) from this list (one course may be from anthropology):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Forensic Anthropology | ||
| Aging in Society of Aging (GT 263) | ||
| Population and Society | ||
| Sociology of Health and Illness | ||
| Sociology of Death and Dying (GT 305) | ||
| Case Management (GT 315) | ||
| Drugs, Alcohol and Society (CJ 333) | ||
| Sociology of Mental Health | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Modern Language Requirement
All CAS students (both bachelor of science and bachelor of arts) must complete one modern language through the 102 level. Modern language courses may also count toward the UC Personal Inquiry II requirement. Students who have taken a language in high school should take the modern language placement test for that language. Students with placement scores at the 201 level or higher have demonstrated language competency and thus have passed out of the language requirement.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate the following competencies:
- Diversity Awareness: Students learn to identify the perspectives of diverse groups and the effect of group membership on life experiences and life chances.
- Social Scientific Literacy: Students learn the logic of research methodology and to be able to understand and critique the results of scientific research generated by scholars in the discipline.
- Critical Thinking: Students apply disciplinary theories and concepts to interpret various social phenomena and scholarship from multiple perspectives through clear oral and written articulation.
- Sociological Understanding of Society: Students are able to discuss the theories, critical concepts and ideas that form the basis of disciplinary knowledge and will understand how social structure affects the distribution of cultural and material resources across social groups.
Admission Requirements: College of Arts and Sciences
The requirements for admission into the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences programs are the same as those for admission to Quinnipiac University.
Admission to the university is competitive, and applicants are expected to present a strong college prep program in high school. Prospective first-year students are strongly encouraged to file an application as early in the senior year as possible, and arrange to have first quarter grades sent from their high school counselor as soon as they are available.
For detailed admission requirements, including required documents, please visit the Admissions page of this catalog.
Seamless Transfer Agreement with Gateway Community College (GCC), Housatonic Community College (HCC) and Norwalk Community College (NCC)
Under this Transfer Agreement, GCC, HCC and NCC graduates will be guaranteed admission into a bachelor’s degree program with third year (junior) status at Quinnipiac University on the condition that they:
- Graduate with an associate in arts, an associate in science in business, College of Technology engineering science, nursing or an allied health degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (this may be higher in specific programs).
- Satisfy all other Quinnipiac University transfer admission requirements and requirements for intended major.
Quinnipiac University agrees to accept the general education embedded in these associate degree programs in accordance with Quinnipiac preferred choices for general education as meeting all the requirements of its undergraduate general education except for the Integrative Capstone Experience and where courses are encumbered by the major (e.g., General Chemistry for the Disciplinary Inquiry Natural Science requirement for a Biochemistry major).
Suggested Transfer Curriculum for BA in Sociology
A minimum of 60 credits is required for transfer into the BA in Sociology program. Below is a recommended plan of study for the first two years prior to matriculation at Quinnipiac University.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| English I | 3 | |
| Principles of Sociology | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| English II | 3 | |
| Sociology Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3-4 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Sociology Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3-4 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Sociology Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 60-62 | |
Please note: The BA in Sociology program at Quinnipiac University requires the completion of an internship. Students transferring in their junior year should expect to take the pre-internship course (SO 205) in the fall of their junior year, then can complete their internship in any subsequent semester.