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Sociology Major
The study of Sociology provides students the ability to observe human behavior, analyze data, and collaborate with others to understand society and achieve social change. As a sociology major, you will explore social justice topics such as health care, migration, law and society, race and ethnic relations, education, diversity and inequality, socialization and interaction, social movements, and globalization. As a sociology major you will acquire a sociological perspective that will give you critical thinking skills to develop the tools to advocate for social change.
Description
The Sociology BA at Sac State is a fully in-person program that is focused on equity and social justice. We strive to prepare sociologists that will create awareness and activate change towards a more inclusive and equitable society. Sociologists who graduate from our undergraduate program typically pursue careers in social service, community and social justice advocacy, counseling, marketing, administrative support, teaching, information technologies, social science research, management, among others. If you would like to learn more about potential career pathways, visit the American Sociological Association (ASA)'s page about what students can do with Sociology Degree.
The Sociology major at Sac State has few specific requirements related to social theories and sociological methods of inquiry. Besides the required core classes, students have flexibility in selecting elective courses (sometimes offered online) in the following subject areas:
Law and social justice, crime,deviance, and social control, diversity and inequality , socialization and interactions, global studies, globalization and social change, family, immigration, education, political sociology and social movements, religion, sports, and environment and climate justice, among others.
How to Apply
Schedule an appointment with the SSIS Student Success Center or the sociology department (soc-sc@csus.edu) to declare sociology as your major. You can also make an appointment with a Sociology Advisor through EAB (see instructions here).
Reach out to our sociology advisors (or soc-sc@csus.edu) because many of our required lower and upper division courses also satisfy Graduation Requirements (GR) and General Education (GE) requisites.
Total Units Required for Sociology Major Completion
43 Units are required for the Sociology major, including 7 units of lower division courses and 18 units of core upper division courses, and 18 units of upper division electives.
Required Lower Division Course: 3 Units
- SOC 1 Principles of Sociology (3 units) (GE 4A, GE Area D)
- SOC 2 You, Sociology, and the University
Required Lower Division Elective Course: 3 Units
Select one of the following:
- SOC 3 Social Problems (3 Units) (GE 4A, GE Area D)
- SOC 5 Family Issues (3 Units)
- SOC 8 Sense and Nonsense in Social Issues and Research (3 Units) (GE 1B, A3, HY)
- SOC 10 Issues in Crime and Social Control (3 Units) (GE 4A, GE Area D)
- SOC 96A - Public Sociology (3 Units) (GE Second Semester English Composition)
Required Core Upper Division Courses: 18 Units
- SOC 101 Introduction to Statistics for Sociologists
- SOC 102 Research Methods in Sociology
- SOC 125 Social Inequalities
- SOC 150 Social Psychology
- SOC 192 Sociological Theory
- SOC 191 Culminating Course in Sociology
Additional Upper Division Courses: 18 Units
Select 18 units of any upper division Sociology courses (courses numbers 100-199) at Sac State.
To see the full list of courses offered, you can check out the catalog and the current schedule of classes.