Sociology (BS)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2022–Spring 2023 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.
Bachelor of Science in Sociology
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department: Sociology
Academic Plan Code(s): SOC_BS, SOC_BS_HMW
Program Information
Sociology students learn how to address these issues through scientific research and application, and, as our world continuously evolves. Sociology majors are well prepared to offer insight into these changes and how best to accommodate them. Sociology majors are offered a rich environment within which to develop skills in critical thinking, analytic problem-solving, and communication that are required by employers and/or that prepare them for a range of graduate programs.
Given the training in research methods, statistics, and topical areas, employment opportunities for sociology majors are plentiful in social service agencies; federal, state, and local governments; nonprofit organizations; and private enterprises. The emerging global economic order and the increased complexity of corporate cultures promise to open even more opportunities for our graduates. Some sociology majors help companies develop global marketing strategies, and others work to enhance the culture and organization of corporations.
Sociology students pursue careers in a variety of fields: business, child welfare, computer industry, criminal justice, education (teaching, evaluation research, consultation, research), gerontology, health care, international relations, law, law enforcement, leisure/recreation/sport, military/military intelligence, social work, and urban planning or management, and more.
Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department.
Degree Summary
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Requirements 1 | 31 | |
College/School Requirements | 13-15 | |
Program/Major Requirements | 18 | |
Track Requirements 2 | 60 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 122-124 |
1 | Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework. |
2 | Sociology offers two BS options, one track and one non-track. For both options, please refer to the Track Requirements tab. |
Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.
Accelerated BA-BS/MA in Sociology
The Department of Sociology offers a an accelerated master's degree program, which is designed to allow motivated undergraduates the opportunity to earn graduate credit hours in sociology during their senior year. As undergraduates, accelerated students may earn between 6-9 credit hours (taking 2-3 graduate level courses), which are applied toward both the undergraduate degree as well as the graduate degree, allowing students to begin the graduate program in sociology with credits already applied toward their MA degree.
The graduate courses taken during the student's senior year will depend on the courses the student has remaining to complete his/her undergraduate degree in sociology. The undergraduate advisor works individually with accelerated students regarding their course schedules.
NOTE: Students in the accelerated program in sociology may only apply their graduate credits earned as an undergraduate toward the graduate degree in sociology at UofL.
To be admitted to the program, a student must have: an undergraduate GPA of 3.35 or better at the time of application and satisfactory GRE scores (see Admissions tab for more information).
Departmental Admission Requirements
Admission to the BS in Sociology requires:
- Completion of SOC 301 with a grade of C or better
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0
- Minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in Sociology, if any courses have been taken.
The Application for Major form can be found on the Arts & Sciences Advising Center website.
Accelerated BA-BS/MA in Sociology Application Procedure
Students must apply during the first or second semester of Junior year (i.e., when they have earned between 70-80 hours) by submitting the following to the Graduate Admissions Office:
- Graduate application
- Two references (preferably from sociology instructors) in the form of a discursive letter of recommendation and completion of the Letter of Evaluation form
- Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
- GRE scores.
Applicants must also submit to the Department of Sociology responses to the Sociology Graduate Admissions Questionnaire (below). Responses should be of sufficient length to give the Graduate Admissions Committee a basis for evaluating the student’s interest in and ability to complete the program, and provide a sample of the student’s writing. Responses can be submitted in four separate essays or combined in one longer essay.
Admissions Questionnaire
- Please explain your reasons for applying to the accelerated master's program in sociology. What are your professional or occupational objectives (including any study beyond the master of arts in sociology)? How does this department’s program fit into those objectives?
- What areas of sociology do you find especially interesting for study and/or research?
- What positions of responsibility, if any, have you had, and what, specifically, do you believe you have gained from such experience? Positions may include not only employment, but offices held in organizations, volunteer work, etc.
- Please summarize what you believe to be your most important accomplishments to date, including those in the academic or occupational areas.
General Education Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Education Requirements * | 31 | |
The following courses are required by the program and can satisfy the respective General Education Requirement: | ||
Social Problems - SB, D1 | ||
or SOC 210 | Race in the United States - D1, SB |
*All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above). Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.
College/School Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Arts & Sciences Requirements | ||
GEN 100 | Student Success Center First Year Experience | 1 |
or GEN 101 | Arts & Sciences First Year Experience | |
Foreign Language 1 | 6-8 | |
Electives in Humanities or Natural Sciences at 300-level or above 2 | 6 | |
WR—two approved courses at the 300 level or above 3 | ||
Minimum Total Hours | 13-15 |
Program/Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Department of Sociology | ||
SOC 201 | Introduction to Sociology - SB | 3 |
SOC 202 | Social Problems - SB, D1 4 | 3 |
or SOC 210 | Race in the United States - D1, SB | |
SOC 301 | Introduction to Social Statistics | 3 |
SOC 303 | Introduction to Research Methods - WR | 3 |
SOC 320 | Social Theory - WR | 3 |
SOC 323 | Diversity and Inequality | 3 |
Minimum Total Hours | 18 |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Track Requirements (see Track Requirements tab) | 60 |
Sociology majors may take no more than six hours of “Special Topics” courses in sociology to meet degree requirements.
At least 50 of the total minimum hours required must be at the 300 level or above.
Completion of this degree requires completion of SOC 303 and SOC 320 with a grade of C or better.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Culminating Undergraduate Experience (For students admitted Summer 2014 or later) | ||
Requirement fulfilled by completing one of the following: | ||
Independent Study - CUE | ||
Voluntarism - CUE | ||
Applied Sociology - CUE | ||
Sociology of Aging - CUE | ||
Sociology of Death & Dying - CUE | ||
Sociology of Leisure - CUE | ||
Sociology of Health and Illness - CUE | ||
The Health Care System - CUE | ||
Special Topics in Sociology - CUE | ||
Social Inequality & Stratification - WR, CUE | ||
Sociology of Work - CUE, WR | ||
Race and Ethnicity - WR, CUE | ||
Political Sociology - CUE | ||
Sociology of Education - WR, CUE | ||
Juvenile Delinquency - CUE | ||
Senior Honors Thesis - WR, CUE |
1 | Completion of the second semester of a single foreign language; hours will vary depending on the language taken |
2 | In addition to courses counted toward General Education |
3 | May be incorporated into other degree requirements |
4 | May be used to satisfy a General Education requirement. |
5 | SOC 350 may be used to satisfy this degree requirement depending on the appropriateness of its topic and with the department undergraduate advisor's approval. Other sociology electives may be substituted upon approval from the department undergraduate advisor. |
6 | In addition to courses counted toward general education |
7 | Students who satisfy General Education Requirements by courses defined by the program will require additional electives to complete the minimum hours for the degree. |
No-track, Sociology BS
Academic Plan Code(s): SOC_BS
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Environment, Health, and Population Studies | ||
Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
Urban Sociology | ||
Demography | ||
Rural Sociology | ||
Environmental Sociology | ||
Sociology of Families | ||
Mental Health and Illness | ||
Medical Sociology | ||
Sociology of Women's Health | ||
Special Topics in Sociology | ||
Faces of Global Poverty - WR | ||
Globalization, Culture and Third-World Development | ||
Social Inequalities, Behavioral, and Structural Studies | ||
Select two of the following courses: | 6 | |
Sociology of Human Sexuality | ||
Sociology of Gender | ||
Sociology of Deviant Behavior | ||
Criminology | ||
Sociology of Music in Contemporary America | ||
Sociology of Religion | ||
Money, Economics and Society - WR | ||
Animals and Society | ||
Four 400-level Sociology electives | 12 | |
One 200+ level Sociology elective | 3 | |
SOC 400 | Independent Study - CUE | 3 |
or SOC 405 | Voluntarism - CUE | |
Social Science Supporting Courses | ||
Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology - D2, SB | ||
Introduction to Latin American Studies - D2, SB | ||
Introduction to Pan-African Studies - D1, SB | ||
Women In American Culture - AH, D1 | ||
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies | ||
Electives in Social Sciences other than Sociology, of which 6 hours must be at 300 level or above | 21 | |
Minimum Electives | 9 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 60 |
BS in Sociology with a Track in Health, Medicine, and Well-Being
Academic Plan Code: SOC_BS_HMW
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
Urban Sociology | ||
Demography | ||
Environmental Sociology | ||
Sociology of Human Sexuality | ||
Sociology of Gender | ||
Sociology of Families | ||
Sociology of Deviant Behavior | ||
Select two of the following courses: | 6 | |
Mental Health and Illness | ||
Medical Sociology | ||
Sociology of Women's Health | ||
Special Topics in Sociology | ||
Select four of the following courses: | 12 | |
Sociology of Aging - CUE | ||
Sociology of Death & Dying - CUE | ||
Sociology of Leisure - CUE | ||
Sociology of Health and Illness - CUE | ||
The Health Care System - CUE | ||
Sociology of Disabilities | ||
Special Topics in Sociology - CUE | ||
Social Inequality & Stratification - WR, CUE | ||
One 200+ Sociology elective | 3 | |
SOC 400 | Independent Study - CUE | 3 |
or SOC 405 | Voluntarism - CUE | |
Social Science Supporting Courses | ||
Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology - D2, SB | ||
Introduction to Latin American Studies - D2, SB | ||
Introduction to Pan-African Studies - D1, SB | ||
Women In American Culture - AH, D1 | ||
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies | ||
Electives in Social Sciences other than Sociology, of which 18 hours must come from the course list indicated below; 6 hours must be at the 300+ level, and 3 hours must be an ethics course 1 | 21 | |
Minimum Electives | 9 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 60 |
1 | Eighteen hours must be taken from the following courses: |
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ANTH 207 | Principles of Biological Anthropology - B | 4 |
ANTH 303 | Human Origins | 3 |
ANTH 307 | Darwin | 3 |
ANTH 308 | Primates | 3 |
ANTH 309 | Sex, Gender and Culture | 3 |
ANTH 327 | The Human Skeleton | 3 |
ANTH 328 | Environmental Archaeology | 3 |
ANTH 353 | Evolutionary Anthropology | 3 |
ANTH 354 | Anthropology of Infectious Disease | 3 |
ANTH 410 | Skeletal Forensics | 3 |
COMM 430 | Health Communication - CUE, WR | 3 |
CJ 352 | Sex Crimes | 3 |
CJ 415 | Substance Abuse, Crime and Criminal Justice | 3 |
ECON 355 | Health Economics | 3 |
HSS 293 | Social and Psychological Dimensions of Physical Activity - SB | 3 |
HSS 310 | Healthy Lifestyles II | 3 |
HSS 364 | Women's Health Issues - D1, SB | 3 |
HSS 380 | Medicinals: Their Use and Misuses | 3 |
HSS 383 | Public Health Principles and Practices | 3 |
HSS 392 | Principles of Sport and Exercise Psychology | 3 |
HSS 430 | Epidemiology of Health, Physical Activity and Nutrition | 3 |
HSS 431 | Leadership in Health Promotion - CUE | 3 |
HSS 434 | Public Health Education Methods | 3 |
HSS 455 | Current Trends and Issues in Health Education - CUE | 3 |
HSS 460 | Human Body in Health and Disease | 3 |
HSS 462 | Alcohol and Drug Education | 3 |
HSS 469 | Administering Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs | 3 |
HIST 359 | History of Modern Science | 3 |
PSYC 305 | Brain and Behavior | 3 |
PSYC 325 | Health Psychology | 3 |
PHPB 301 | Health Equity - D1, SB | 3 |
PHEH 301 | Public Health and Our Environment | 3 |
PHEH 325 | Public Health Nutrition | 3 |
PHEH 330 | Childhood Nutrition from a Public Health Perspective | 3 |
PHEH 331 | Food Composition and Public Health | 3 |
PHEH 332 | Nurtition Assessment Tools | 3 |
PHEP 301 | Global Public Health - D2, SBH | 3 |
WGST 312 | Sociology of Women's Health | 3 |
WGST 364 | Women's Health Issues - D1, SB | 3 |
WGST 415 | Sociology of Disabilities | 3 |
WGST 509 | Women and Medicine | 3 |
No-Track Sociology BS
Year 1 | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | |
GEN 100 or GEN 101 |
Student Success Center First Year Experience or Arts & Sciences First Year Experience |
1 |
ENGL 101 | Introduction to College Writing - WC | 3 |
SOC 201 | Introduction to Sociology - SB | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Quantitative Reasoning - QR | 3 | |
Foreign Language 1 | 3-4 | |
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology - D2, SB | ||
Introduction to Latin American Studies - D2, SB | ||
Introduction to Pan-African Studies - D1, SB | ||
Women In American Culture - AH, D1 | ||
Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies | ||
Hours | 16-17 | |
Spring | ||
ENGL 102 | Intermediate College Writing - WC | 3 |
Foreign Language 2 | 3-4 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities - AH | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences - S | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences Lab - L | 1 | |
SOC 202 or SOC 210 |
Social Problems - SB, D1 |
3 |
Hours | 16-17 | |
Year 2 | ||
Fall | ||
SOC 301 | Introduction to Social Statistics | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities Global Diversity - AHD2 | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Oral Communication - OC | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences - S | 3 | |
Sociology elective (200 level or above) | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
SOC 303 | Introduction to Research Methods - WR | 3 |
SOC 323 | Diversity and Inequality | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Social & Behavioral Sciences Historical Perspective - SBH | 3 | |
Social Science elective | 3 | |
Humanities or Natural Science elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Year 3 | ||
Fall | ||
SOC 320 | Social Theory - WR | 3 |
Humanities or Natural Science elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
Environment, Health and Population Studies elective (300 level) | 3 | |
Urban Sociology or Demography or Rural Sociology or Environmental Sociology or Sociology of Families or Mental Health and Illness or Medical Sociology or Sociology of Women's Health or Special Topics in Sociology or Faces of Global Poverty - WR or Globalization, Culture and Third-World Development |
||
Social Inequalities, Behavioral, and Structural Studies elective (300 level) | 3 | |
Sociology of Human Sexuality or Sociology of Gender or Sociology of Deviant Behavior or Criminology or Sociology of Music in Contemporary America or Sociology of Religion or Money, Economics and Society - WR or Animals and Society |
||
Social Science elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
Sociology elective from Social Inequalities, Behavioral, and Structural Studies | 3 | |
Sociology of Human Sexuality or Sociology of Gender or Sociology of Deviant Behavior or Criminology or Sociology of Music in Contemporary America or Sociology of Religion or Money, Economics and Society - WR or Animals and Society |
||
Sociology elective (400 level) | 3 | |
Social Science elective | 3 | |
Social Science elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
Social Science elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Year 4 | ||
Fall | ||
Sociology elective (400 level) | 3 | |
Sociology elective (400 level) | 3 | |
Social Science elective | 3 | |
Social Science elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
General elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
SOC 400 or SOC 405 |
Independent Study - CUE or Voluntarism - CUE |
3 |
Sociology elective (400 level) | 3 | |
Social Science elective (300 level) | 3 | |
General elective | 3 | |
General elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 122-124 |
Track in Health, Medicine, and Well-Being
Year 1 | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | |
GEN 100 or GEN 101 |
Student Success Center First Year Experience or Arts & Sciences First Year Experience |
1 |
ENGL 101 | Introduction to College Writing - WC | 3 |
SOC 201 | Introduction to Sociology - SB | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Quantitative Reasoning-QR | 3 | |
Foreign Language 1 | 3-4 | |
Select one of the following: | 3 | |
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology - D2, SB |
||
Hours | 16-17 | |
Spring | ||
ENGL 102 | Intermediate College Writing - WC | 3 |
Foreign Language 2 | 3-4 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities-AH | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences-S | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences Lab-SL | 1 | |
SOC 202 or SOC 210 |
Social Problems - SB, D1 |
3 |
Hours | 16-17 | |
Year 2 | ||
Fall | ||
SOC 301 | Introduction to Social Statistics | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Arts & Humanities Global Diversity-AHD2 | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Oral Communication-OC | 3 | |
General Education: Cardinal Core Natural Sciences-S | 3 | |
Sociology elective (200 level or above) | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
SOC 303 | Introduction to Research Methods - WR | 3 |
SOC 323 | Diversity and Inequality | 3 |
General Education: Cardinal Core Social and Behavioral Sciences Historical Perspective-SBH | 3 | |
Social Science elective | 3 | |
Humanities or Natural Science elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Year 3 | ||
Fall | ||
SOC 320 | Social Theory - WR | 3 |
Humanities or Natural Sciences elective (300 level or above) | 3 | |
One of the following Sociology electives: | 3 | |
Urban Sociology or Demography or Environmental Sociology or Sociology of Human Sexuality or Sociology of Gender or Sociology of Families or Sociology of Deviant Behavior |
||
One of the following track electives: 2 | 3 | |
Mental Health and Illness or Medical Sociology or Sociology of Women's Health or Special Topics in Sociology |
||
Social science elective 1 | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
One of the following track electives: 2 | 3 | |
Mental Health and Illness or Medical Sociology or Sociology of Women's Health or Special Topics in Sociology |
||
One of the following 400 level Sociology courses: 3 | 3 | |
Sociology of Aging - CUE |
||
General elective | 3 | |
Social Science elective 1 | 3 | |
Social science elective 1 | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Year 4 | ||
Fall | ||
One of the following 400 level Sociology electives: 3 | 3 | |
Sociology of Aging - CUE |
||
One of the following 400 level Sociology electives: 3 | 3 | |
Sociology of Aging - CUE |
||
Social science elective 1 | 3 | |
Ethics course related to health, medicine and well-being 4 | 3 | |
General elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Spring | ||
SOC 400 or SOC 405 |
Independent Study - CUE or Voluntarism - CUE |
3 |
One of the following 400 level Sociology electives: 3 | 3 | |
Sociology of Aging - CUE |
||
Social science elective (300 level or above) 1 | 3 | |
General elective | 3 | |
General elective | 3 | |
Hours | 15 | |
Minimum Total Hours | 122-124 |
1 | Social science electives must be selected from the following: ANTH 207, ANTH 303, ANTH 307, ANTH 308, ANTH 309, ANTH 327, ANTH 328, ANTH 353, ANTH 354, ANTH 410, COMM 430, CJ 352, CJ 415, ECON 355, HSS 293, HSS 310, HSS 364, HSS 380, HSS 383, HSS 392, HSS 430, HSS 431, HSS 434, HSS 455, HSS 460, HSS 462, HSS 469, HIST 359, PSYC 305, PSYC 325, PHPB 301, PHEH 301, PHEH 325, PHEH 330, PHEH 331, PHEH 332, PHEP 301, WGST 312, WGST 364, WGST 415, or WGST 509. |
2 | SOC 350 may only satisfy this requirement if the topic is related to health, medicine, and well-being. Other electives may be substituted with approval from the undergraduate advisor. |
3 | SOC 450 may only satisfy this requirement if the topic is related to health, medicine, and well-being. Other electives may be substituted with approval from the undergraduate advisor. |
4 | PHIL 323 is an example of an appropriate ethics course. Other possible courses that may be used to satisfy this requirement should be discussed with the undergraduate advisor. |
Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan. What-if reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan. Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.
To create either report:
- Log into your ULink account.
- Click on the Academic Progress tile.
- Next, click on "View my Degree Audit" to run a Degree Audit report in the Undergraduate Advising area.
- To create a What-if report, click on "Create a What-if Advisement Report."
Click here to run a Degree Audit report, or create a What-if report.
Flight Planner
Based on your major, the Flight Planner tool may be available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan. The Flight Planner can be found in the ULink Student Center. Consult with your advisor for assistance with the Flight Planner.