Resources for Sociology Majors

Career

Persons holding a Bachelor's degree in sociology are frequently employed in the helping professions, in business, and in various public sector positions, especially those dealing with social programs and their implementation. Usually, they are not employed in jobs with the title "sociologist," since that title requires graduate training.

Employment opportunities for those with Bachelor's degrees in sociology include entry-level positions in the following areas: administration, advertising, banking, counseling (family planning, career, substance abuse, and so forth), community planning, health services, journalism, group and recreation work, marketing and market research, sales, teaching (if certified), human resources/personnel work, social services, and social research.

Sociology is a liberal arts major with an advantage. In addition to knowledge in specific course areas such as sociology of families, communities, and organizations, you will learn social research design, statistics, and data analysis. These will be useful to you as you enter the job market.

Sociologists find employment in:

social services--in rehabilitation, case management, group work with youth or the elderly, recreation, or administration
community work--in fund-raising for social service organizations, nonprofits, child-care or community development agencies, or environmental groups
corrections--in probation, parole, or other criminal justice work
business--in advertising, marketing and consumer research, insurance, real estate, personnel work, training, or sales
college settings--in admissions, alumni relations, or placement offices
health services--in family planning, substance abuse, rehabilitation counseling, health planning, hospital admissions, and insurance companies
publishing, journalism, and public relations--in writing, research, and editing
government services--in federal, state, and local government jobs in such areas as transportation, housing, agriculture, and labor
teaching--in elementary and secondary schools, in conjunction with appropriate teacher certification.

The following are profiles of what persons with bachelors degrees in sociology have been doing:

http://www.sociology.psu.edu/socalumniprofileslist.htm

The following is an additional list of webpages that sociology majors can search to look for potential job offerings:

http://www.asanet.org/student/jobsearch.html

What Can I do with a PhD. in sociology?

With advanced degrees, the more likely it is that a job will have the title sociologist, but many opportunities exist--the diversity of sociological careers ranges much further than what you might find under "S" in the Sunday newspaper employment ads. Many jobs outside of academia do not necessarily carry the specific title of sociologist:

Sociologists become high school teachers or faculty in colleges and universities, advising students, conducting research, and publishing their work. Over 3000 colleges offer sociology courses.
Sociologists enter the corporate, non-profit, and government worlds as directors of research, policy analysts, consultants, human resource managers, and program managers.
Practicing sociologists with advanced degrees may be called research analysts, survey researchers, gerontologists, statisticians, urban planners, community developers, criminologists, or demographers.
Some MA and PhD sociologists obtain specialized training to become counselors, therapists, or program directors in social service agencies.

Today, sociologists embark upon literally hundreds of career paths. Although teaching and conducting research remains the dominant activity among the thousands of professional sociologists today, other forms of employment are growing both in number and significance. In some sectors, sociologists work closely with economists, political scientists, anthropologists, psychologists, social workers, and others, reflecting a growing appreciation of sociology's contributions to interdisciplinary analysis and action.

The following is a link to the American Sociological Association's website that has profiles of various career paths followed by individuals who got PhD's in sociology:

http://www.asanet.org/student/career/common.html

Information and resources provided by the American Sociological Association were consulted for the above material.