Undergraduate Programs and Degrees

The Department of Sociology offers two undergraduate degrees, a Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) degree and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree.  

The B.A. degree requires intermediate-level proficiency in a language other than English. Intermediate-level proficiency is demonstrated by successful completion of a 4th-semester language course. The B.A. degree also requires completion of the core sociology courses (Soc 1000, Soc 3885, Soc 3895, Soc 3950, Soc 3960, and Soc 4450) with a minimum grade of C. Students must also complete Soc 2001 and 18 hours of Sociology electives, with 12 of those hours at the 3000-4000 level. These courses are chosen in consultation with their advisor.  Finally, the B.A. degree requires a minor in another discipline.

The B.S. degree provides study in a more specialized field within sociology. Students who pursue this degree will select one of the following concentration areas for further study: Applied Research Methods, Criminology, Families and Intimate Relationships, Health and Aging, Individually Designed (requires department approval), Power and Social Control, or Social Inequalities. The B.S. degree also requires completion of the core sociology courses (Soc 1000, Soc 3885, Soc 3895, Soc 3950, Soc 3960, Soc 4390, and Soc 4450) with a minimum grade of C, and successful completion of Soc 2001 Sociological Pathways and Soc 4900 Internship.

For more information about Undergraduate Programs and offerings, please contact the Undergraduate Programs Director, Dr. Amy Dellinger Page (pagead@appstate.edu).

Bachelor of Science in Sociology

The B.S. degree requires 30 semester hours of sociology courses and 30 semester hours in an interdisciplinary concentration. Below are the concentrations offered:

Applied Research Methods Concentration
This concentration focuses on the research methods used by social scientists to learn about the social work. By research methods we mean the systematic strategies for investigating social behavior and interpreting the patterns we discover.

Criminology Concentration
This concentration focuses on the causes of crime and society's responses to criminal behavior.

Families and Intimate Relationships Concentration
This concentration focuses on people in groups, with particular emphasis on the family as a group.

Power and Social Change
This concentration examines how power serves to structure human relationships and how the contestation of power leads to a variety of social changes. Students in this concentration will learn not only about institutionalized power relationships, such as those pertaining to elections, political parties and policy-making, but also about less conventional power struggles, such as those involving social movements and war. To help students better understand the U.S. experience, many of these issues are placed in comparative and global contexts.

Social Inequalities
This concentration examines how differences in such dimensions as gender, race, ethnicity, social class, sexuality, age, and nationality may lead to unequal outcomes in terms of power, status, and income.

Sociology of Health and Aging Concentration
This concentration focuses on the study how societal forces shape the experience of individuals and groups when facing issues dealing with health and healthcare. Particularly, for an aging population around the world.

Individually-Designed Concentration (Requires Department Approval)
This concentration gives students a chance to select classes that inform a particular field or occupation of interest.

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

This degree is excellent preparation for graduate or professional study. The B.A. degree requires a foreign language, a number of required sociology courses plus 15 hours of elective hours in sociology. In addition, a B.A. degree requires a minor in another discipline.

Minor in Sociology

A Sociology minor is helpful in providing an understanding of human groups and how they work and can provide a valuable foundation to any student who plans to work with people. Students have often paired Sociology minors with a degree from several other disciplines including Business, Criminal Justice, and Psychology.