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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student/teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.
Do you want to acquire a bachelor’s in sociology, but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best bachelor’s in sociology programs.
What institution did we forget? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
- University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA
The bachelor of arts in sociology is offered by UC Irvine’s School of Social Sciences. The coursework includes a wide range of classwork such as globalization and transnational sociology, self-identity and society, race and ethnicity, and sociology of sex and gender. Learners enrolled in the degree program can earn a maximum of four departmental certificates in the following areas: business, economy, and organizations, diversity and equality, international and international sociology, and social problems and public policy. The school has a nine-month master of arts in demographics and social analysis (DASA) degree program, along with a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in sociology degree. Continuing full-time sociology majors can apply for the Carole Creek Bailey School of Social Sciences Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Sociology ($1,000).
- University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Minnesota in Duluth has a bachelor of arts (BA) degree in sociology that focuses on key areas in the modern study of the field. These areas consist of social psychology, social organization, social alter, and criminology. Learners admitted to the degree program who demonstrate exceptional academic performance may be eligible to join the Honors Program, where they can engage in independent research. The Robert Franz Scholarship in Sociology ($500) is awarded every year to an outstanding learner in sociology with demonstrable financial need.
- Texas A & M University – College Station, College Station, TX
The Sociology Department at Texas A & M University – College Station has both a bachelor of arts (BA) and a bachelor of science (BS) degree program in sociology. There are three undergraduate certificates available: Certificate in Global Sociology, Certificate in the Sociology of Gender, and Certificate in the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. The doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree program offered by the department has the following areas of concentrations: crime, law and deviance, culture, demography, organizational, political and economic, race, class and gender, and social psychology. Learner research is supported by the following institutions and research centers: Texas Census Research Data Center, Race, and Ethnic Studies Institute, Howard B. Kaplan Laboratory for Social Science Research, and the Stuart J. Hysom Social Psychology Laboratory.
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
At the graduate level, the Sociology Department at Rutgers University grants a PhD in sociology with a master’s degree embedded in the degree program. However, learners who have a master’s already can enter the degree program. While learners do not formally declare a specialty area, faculty research strengths consist of crime and social control, gender, difference, and inequality, international structures, and social networks. The department has several fellowships available for graduate learners. It also awards small grants to cover costs for research or conference travel. All three Rutgers campuses have undergraduate programs in sociology, leading to a bachelor of arts in sociology.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
The Department of Sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill has a bachelor of arts (BA) degree in sociology. There is also a doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree program available. Learners admitted to the PhD in sociology degree program can select from a wide range of concentration areas. Some of these consist of the following: advanced quantitative methods; fertility, mortality and population growth; health and illness/medical sociology; life class and aging; and, work, occupations, and labor markets. The department’s training degree program is supported by distinct research centers and institutes such as the Odum Institute for Research in Social Sciences, the Carolina Population Center, and the Kenan Institute for the Study of Private Enterprise.
- University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
The Department of Sociology at UCLA has a bachelor of arts in sociology degree with coursework that includes classes such as contemporary sociological theory, statistical methods for social sciences, power and inequality, and institutions and social processes. There is an undergraduate honors degree program that gives learners the chance to carry out in-depth research on a wide range of concepts that hold a particular interest for them, such as domestic violence or the social networks of undocumented workers. The department has a master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees as well. Areas of concentration on the graduate level are diverse and includes fields of study such as political sociology, urban and suburban sociology, ethnographic methodology, and social stratification, and social mobility.
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Learners majoring in sociology at UIC can aim for the $500 Juris Memorial Undergraduate Learner Award; it goes to exceptional seniors. The common practice is for the department to offer a teaching or research assistantship to every admitted learner in the MA and PhD in sociology programs. These come with a maximum of four years of funding. If an assistantship isn’t in the cards, the department can utilize a Board of Trustees’ tuition and fee waiver. Grad learners can also pursue $250 travel grants to present papers at conferences.
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch College, New York, NY
Baruch College’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology has an undergraduate major in sociology in three concentrations: multiculturalism and globalization, social Institutions, and social processes and alter. Major requirements consist of introductory classes in sociology and anthropology and foundation classes in subjects like sociological theory, research methods in sociology and anthropology, and social statistics. The department also has a sociology minor that requires two 3000-level sociology classes and one 4000-level capstone class. Sociology majors have the choice of finishing one or two semesters of internships at human service or community organizations for academic credit.
- Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Rather than providing concentrations, Vassar’s bachelor’s degree in sociology places each class into one of six thematic clusters, including social justice, globalization, and policy, which learners can utilize to guide their registration decisions. Enrollees’ chosen path may benefit them when applying to one of the many fellowships at Vassar with a sociological bent. Sociology undergrads are eligible for the Ann Cornelisen Fellowship, an up-to-$8,000 award for foreign language study. They can also apply for the Burnam Summer Fellowship, which goes to projects involving direct work with vulnerable or overlooked communities. The department uses money from the Leslie A. Koempel Fund to give awards for the outstanding senior thesis and to help learners finish fieldwork or research.
- University of California – Riverside, Riverside, CA
UC Riverside is the least-expensive school within the University of California system, according to College Scorecard, so the BA/BS in sociology cuts costs at the margins. For instance, want to present research at a conference? The department’s Donors Fund may cover a maximum of $1,000 in travel and registration costs. Trying to move into a graduate degree program? The same fund sets aside $1,000 for application fees. Speaking of graduate programs, the PhD in sociology aims to fund learners for four years. In return, students may have to finish a teaching assistantship. Fellowships and research assistantships are also on the table, especially for learners who need extra time to finish.
- University of California-San Diego, San Diego, CA
Learners admitted to the bachelor of arts in sociology degree program at UC San Diego can major in general sociology or one of the following concentrations: American studies, culture and communication, economy and society, international studies, law and society, science, and medicine, and social inequalities. On the graduate level, a doctor of philosophy in sociology degree program is available. A master of arts in sociology degree can be earned en route to a PhD, but it is not offered as a terminal degree. Doctoral studies are structured around the following concentration areas: comparative and historical sociology, inequalities, sociology of culture, and sociology of science, technology, and medicine. First-year learners can apply for the Ray and Betty Ramseyer Scholarship ($5,000/year for four years).
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
The Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities has both a bachelor of arts (BA) or a bachelor of science (BS) degree in sociology. The department has a public health minor as a dual project with the school of public health. The Barbara Newsome Internship Award offers financial support ($1,500) for sociology undergraduates who wish to engage in unpaid internships connected to their major. Sociology learners who want to take advantage of research opportunities can apply for the Sociology Undergraduate Capstone Research Award (a maximum of $2,000). The department’s doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree program offers learners with the fundamentals of sociological theory along with in-depth comprehension and mastery of research methodology and policy application.
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
The Sociology Department at Rutgers University has an undergraduate major and minor in sociology and a sociology graduate degree program. Additionally, the department has graduate certificates in women’s and gender studies and the human dimensions of environmental alter. The sociology major requires 36 credits of classwork, including four core classes and seven sociology electives. The PhD in sociology is available in eight areas of concentration: crime and social control; culture and cognition; environment, technology and society; gender, difference and inequality; international structures; health, population, and the life class; political and economic sociology; and social networks. Graduate learners in the Sociology Department are eligible for several scholarships and grants, including the Bevier Fellowship, the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis Fellowship and the Center for Cultural Analysis Fellowship.
- Buffalo State SUNY, Buffalo, NY
Buffalo State grants a bachelor of arts in sociology and also has several programs for learners who want a minor in the field. The sociology degree prepares learners for an array of jobs or for graduate study. To earn the BA, learners must finish 42 credits in sociology, including classes in social research, statistics, sociological theory, and social psychology. Sociology majors are also required to work an internship or take a senior seminar in sociology. The 18-credit sociology minor enables a learner to select three sociology electives. The minor in deviance is appropriate for criminal justice majors. The environment and society minors are multidisciplinary minors looking at the interactions between humans and the environment.
- SUNY College at Oswego, Oswego, NY
SUNY Oswego grants a bachelor of arts in sociology that requires learners to finish 36 to 39 credits in the major. All sociology majors take classes in sociological theory, social research, and statistics, along with a senior seminar. Learners also take 15 sociology electives, chosen with the help of an adviser. Sociology classes cover a wide range of subjects, from small group behavior to the development of sizeable social systems. Sociology majors have the choice of participating in an internship or working individually with a professional in an independent study class. Learners who do well academically are invited to join the campus chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the national sociology honor society.
