Sociology Concentration

As you explore careers for sociology degrees, a number of opportunities can be found in the human, community or social service industries. Workers who provide administrative support to managers and information technology personnel also represent another major bloc of workers with sociology undergraduate degrees.

Degree requirements are wide-ranging, giving students of this concentration excellent preparation for a variety of social science graduate degree programs. If you want to prepare for a graduate or professional school program, you should take courses in statistics, math, network analysis, computer programming, written and oral communication, foreign languages, and interpersonal skill development. These subjects will complement your sociological background and give you the ability to apply analytics tools to social and business problems. These courses also give you the ability to communicate with and lead diverse teams who work on these problems.

A BHS degree with a sociology focus can also serve as an effective pre-law or pre-public policy preparation. Social issues and activism frequently lie at the intersection of sociology, law, and public policy, including criminal justice, family law, feminist policy, and environmental affairs. Related sociology internships and/or volunteer work can expose students to legal and policy issues and activist opportunities for social change.

Federal labor resources and professional sociological researchers strongly suggest that students should pursue an internship or volunteer work related to their sociology studies to enhance their employment prospects and post-graduation satisfaction. Beyond the mainstream online job searching databases, BHS sociology students may find internship opportunities through Idealist.org, npo.net, human resources Web sites of various governmental (e.g., USAJOBS.gov) or major non-for-profit organizations.

East-West University’s location in Chicago’s South Loop is near many organizations that use sociologically focused employees; this location also provides networking opportunities to meet professionals. Finding employment is often the result of expanding one’s social network to include more distant acquaintances, associates, co-workers, mentors, and other affiliates beyond one’s immediate friends and family members, an idea from sociology itself.