Sociology is an important social science and a surprisingly popular college major. If sociology is a degree you’re curious about or considering, then this is the article for you!
In this article we’ll be discussing:
- What is sociology exactly?
- Why you might want to pursue this major
- Our top colleges for sociology
The Sociology Major
What is Sociology?
It turns out, the answer is right in the name. Sociology studies society and all its quirks, examining the dynamics of our world. Whether it’s studying communities, institutions, or social change, sociology has an eye on the big picture trends in society.
A college sociology major studies much the same thing, looking at how individual people interact with their society at large. College students studying sociology learn how to observe people and collect data to create positive change.
Why Pursue Sociology?
A sociology major emphasizes thinking deeply about the problems facing the world, like social status, wage inequality, and drug abuse, using statistics and reason. This makes sociology students well suited for jobs like market research and social work, which both identify societal trends or problems and seek real, lasting solutions.
Sociology is a versatile college degree that can branch out into a variety of fields, like public health, law, environmental studies, social justice, and even other social sciences like psychology and economics. It is the 25th most popular major in the country, making it a common subject of study. If sociology sounds like a possible career path for you, then the next question is an important one. What are the best colleges for getting there?
Top Sociology Colleges
University of California, Berkeley
If you’re looking to study with a large group of like-minded people, California is the place you want to go. According to Collegefactual, the top thirteen most popular colleges for sociology – that is, the colleges that have the most students graduating with bachelor degrees in sociology – are all from California.
Of this bunch, there’s no better program than UC Berkeley. With over 350 annual graduates, UC Berkeley gives its sociology students an impressive bump of $11,157 over the average income of other sociology majors. That’s impressive considering UC Berkeley students took out 43% less in student loans than the national average for sociology students.
Here are some classes required for the UC Berkeley sociology major, which you can expect to see variations of at whatever college you choose to attend:
- Introduction to Sociology
- Evaluation of Evidence
- Statistics and Logic
- Organizations and Social Institutions
- Economy and Society
- Social Inequalities
- Social Psychology
- Sociology of Culture
- Politics and Social Change
However, UC Berkeley is a choosy college, with a very low acceptance rate of 11.3%. There are about 45,000 students enrolled in the public land grant university, located just across from San Francisco. It’s a beautiful campus and one of the best colleges to attend for sociology.
Dartmouth
Dartmouth is a small, private, Ivy League university of about 4,500 undergraduate students, located in Hanover, New Hampshire. It is highly selective, with only a 4.5% acceptance rate, but it is one of the best universities in the nation for many subjects, including sociology. Their sociology department is not nearly as large as a UC Berkeley, but their graduating students see a massive bump in median pay: $18,778 more than the average sociology major.
One opportunity for sociology majors at Dartmouth is completing an honors thesis. The department offers small research awards to students who engage in independent research, like buying data or traveling to do work in the field. This is a great way to get hands-on experience before going into the professional world.
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private research college in Provo, Utah, and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormon church, though students are not required to be Mormon to attend BYU. A sizable 35,000 students attend school at the Utah campus.
Like the previous two colleges, BYU gives graduating students a substantial increase (almost $10,000) in their salary over the average for sociology majors. Unlike the previous two colleges, BYU is much less selective, accepting 66.7% of applicants. Even with the college’s solid acceptance rate, its sociology department is in the top 10% nationwide. It is one of, if not the best, value colleges for sociology, with students taking out significantly less in loans than the average sociology student while still receiving a top notch education.
Columbia University
Columbia University is a private Ivy League college in New York City, New York, with an extremely low acceptance rate of 5%. However, it is undoubtedly a great school to study sociology. The average graduate makes almost $20,000 more than other sociology majors, and that number only gets better if you’re pursuing a master’s degree.
Teachers College at Columbia University is one of the most popular destinations for students pursuing masters degrees in sociology, and on average, they make upwards of $23,000 more than the average sociology masters graduate.
Columbia was the first college in the United States to have a professorship in sociology, created in 1894, and the second college to create a sociology department, in 1904. They have a diverse field of studies to specialize in, including:
- Economic sociology
- Qualitative Methodology
- Quantitative Methodology
- Gender and Sexuality
- Globalization
- Health and Population
- Historical Sociology
- Inequality
- Organizations
- Political Sociology
- Race, Ethnicity, and Migration
- Science, Knowledge, and Technology
- Social Network Analysis
- Urban Sociology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan is a large public university in Ann Arbor, not far from Detroit, with a student population exceeding 30,000. It has a competitive acceptance rate of 20% and boasts many prestigious academic institutions, including a top-notch sociology department. For undergraduates, the sociology major is offered with three possible sub majors:
- Law, Justice, and Social Change
- Sociology of Health and Medicine
- Sociology and Social Work
These options give students the opportunity to find their niche in the sociology world based on their unique interests.
Graduate students in sociology at Michigan benefit from the use of the Institute for Social Research (ISR), which supports hundreds of scientists from more than twenty disciplines, with a yearly budget of $80 million. The ISR maintains the world’s largest collection of social science data and trains students around the world in survey methodology. Because of resources like the ISR and a top notch faculty, Michigan is recognized as one of the best sociology departments in the nation.
University of Wisconsin, Madison
UW Madison is a public university with an acceptance rate of roughly 50%, making it a more attainable college to get into, while still coming very high in the national rankings – ranking 35th, according to US News. It is a large school, with north of 37,000 students and a campus spanning almost 1,000 acres. Undergraduate sociology students make more money with their degree than the national average while accruing less debt, and the doctorate program for sociology is the most popular in the nation.
One option offered to undergraduate sociology students is the Concentration in Analysis and Research Program, or CAR. It is an elective offered within the major to teach students about research methods and statistics.
There are unique classes within this program around social science, research, and statistics, but one of the most important components of CAR is an internship done during the end of the student’s tenure. Students spend 15-20 hours a week during a semester or summer doing hands-on work involving data. The skills learned during the CAR internship give students the skills they need for their professional life.
University of California, Los Angeles
What better place to learn about society than in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles? UCLA is an elite public university inside the City of Angels with a large student population of 31,000 and an acceptance rate of only 9%. It has a huge sociology program, graduating more than 700 sociology majors a year – the most in the United States! Even with the large sample size, students who graduate from UCLA make more on average and have less debt on average than other sociology students.
UCLA is an especially good school if you are interested in learning about international migration, ethnicity and nationalism, or conversation analysis. Students who study sociology at UCLA will learn all types of methods of conducting research, and as the college itself acknowledges, there’s no better place to put these methods into practice than in Los Angeles.
Undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in the Student Research Program (SRP) and volunteer 8-10 hours of their week for at least a quarter, working with faculty to do sociological research. This is an invaluable opportunity to network with professors and learn skills needed for a future career.
Consider One of These Top Colleges for Sociology!
Sociology is a popular social science, and most colleges you research will offer it as a major. While the seven colleges listed above are some of the best the country has to offer for sociology, there are lots of quality programs to be found around the United States. The same skills you use to find what school works best for you will serve you well in your sociology studies!
