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Department of Sociology
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Welcome to the Department of Sociology!
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If you would like more info on our program, please E-Mail sociology@txstate.edu.
About the Department
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The Department of Sociology at Texas State University - San Marcos, consists of a student-friendly faculty with wide-ranging specialties. We offer 30 to 35 different courses annually to our undergraduate students. Students at Texas State Univeristy may acquire a B.A. in Sociology or a B.S. in Applied Sociology, which entails an excellent internship program. In addition to our undergraduate program, we have a graduate program that also consists of two majors: a M.A. with a major in Sociology and a M.S. with a major in Applied Sociology.
The faculty takes pride in the teaching reputation of the department. In 1990 the department was awarded the American Sociological Association Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award. In addition, many faculty members have won major teaching awards.
The Internship Program
The chair of our department, Dr. Susan Day, often tells students choosing a major in sociology that the degree is dependent in large part on what they want to do. Many majors have pursued careers in human resources, government, law enforcement, health care, mediation, fundraising, program management, and event promotions, to name a few. Some have gone into the movie industry, music, sales or counseling. Others have entered into the fields of social work, teaching, research and demography…because they want to, NOT because they are limited to such fields.
Choosing Applied Sociology as a major and following the degree plan that leads to your internship is the first of many decisions you will make in the upcoming years. We are committed to excellence by constantly improving the link between classroom education and the world of work. Please feel free to stop by and visit with us about possible internship sites and ideas you may have.
Undergraduate Program Information (Degree Outlines, Course Descriptions, Syllabi)
Bachelors of Arts Degree Outline
Bachelors of Science Degree Outline
In obtaining a Bachelors of Arts degree in Sociology you will be exposed to the study of group life and its consequences. As a social science, it combines scientific and humanistic perspectives in the study of urban and rural life, family patterns and relationships, social class, technology and communications, health care and illness, community responses to disasters, social movements, and contemporary social problems. Bachelor of Arts in Sociology:
What can I do with a Bachelors of Arts degree?
The undergraduate degree in sociology prepares individuals to be competitive in a wide variety of occupations, including those in business, the public sector, and the helping professions. Because students learn how to systematically collect and manage data, they are sought by employers interested in those skills. Employers are also impressed with the sociological understanding of group dynamics that comes from the discipline. Not only is the sociology degree excellent preparation for graduate work in the social sciences and applied fields, but it also combines the classic liberal arts education with practical skills.
Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology:
The core of the Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology major is its Internship Program, which has a prestigious reputation within the business and educational communities of central Texas. In addition to a challenging classroom experience, the program provides the opportunity to intern at professional organizations in the Austin - San Antonio corridor; or, if an appropriate internship is found elsewhere, it is possible to intern at other locations in the state, the nation, or even internationally.
What can I do with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Sociology?
Our site supervisors tell us we have the most thorough, well-planned and successful internship program in the area. Rigorous and demanding in its course requirements, the program requires students to create a professional portfolio of work performed, design a web page, keep a sociological journal, make formal Power Point presentations, and work a minimum of 300 hours during the semester. We take pride in our program's ability to help our majors make the transition from the classroom to the work world; each year approximately half of our interns receive job offers as a direct result of their internships.
Internship Program Prerequisites
To enroll in the Applied Sociology Internship course (SOCI 4690), students must successfully complete the following courses (or their equivalent), with a 2.25 GPA:
- Introduction to Sociology
- Statistics for Behavioral Sciences
- Applied Data Analysis
- Sociological Theory
- Quantitative Research Methods
- Qualitative Research Methods
- and 12 hours of advanced Sociology electives
Graduate Program Information (Degree Outlines, Course Descriptions, Syllabi)
Admission Deadline Extended Beyond June 15th!
International Student Information
Master of Arts in Sociology:
The Master of Arts degree has three basic goals. The first goal is to prepare graduates for careers in government, private enterprise, education, and social services. The second is to prepare graduates to teach in community colleges. The third is to provide a sound background for those who anticipate further graduate studies.
- Major: The basic degree requirement is 36 semester hours. Students must take Sociological Theory, Advanced Statistics for Social Services, Quantitative Research Methods, and Qualitative Research Methods. Students will also choose either the thesis or non-thesis option. Six of the 36 hours must be in a minor. Sociology students may select from a variety of approved minors. The selection process should be accomplished in consultation with the department's graduate advisor.
- Minors: Sociology may be included as a minor field or supporting area for graduate studies in various master's programs.
What can I do with a Master of Arts degree?
Master of Arts students will be prepared for a career in corporate and community human resources, administrative positions, and data analysis, to name a few. Graduates are also eligible to teach in community colleges and further their graduate training at the doctorate level.
Master of Science with a Major in Applied Sociology:
In addition to classroom learning, each student will complete a site based research project, collecting assessment data and producing a final report. Although students' research projects will vary, each will combine the emphases of the program-sociological methods and statistics, needs assessment, impact analysis, and grant writing-with the collection and analysis of either quantitative or qualitative data.
- Major: The basic degree requirement is 36 semester hours. Students must take Sociological Theory, Advanced Statistics for Social Services, Quantitative Research Methods, and Qualitative Research Methods. Students will also choose either the thesis or non-thesis option. Six of the 36 hours must be in a minor. Sociology students may select from a variety of approved minors. The selection process should be accomplished in consultation with the department's gradate advisor.
- Minors: Sociology may be included as a minor field or supporting area for graduate studies in various master's programs.
According to the Sociological Practice Association, employment for social scientists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. This increasing demand is the result of concern about issues such as the environment, urban development, and a competitive global economy, as well as a shortage of trained evaluators. Job prospects are best for students with advanced degrees and graduates from applied programs in sociology will be specifically equipped to take advantage of the trend toward research, evaluation, and data analysis.
- Graduates of the program will master the techniques of both qualitative and quantitative research, general statistical analysis, impact analysis, and demographics analysis. They will understand the major theoretical perspectives and sociology and be able to apply them to situations in business and service industries.
- Examples of positions for which the applied sociology graduate will be well qualified include, but are not limited to, survey or market researcher, program evaluator, policy analyst, grant writer, and various positions requiring data analysis and interpretation.
- Potential employers include international organizations; nonprofit foundations and organizations; federal, state, and local governments, as well as businesses in the private sector.
Information About Our Faculty
Syllabi and CV (Undergraduate Only)
Among the faculty's research interests are gender and the workplace, child/adolescent health, adolescent sexuality, demography, community organization, multicultural relations, industrial organization, sports and leisure, folklore, social stratification and inequality, popular culture, sociology of popular music and teaching strategies and assessment. The sociology faculty use both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including survey research, in-depth interviews, focus groups, archival investigations, and statistical analysis of secondary data sets. Faculty members have published numerous articles, book chapters, and books in their areas of interest. In addition, several faculty members have received national/international recognition from within academic circles and the popular press for their research.
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