Undergraduate Degree Programs and Minors

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. 

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.

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.

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

Total of 18 hours required.  SOCI 1310 (Intro to Sociology) or SOCI 3300 (Principles of Sociology) required.  For the remainder of the hours comprising the minor, students must choose 15 hours from the list below; and at least 12 of the hours chosen must be advanced classes (3000/4000):
SOCI 2320, SOCI 3300, SOCI 3304, SOCI 3307, SOCI 3308, SOCI 3309, SOCI 3317, SOCI 3318, SOCI 3319, SOCI 3320, SOCI 3321, SOCI 3324, SOCI 3325, SOCI 3327, SOCI 3328, SOCI 3333, SOCI 3337, SOCI 3338, SOCI 3340, SOCI 3343, SOCI 3344, SOCI 3345, SOCI 3347, SOCI 3348, SOCI 3349, SOCI 3350, SOCI 3353, SOCI 3363, SOCI 3366, SOCI 3370, SOCI 3375, SOCI 3383, SOCI 3384, SOCI 4332.

SOCI 3317 (Popular Culture and Society) is the required core course.  Fifteen additional hours (five courses) must then be selected from the following:
ANTH 3309, ARTH 3303, ARTH 4301, COMM 4307, COMM 4321, COMM 4322, ENG 3309, ENG 3326, ENG 3329, ENG 3331, HIST 3343, HIST 3369I, HIST 4361, MC 3355, MC 4382C, MC 4382I, POSI 4301, SOCI 3324, SOCI 3333, SOCI 3340, SOCI 3366

Students who want a minor that may lead to a career studying gerontology or working with people in their various life stages, including their final stage, should select Aging and the Life Course as a minor.
 
A minor in Aging and the Life Course requires 18 semester hours including 9 hours from the following core courses: SOCI 3329, 3383, SOWK 4320 and PSY 3313.

The remaining nine hours shall be selected from the following courses: SOCI 3327, 3329, 3337, 3338, 3358, 3383, 3384, 3395; SOWK 4320, PSY 3330, 3313, 3361; REC 1320. 

If you have interest in Aging and the Life Course or Social Gerontology and want to know more about the minor or the job market after graduation, please email Dr. Kyong Hee Chee, Dr. Christopher Johnson, or call the Sociology Advisor (512.245.2113).

The undergraduate minor in Latina/o Studies is a multidisciplinary university-wide program. Students learn about the social, political, economic, historical and cultural processes that impact Latina/o communities in the United States. The minor emphasizes applied skills and knowledge, including research skills, for better participating in our diverse society.

More information ›

18 Credit Minor

Two required courses:

• LATS 2300 — Introduction to Latina/o Studies (WI)

• LATS 4325 — Latina/o Identities, Communities, and Social Change (WI)

Full course descriptions and more info about the minor here ›

Choose four electives from the following selection of courses:

ARTH 4314 — Art and Politics

Section 01
Dr. Gina Tarver

ARTH 4321O — Colonial Art of Latin America (WI) 

Section 251 and 01
Dr. Gina Tarver

ANTH 3324 — Mexican American Culture

Section 01 (online)
Dr. Ana Juarez

ANTH 3350 — Gender and Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Section 251 and 01
Dr. Ana Juarez

CJ 3322 — Race, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Ashley Arnio

COMM 3318M — Intercultural Communication in the Americas

Dr. Seokhoon Ahn
prerequisite: Comm Major or LATS Minor

CTE 3313C — Entrepreneurship

Section 251
Dr. Omar López
course only offered in Round Rock

CTE 3315 — Leadership Professional Development

Section 751
Dr. Omar López
course only offered in Round Rock

FCD 4358 — Latino Youth & Families

Section 252
Dr. Edna Alfaro

GEO 3308 — Latin American Geography

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Sara Blue

GEO 3349 — Population Geography

Any section and all instructors 
Dr. Osvaldo Salari and Dr. Sara Blue
prerequisite: algebra

GEO 3353 — American Ethnic Geography

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Lawrence Estaville

ENG 3341 — Studies in World Literature and Contemporary Culture (WI)

Section S01
Dr. Edna Aguirre-Rehbein
course offered in Round Rock and study abroad

ENG 3343 — The Work and Career of Sandra Cisneros (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Geneva Gano

ENG 3344 — Chicano/a Narrative and Social History (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Sara Ramirez

ENG 4325 — Literature of the Southwest: Borderlands Narratives (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Geneva Gano and Robin Cohen

HIST 2312 — History of World Civilization from the 17th Century (WI)

Section 251 and 254
Dr. Anadelia Romo

HIST 3369Z — Immigration and Ethnicity

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John McKiernan-Gonzalez
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

HIST 3371B — American Health and Illness

Section 01
Dr. John McKiernan-Gonzalez
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

HIST 4372 — Mexican American History

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John McKiernan-Gonzalez
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

HIST 4373 — Economic and Social History of the Americas

Section 01
Dr. Paul Hart
Students majoring in fields other than history are advised to begin with HIST 1310 or 1320 before enrolling the advanced History courses

MC 4319 — Latinas/Latinos and the Media

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Vanessa de Macedo Higgins Joyce

MKT 3385 — Ethnic and Niche Marketing

Any section and all instructors
prerequisite: MKT 3343 and MKT 3350; student must be admitted to McCoy College of Business and have junior standing

MUSE 3102 — Salsa del Rio

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John Lopez
prerequisite: students will be required to audition to qualify to take the class. May be repeated for credit.

MUSE 3103 — Texas State Mariachi: Mariachi Nueva Generación & Mariachi Lince de Oro

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John Lopez
prerequisite: students will be required to audition to qualify to take the class. May be repeated for credit.

MUSE 3108 — Orquesta del Rio

Any section and all instructors
Dr. John Lopez
prerequisite: students will be required to audition to qualify to take the class. May be repeated for credit.

PHIL 4372 — Latin American Philosophy (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Alejandro Barcenas Pardo
prerequisite: PHIL 1305 (Philosophy and Critical Thinking) or permission of the instructor

POSI 4323 — Latina/o Politics (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Tomas Longoria
New course starting Spring 2019
Hybrid (in-person and online) course

POSI 4358 — United States-Latin American Relations (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Edward Milhalkanin

PSY 3334 — Psychology of Human Diversity (WI)

Section 1 and 251
Dr. Roque Mendez
prerequisite: PSY 1300

SOCI 3320 — Population Dynamics

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Debarun Majumdar

SOCI 3322 — Latinos and Immigration

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Beatriz Aldana Marquez and Dr. Gloria P. Martinez

SOCI 3327 — Multicultural Relations (Sociology of Race and Ethnicity)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Gloria P. Martinez and Ms. Lisa Lamb

SOCI 3333 — The Sociology of Popular Music

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Joseph Kotarba

SOCI 3375K — Latinos and Aging

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Gloria P. Martinez

SPAN 3308 — Advanced Composition (WI)

Any section and all instructors
prerequisite: a grade of C or higher in Spanish 2310 and 2320
Section 7 Spanish for Spanish speakers

SPAN 4312 — Contemporary Hispanic Linguistics

Section 1
Dr. Yasmine Beale-Rivaya
prerequisite: grade of C or higher in SPAN 3308

SPAN 4370 — Hispanic Literature of the Southwest: Space and Images (WI)

Any section and all instructors
Dr. Sergio Martinez
prerequisite: grade of C or higher in Spanish 3309 and/or a co-requisite 3308 or equivalent

TH 4303 — Ethnic Theatre Workshop (formerly TH 4330S)

Any section and all instructors

More information about the Latina/o Studies Minor ›