Sociology, BA

Major Requirements

A total of 27 credits in sociology and four credits in statistics, distributed as follows, are required for completion of the major.

Additional information

Grade requirements: A minimum GPA of 2.0 or higher in departmental courses is required for graduation.

Satisfactory/No Credit option: No more than six credits in SOC can be taken on an S/NC basis. After declaring the major, SOC 0150  and SOC 0230  may not be taken on an S/NC basis.

Writing (W) requirement: Students must complete at least one W-course in the major.

Honors major requirement: Honors in sociology is granted if in addition to fulfilling all requirements for the major, the student:

• maintained a GPA of 3.5 or above in SOC courses;
• maintained an overall GPA of 3.25 or above;
• completed SOC 0150  and SOC 0230  prior to completing a three-credit SOC 1002  honors seminar; and
• completed a three-credit SOC honors thesis, written under the direction of a faculty mentor.

The honors seminar, which is offered every fall term, and the honors thesis, which is offered every spring term, may replace six of the 15 required elective credits. Students pursuing the honors major are required to complete the same number of credits that are required for the standard major. For additional details, students are encouraged to consult with the undergraduate advisor.

Thematic cluster certificate: For sociology majors wishing to pursue specific themes within the discipline, the Department of Sociology currently offers five thematic clusters. Upon graduation, students who have completed three approved courses in one of these clusters will be awarded a certificate of achievement by the Department of Sociology.

• Global and Area Studies
• Social Movements / Inequality
• Race, Gender, and Sexuality
• The Helping Professions
• Health, Environment, and Technology

Internships: The Department of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh is strongly committed to the career development of its students and sponsors a wide variety of strategic internships. Numerous local internship opportunities exist, involving childhood counseling and education, hospitals and healthcare, psychological and substance abuse counseling, criminal justice, business, law, and politics.

Courses for special programs

The Department of Sociology offers courses that are particularly suitable for the following special programs.        

Pre-Law

• SOC 0471 - DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL 
• SOC 0472 - INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY 
• SOC 0474 - SOCIETY AND THE LAW 

Pre-Social Work

• SOC 0424 - SMALL GROUPS 
• SOC 0438 - SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY 
• SOC 0460 - RACE AND ETHNICITY 
• SOC 0471 - DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL 
• SOC 0477 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY 
• SOC 1413 - MARRIAGE 
• SOC 1450 - HEALTH AND ILLNESS 

Pre-Medical

• SOC 0312 - SCIENCE IN SOCIETY  
• SOC 0475 - SOCIOLOGY OF AGING  
• SOC 0477 - MEDICAL SOCIOLOGY  
• SOC 1370 - GENDER AND HEALTH WORLDWIDE  
• SOC 1450 - HEALTH AND ILLNESS  
• SOC 1467 - TOPICS MENTAL HEALTH AND ILLNESS  
• SOC 1488 - HISTORY MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE  

Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies

• SOC 0436 - SOCIAL ASPECTS OF SEXUALITY  
• SOC 0446 - SOCIOLOGY OF GENDER  
• SOC 1333 - COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON WOMEN  
• SOC 1365 - RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER  
• SOC 1448 - WORKING WOMEN