Undergraduate Sociology

Sociology is concerned with patterns of social life and the ways people organize their activities and environment. A major in sociology provides a wide array of career possibilities emphasizing in human behavior, knowledge of group interaction, and skills in research.

Sociology at K-State offers a four-year undergraduate B.S. or B.A. degree. The program includes a basic core of sociology classes and provides an opportunity for students to select additional sociology classes designed around their specific interests and career goals.

Program Requirements

GPA and Outside Course Requirements

Students interested in a degree in Sociology are required to earn a 2.5 grade point average in courses taken within the major. In addition, students are required to take STAT 325 - Introduction to Statistics (3 credit hours) outside of the credit hour requirements for the major. At the advisor's recommendation, students may be required to take 3 credit hours of CIS 101-104 to gain necessary computing skills.

Core Courses (10 credit hours)

The following courses are required of all sociology majors:

SOCIO 211 - Introduction to Sociology

SOCIO 423 - Methods of Social Research

Credits: 4

Treatment of the logic and procedures involved in the formulation of a research problem and the difficulties encountered in conducting research. Examines problems of explanation and prediction, the process of inquiry, elements of the scientific method, the design of research, and analysis in the social sciences.

Note
To include 1 credit hour of lab and field research experience.

Requisites
Prerequisite: SOCIO 211, STAT 325.

Typically Offered
Fall, Spring

K-State 8
Empirical and Quantitative Reasoning
Social Sciences

SOCIO 431 - Comparative Social Theories

Credits: 3

A systematic survey of major theoretical approaches in sociology. The works of Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and other classical theorists are examined, along with selections from major contemporary perspectives such as functionalism, symbolic interactionism, structuralism, critical theory, and feminist theory. Current debates over structure versus agency, postmodernism, and other controversies are considered.

Requisites
Prerequisite: SOCIO 211.

Typically Offered
Fall, Spring

K-State 8
Global Issues and Perspectives
Social Sciences

Electives (21 Credit Hours)

In addition to the core requirements, sociology students are given tremendous flexibility to customize their curriculum through electives. Twenty one elective credit hours are required for a sociology major and at least of those credit hours must come from 500 level or above courses. SOCIO 567, 568, and 569 (internship credits) may not be used to count toward these required elective hours.

Internships

During their senior year, qualified students in the sociology program may participate in a professionally supervised internship. The aim of the supervised internship is to prepare beginning professionals for careers in a variety of settings related to their major. In special instances a junior in good academic standing may apply. Internships require that a student have a minimum 2.5 GPA and a letter of recommendation from a sociology faculty member.

Credit hours ranging from 7 to 13 hours may be earned through the field experience option. Field experience hours may not substitute for core or elective requirements for the major.

For more information about internships, check out our internship page.

Undergraduate Thesis

During their senior year, student in the sociology or criminology program may conduct supervised research with faulty assistance. This is ideal for students interested in graduate school, for more information contact Dr. Nadia Shapkina (shapkina@ksu.edu).

Specializations

The sociology program also offers two specializations within the sociology major including:

Community, Agriculture, Food, and Environment (CAFE)
Social Inequalities

For more information about specializations, refer to the undergraduate course catalog. More information about criminology is also available by clicking here.