What can you do with a BA/BS in Sociology?
If you stop to think about it, most of the jobs requiring college degrees are not associated with a particular college major. Sure, many accountants have accounting degrees, and even more nurses have nursing degrees, but who is in that vast majority of jobs that don't have associated majors in college catalogs? The biggest group is "liberal arts graduates", and sociology majors are in that group (along with history majors, English majors, and many others). The American Sociological Association notes, however, that sociology majors have an advantage: "knowledge of key social factors and a firm grasp on research design and methods."
Well, that's nice. But what do you actually do with a Sociology major? Having a wide variety of choices can either be very liberating or a bit discomforting, whether the choice involves new cars, potential relationship partners, or careers. Regardless, the truth is that the range of occupations held by people who majored in sociology is very wide indeed. Several of the links below provide information on the breadth of choices, but you can even see it in the occupations of people who graduated with sociology majors from UW Oshkosh. Ours is far from the largest sociology department, and our graduates probably are not a representative sample of all sociology graduates, but even in that relatively small group, you'll be struck by the diversity of occupations held by our graduates. They are literally everywhere!
A Sample of Occupations Held by UW Oshkosh Sociology Graduates
To further stimulate your thinking about possible careers, here are some lists of occupations and other career-focused links prepared by other institutions:
There are several other sites that provide a variety of information on careers:
Our department was one of 96 included in a recent survey of 1777 sociology graduates conducted for the American Sociological Association. The first stage report is now available, and the graduates who participated will be re-surveyed at later dates to see how their major affected their lives.
Finally, if you're already a student here, be sure to seek assistance from the good folk in our Career Services office, who are downright eager to help!
Well, that's nice. But what do you actually do with a Sociology major? Having a wide variety of choices can either be very liberating or a bit discomforting, whether the choice involves new cars, potential relationship partners, or careers. Regardless, the truth is that the range of occupations held by people who majored in sociology is very wide indeed. Several of the links below provide information on the breadth of choices, but you can even see it in the occupations of people who graduated with sociology majors from UW Oshkosh. Ours is far from the largest sociology department, and our graduates probably are not a representative sample of all sociology graduates, but even in that relatively small group, you'll be struck by the diversity of occupations held by our graduates. They are literally everywhere!
A Sample of Occupations Held by UW Oshkosh Sociology Graduates
To further stimulate your thinking about possible careers, here are some lists of occupations and other career-focused links prepared by other institutions:
- UW Lacrosse - the results of the 2001 survey of their sociology graduates.
- UW Milwaukee - aside from a list similar to Whitewater's, Milwaukee also has links to other career sites, including the excellent ones maintained by Barbara Keating and by the American Sociological Association.
- Hanover College - a summary of survey results concerning sociology gradautes' occupations, and other useful links.
- UC Berkeley - surveys of the experiences and occupations of graduates from one of the largest sociology departments, found at Berkeley's outstanding Career Center.
There are several other sites that provide a variety of information on careers:
- American Sociological Association has an entire section of its site devoted to job prospects for BA/BS sociology majors, and a long multi-part guide to careers in sociology that is loaded with useful information.
- WorldWideLearn's comprehensive site covers What is Sociology?, Skills of Successful Sociology Majors, Trends for Sociology Careers, and Preparing for a Sociology Degree, among other topics.
- Last but far from least, UT Knoxville's Career Services office has long offered the most comprehensive list of the wide range of jobs open to sociology majors, as well as strategies for getting them. This is the document we hand out in person to prospective students at Oshkosh as well as students already here who are thinking of changing majors.
Our department was one of 96 included in a recent survey of 1777 sociology graduates conducted for the American Sociological Association. The first stage report is now available, and the graduates who participated will be re-surveyed at later dates to see how their major affected their lives.
Finally, if you're already a student here, be sure to seek assistance from the good folk in our Career Services office, who are downright eager to help!