Sociology Major

Special Opportunities

  • Collaborate: Students have worked with the Smithsonian Institution's Folk Life Program to conduct ethnographic studies and George Washington University to research sports and pop culture.
  • Engage: One section of your Intro to Sociology course is dedicated to participation in Scholar’s Studio, a learning community of first-semester freshmen who enroll together in courses across departments to share a multidisciplinary experience in sociology, psychology, English and Freshman Seminar. Data shows that students who participate in this innovative collaborative achieve at higher rates than those who do not.
  • Travel: The program facilitates study abroad experiences to help students enhance and apply their classroom instruction. Five students visited India to prepare students for careers in the intelligence community as part of a multi-collegiate partnership called the Mid-Atlantic Consortium-Center for Academic Excellence (MAC-CAE). Other students have participated in the university’s China Study Abroad Scholarship to spend a semester studying in that country. We strongly support and encourage global travel opportunities.
  • Join: Students are invited to join the combined Sociology-Criminal Justice Club, open to all majors and minors in the two disciplines. Our chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, an international sociology honors society, is the second oldest in the state of Maryland and welcomes students who earn at least a 3.00 GPA.
  • Practice: The department enthusiastically supports students seeking real-world experience. Some students initiate their own successful searches for internships and fellowships. Professors often pursue grants and external funding to support student internships, as well, and use their interests and connections at external institutions to help students find field placements. Organizations outside of the university also contact the department to offer students paid or unpaid internships. Field placements have included the Smithsonian Institution, congressional offices, state government and research institutions.