Sociology, BA

Location(s): Main Campus

The sociology curriculum seeks to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of social organization and change, providing perspectives and methods that will be useful in examining real-world social problems. By connecting immediately experienced social troubles to broader social issues, students are encouraged not just to understand the social world, but to think about how they can change it for the better.

An undergraduate degree in sociology offers an excellent foundation for a critically informed understanding of and engagement with contemporary social issues. It is excellent preparation for graduate-level work leading to careers in journalism, law, politics, healthcare, social planning, social services and other professions that must take into account social organization and social relations.

The sociology major combines readily with racial, ethnic, area and women’s studies, as well as with other interdisciplinary social sciences.

Program Requirements

University General Education Requirements

All Binghamton University undergraduate students are required to fulfill this set of university-wide requirements to ensure that every graduate acquires the essential core of a SUNY university undergraduate education. Please refer to the General Education page for more information.

Harpur College Requirements

All students in Harpur College must fulfill additional requirements designated by Harpur College to complement and extend the general education requirements. Please refer to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences page for more information.

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Students must complete 10 courses for the Sociology major:

SOC 100 - Social Change:Intro Sociology
SOC 200 - Foundations of Social Theory
SOC 305 - Social Research Methods
7 Sociology Elective courses (at least 5 courses must be at the 300-level or above and one of the 300-level or above courses must be a General Education Composition (C or J) writing course).

Note:

Students may count only one of the following (for a maximum of 4-credit hours) toward the major requirements: SOC 395 (Internship), SOC 397 (Independent Study), SOC 491 (Teaching Practicum) or SOC 498 (Independent Research).

Additional Information About the Program

Some courses offered by other departments at Binghamton are “cross-listed” as sociology courses and are accepted toward the sociology major. All courses required for the major must be passed with at least a C-.

Only one of the 10 sociology courses (but not to include SOC 100, 200 or 305) may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.

Residency Requirement: Sociology courses taken at other colleges or universities may, in some cases, substitute for sociology courses offered at Binghamton. However, at least five of the 10 required sociology courses, and four of the six required upper-division sociology courses, must be taken at Binghamton.

For more information on the Sociology BA program, please refer to the Sociology Department website. To apply to the Sociology BA program, please visit the University Admissions website.