More Information
Visit the online course catalog for more information about all majors and minors at Merrimack.
As a sociology major, you will study human society and the patterns and consequences of social interaction.
Our courses focus on the ways that people’s lives are shaped by broader social, cultural, political, economic and historical forces. We emphasize the nature and effects of social inequality. Our primary goal is to develop your sociological imagination as a type of critical thinking and informed analysis.
Since sociology is a scientific discipline, you will learn the scientific method. You will practice methods of data collection, sampling, variable measurement and analysis - valuable skills you can apply in a variety of fields.
Sociology also provides you with the tools to better understand our rapidly changing world and the role of social inequality in our lives. We discuss social inequality in all of our courses to emphasize how inequality affects the life chances of all members of society.
We provide our students with experiential learning opportunities in various community, human services, criminal justice and health-related agencies. You’ll apply your sociological research and thinking in supervised field work experiences.
Explore potential career interests through our internship course, SOC 4000. Learn from those in the field and establish a network of contacts for your future job search. Employers who have participated in the internship program include:
Video: Sociology Students Travel to Germany
Upon successful completion of the program, you’ll be well-equipped to pursue graduate study or a career in social work, public health, education, law, public administration, social services, human resources, business or criminal justice.
Our graduates have gone on to positions such as:
This bachelor’s degree program requires 124 credits. All sociology majors must take a minimum of 38 credits and a minimum of 10 courses in the sociology major. You must achieve at least a 2.0 GPA in your major courses.
Required Courses (complete all five)
SOC 1000 | The Sociological Imagination |
SOC 2000 | Social Inequality - Class, Gender and Race |
SOC 3000W | Social Theory* |
SOC 3100 | Research Methods |
SOC 3550 | Statistics |
Electives (choose five)
SOC 1500 | Success and the American Dream |
SOC 1600 | Happiness |
SOC 1700 | Social Problems, Creative Solutions |
SOC 1800 | Tough Choices, Conflicting Values |
SOC 1900 | Addictive Society |
SOC 2050 | Social Work |
SOC 3150 | Social Movements |
SOC 3300W |
Sociology of Education |
SOC 3370 |
Urban Sociology |
SOC 3400 |
Population Problems |
SOC 3450 |
Sociology of the Family |
SOC 3600 |
Sociology of Health |
SOC 3625 |
Crossing Borders: Sociology of Immigration |
SOC 3800 |
Sociology of Gender |
SOC 3850 |
Sociology of Aging |
SOC 4000 |
Internship |
SOC 4810 |
Directed Study |
SOC 4815 |
Directed Study |
Cognate Electives
You may take a maximum of two of the five electives required from the following list of cognate courses:
HIS 3390 |
Modern European Social History |
PHL 2700 |
Philosophy of the Social Sciences |
POL 2121 |
Intro to Public Administration |
POL 3122 |
Issues in Public Policy |
POL 3131 |
Polling and Public Opinion |
PSY 2200 |
Social Psychology |
PSY 3250 |
Cultural Psychology |
WGS 2010 |
Intro to Ethnic Studies |
WGS 2200 |
Gender and Social Movements |
WGS 3100 |
Feminist Theory |
WGS 3140 |
Studies in Masculinities |
WGS 3250 |
Sex and Gender Studies |
WGS 3420 |
Gender, Race and the Media |
WGS 3830 |
Gender and Global Health |
WGS 4100 |
Gender Studies |
WRT 2020W |
Writing for Social Change |
Visit the online course catalog for more information about all majors and minors at Merrimack.
Download a single-page overview of the major in sociology.