Sociology - Degrees & Policies

Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in SOC 101 and in two other sociology courses.

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate: BA, Minors in Sociology and Criminology
Combined degrees: BA/MA in Applied Social Research
Graduate: MA, PhD

Advisement

Students may contact the Sociology department (716-645-2417) for information on advising, or contact the CAS Advisement Office (716-645-6883). Darren Portis advises Sociology students with a last name beginning with A-L, and Eric Streeter is the adviser for students with last names M-Z.

Transfer Policy

Students may transfer sociology courses taken elsewhere; however, the department accepts no more than 15 credit hours of appropriate sociology courses toward the major requirements. Course descriptions and syllabi may need to be provided to the department.

SUNY Seamless Transfer Path

SUNY Seamless Transfer is a SUNY-wide program intended to make transferring to UB and other SUNY Schools simple and efficient for SUNY students. SUNY has defined courses that SUNY students can take before transferring which will apply to the major at UB and ensure timely graduation.

Information about the Transfer Path for this major can be found on the SUNY Website.

Students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor or department to discuss how their coursework will apply to their degree.

Sociology - B.A.

Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in SOC 101 and in two other sociology courses.

Advising Notes

Minimum grade of C required in SOC 101, SOC 293, SOC 294, and SOC 349
Double majors must meet all the departmental requirements noted above.
Joint majors are possible only with other majors that offer the BA degree. Students must complete SOC 101, SOC 293, SOC 294, and SOC 349 with a minimum grade of C in each course, and four additional sociology courses.

Prerequisite Courses

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
Two other SOC courses

Required Courses

SOC 293 Social Research Methods (may substitute PSY 250 or SSC 213 with the addition of 3 credit hours of sociology electives)
SOC 294 Basic Statistics for Social Sciences (may substitute CEP 207, ECO 480, PSC 408, PSY 207, STA 119, or SSC 225 with the addition of 3 credit hours of sociology electives)
SOC 349 Classical Sociological Theory
Eight SOC electives at any level

Undergraduate Credit Requirements Chart

Credits Required for Major	37
Additional Credits Required for UB Curriculum	33
Additional Credits Required for Electives	50
Total Credits Required for Degree	120

Students should consult with an academic advisor to determine how any transfer or exam credit might be utilized in meeting general education, prerequisite, or major requirements.

See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (UB Curriculum) for general education and remaining university requirements.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of all requirements, the student will:

Have familiarity with the basic research methods used by sociologists. Students will be able to identify the major research methods used by sociologists, compare and contrast the utility and relevance of a range of methods to the study of different social issues, and apply some basic research methods to the analysis of social issues
Have familiarity with the foundational statistical methods used by sociologists. Students will obtain knowledge of basic social science statistical methods and be able to apply some basic statistics to an analysis of social issues
Understand the role of theory in sociology. Students will be able to describe the significance of social theory to society, compare and contrast basic theoretical orientations, and apply some basic theories to social issues
Have comprehension of the theory, methods, and content of one or more of the Department's core areas of Family and the Life Course, Law and Social Policy, Social Inequalities, Urban and Community, or Work and Organizations. Students who choose among the major electives in our core areas will obtain a more advanced knowledge of the major historical and contemporary approaches, theories, and methods associated with the subarea within the discipline.

Recommended Sequence of Program Requirements

View the Finish in Four Curricular Plan for the Sociology BA which is a recommended sequence of courses to help achieve this degree in four years.

Sociology - Minor

Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in the prerequisite courses.

Advising Notes

Four courses in the sociology minor must be 300- or 400-level courses.
No more than two courses from the electives list may be double counted towards a students major.

Prerequisite Courses

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
Two other SOC courses

Required Courses

Three additional sociology courses (9 credit hours)

Minor Credit Requirements Chart

Total Credits Required for Minor/Certificate

Minors and certificates must be completed in conjunction with a major and all university degree requirements must be met.

Students should consult with an academic advisor to determine how any transfer or exam credit might be used in meeting general education, prerequisite, or major requirements.

Criminology - Minor

Acceptance Criteria

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall in the prerequisite courses.

Advising Notes

At least 12 of the 18 credits in the criminology minor must be 300- to 400-level.
Students may substitute one elective with a course from outside the Department of Sociology, with permission of the Undergraduate Studies Committee.
No more than two courses may be used to satisfy credit requirements in the student's major, other minors, or programs.

Prerequisite Courses

SOC 206 Social Problems
One other course from the list of approved minor courses

Required Courses

SOC 307 Criminology
Four Electives from this list:
SOC 121 Substance Use & Abuse
SOC 311 Drugs & Society
SOC 317 Criminal Justice Systems
SOC 319 Juvenile Justice
SOC 337 Sociology of Punishment
SOC 345 Sociology of Deviance
SOC 366 Crime & Popular Culture
SOC 373 Sociology of Law
SOC 387 Race & Racism
SOC 482 Advanced Topics in Social Justice, Crime, and Law

Minor Credit Requirements
Total Credits Required for Minor/Certificate: 18
Minors and certificates must be completed in conjunction with a major and all university degree requirements must be met.

Students should consult with an academic advisor to determine how any transfer or exam credit might be used in meeting general education, prerequisite, or major requirements.

Sociology - B.A./M.A.

Applied Social Research

Acceptance Criteria

Students applying to the undergraduate portion of the BA/MA program should have completed at least 60 undergraduate credits (with at least two Sociology courses completed) with an overall GPA of 2.75 and GPA of 3.20 in Sociology. Students can apply for the combined program during the spring of their sophomore year or later. The graduate admission committee must approve all applications.

Advising Notes

4 of the 5 undergraduate electives must be research-focused sociology courses. See current list of approved courses on the Department's website.

Most of these courses are only offered once each year; therefore, students need to plan ahead to be certain that they enroll in the required courses during the appropriate semesters.

Prerequisite Courses

2 undergraduate sociology courses, including SOC 101
60 undergraduate credits

Required Courses

Students must complete with a C or better the required undergraduate courses SOC 101, SOC 293, SOC 294, SOC 349, plus twelve sociology credit hours that include a research component (see sociology department website for list of courses that meet this requirement) plus an additional 3 credit hours in sociology courses at the 300/400 level, for a total of fifteen credit hours.

At the Graduate level, students must complete a total of 30 hours, including 9 hours of required credits (SOC 504, SOC 567, SOC 606, with a grade of C or higher), 9 graduate-level credits chosen from list of research-focused courses (see department website for course list), and 6-12 credits in electives, with the options to take up to 3 credits in Thesis Guidance or 3 credits in Sociology Topics.

Undergraduate & Graduate Credit Requirements Chart

Credits Required for Major (Undergraduate)	28
Credits Required for Major (Graduate)	30
Additional Credits Required for UB Curriculum	33
Additional Credits Required for Electives	46
Total Credits Required for Degree	137

See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (UB Curriculum) for general education and remaining university requirements.

Recommended Sequence of Program Requirements

View the Curricular Plan for the Sociology BA/MA which is a recommended sequence of courses to help achieve this degree in five years.

Last updated: November 22 2021 21:01:55