What can I do with a sociology degree?

When college majors come up, sociology is on the short list of commonly known subjects. Let’s assume you are getting ready for college, filling out an online college application, and you know you like the sound of studying sociology and getting your sociology degree, but you find yourself asking, "What can I do with a sociology degree?"

Why study sociology—to do what? What can you do with a sociology degree? Will you become a sociologist? Will you have a career in social work? What are your other choices? How is the sociology job outlook?

There are a great number of options for you, and most don’t even have the word “social” in the job title. Here is a guide to get you started on your future in sociology.

What are the potential career paths for sociology graduates?

Sociology and social science are great fields to work in because they’re all about what we like most: interacting with other people. That means it covers just about everything that happens with people on a daily basis. All you have to do is pick what kind of interactions you know the most about—whether they’re one-on-one, between groups, from governments to their citizens.—and what subjects they’re on—the law, public policy, education, business—and you’re likely to find a sociology career path you can get excited about.

Raleigh Blasdell, Louis Corsino and Anne Groggel, professors in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at North Central College, shared a selection of career paths found by graduates of their sociology program, a list that is long with a great deal of variety. Here are just some examples through which their students have found success, broken down by career path—

• Criminal justice:
  • Police officers
  • Probation workers
  • Security personnel
  • Federal agents
  • Correction workers
  • Public policy analysts
  • Juvenile detention counselors
  • Victim specialists
  • Judicial child care positions
  • Victim advocates
• Higher education:
  • Professors
  • Admission counselors
  • Administrators
• Human relations specialists
• Human resources
• Not-for-profit sector:
  • Executive directors of childcare agencies
  • Immigration social workers
  • School counselors
  • Family specialists
  • Urban planners
  • Community organizers
• Pastoral ministry
• Law school and various fields of law  
• Researchers and project managers
• Statistics
• Data analytics
• Psychology
• Archaeology
• Business careers:
  • Managers
  • Sales representatives
  • Marketing specialists
• Government
  • Urban planners
  • Human rights officers
  • Program supervisors
  • Employee behavior specialists
  • Legislative assistants
  • Personnel coordinators

 
These are just examples of career opportunities you could pursue with a bachelor's degree in sociology. Potential career options grow even more if you get an advanced degree (or sociology graduate degree), like a master’s degree or Ph.D. Professors Blasdell, Corsino and Groggel point out that sociology majors often go on to advanced degrees in criminal justice, educational leadership, human resources, counseling, social work, public health/administration, law, and immigration. In other words, a sociology major can be a first step towards a number of graduate school programs, and not just in sociology programs.
 
If these specific job titles and degrees aren’t enough to get you started, you could look for work with specific kinds of companies. For example, the North Central College professors said, “Nonprofit organizations and other foundations are often a good fit for sociology students who are well versed in using sociological analysis to better understand social problems and how to work toward positive social change.” You can research nonprofits in your area and see if they’re looking for qualified candidates who have interest in social issues, social change, social structure and human social interactions., and they may be able to find a place for you even without a distinct sociology job opening.

Skills for your CV

Speaking of qualifications, it’s not just the bachelor’s degree in sociology that will impress potential employers. You will develop analytical skills while you study sociology that you can use in any profession.

When we asked the North Central sociology and anthropology faculty, they highlighted these abilities that start from studying sociology but lead to great potential career paths anywhere:

• The ability to identify strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• The ability to formulate, gather, and analyze data relevant to the evaluation of programs and policies.
• The ability to write reports in a professional and clearly understood manner.
• The ability to understand immediate situations from a broader, more comprehensive, more analytical perspective.
• The ability to communicate and demonstrate the latest knowledge on issues related to specific career aspirations—from social work to police work, to community relations, to educational administration, to urban planning, to social research, and (so) on.

You are likely to see critical thinking, communication skills, analytical skills and positive social interaction as desired skills in just about any job listing. That’s not a coincidence; a lot of sociology graduates go on to work in the human resource department of their companies. They know that skills picked up as a sociology student are the makings of good employees.