Curriculum

As a sociology major, you will gain a strong foundation in quantitative analysis, oral and written communication, social policy and research methods. This program is developed and taught by OSU's renowned liberal arts faculty who are involved in contemporary policy issues and serve as advisors and consultants for public agencies, nonprofits, and legislative bodies.

Sociology professor Scott Akins helps students analyze the fact that social variables and power structures play a significant role in determining which people are exposed to the criminal justice system. Read more »

Degree requirements

A minimum of 180 quarter credits are required to graduate with your sociology degree, including:

• OSU's Baccalaureate Core (general education)
• B.A. or B.S. requirements
• College of Liberal Arts Core (for all majors in OSU's College of Liberal Arts)
• Major requirements: Sociology

Honors degree online

As an undergraduate degree-seeking student, you can apply to earn an honors degree online in your academic major. Earning this prestigious degree gives you the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research, complete a comprehensive thesis experience and engage in co-curricular activities.

Options

You have the option to tailor your sociology studies to align with your interests and career goals by choosing from one of the following areas of study:

Crime and justice

Position yourself for career opportunities in criminal justice, social services or law by enrolling in the program's crime and justice option. The coursework deals with a variety of issues such as criminology, juvenile delinquency and crime prevention from a sociological perspective. There is also an opportunity to take part in an internship at a criminal justice or social service agency in your area.

Environmental and natural resource

The environmental and natural resource option is ideal if you want to pursue careers in natural resource and environmental policy, planning, management and education. You'll learn to approach environmental issues through the lens of social science, and you'll gain an understanding of how societies interact with their biophysical environments.

Social service and advocacy

Act on your desire to work with people and make a positive impact by pursuing the social service and advocacy option. In this option, you'll study social science concepts in order to address social problems and promote change in your community. You'll also become well-versed in material related to social justice, inequality, diversity and inclusion, as well as insight into how groups and individuals bring about change.

Sample course topics

• Social media and everyday life
• Social inequality
• Criminology
• Social dimensions of sustainability
• Sociology of mental illness
• Death and dying
• Sociology of drug use and abuse
• Juvenile delinquency
• Sociology of education
• Social welfare

Additional program features

Accelerated Master's Platform

Get a jump-start on your Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree while working toward your undergraduate degree in sociology. Through Oregon State’s Accelerated Master’s Platform, current undergraduate sociology students can take graduate-level courses online that will be applied to their bachelor’s degree, and the credits earned will be transferred to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program. Students enrolled in Ecampus graduate courses will pay the graduate tuition and fees rate.

Transfer credits

Some degree requirements may be transferred from other institutions. Please note that a minimum of 45 credits of the last 75 credits in this degree program must be completed at Oregon State (online or on campus) to meet the academic residency requirement.

Previously earned credits will need to be reviewed upon admittance to OSU for appropriate articulation. Additional information about transferring credits is available through OSU’s Transfer Credit Central.

Add a minor

As an OSU Ecampus student, you can add a minor to your degree program. OSU offers a diverse selection of minors online. For example, combine sociology and a business minor or sociology plus a U.S. history minor to create an even more powerful résumé fit for today's job market.