What can I do with my Sociology degree after graduation? Check out the areas, employers and strategies listed for each group below.
Education
Areas:
Teaching
Administration
Alumni Relations
Placement Offices
Research
Employers:
Public & Private Schools
Colleges & Universities
Strategies:
Obtain certification/licensing to teach grades K-12.
Earn dual certification to increase job opportunities
Volunteer as a tutor.
Assist a professor with research
Earn a master's degree to teach in two-year colleges
Obtain Ph.D. to teach and for advanced research positions in colleges & universities.
Secure strong personal recommendations, especially from professors
Learn skills in communication networking & electronic mail.
Take courses in sociology of education, social psychology, developmental psychology, research, and statistics
Develop excellent communication skills
Business
Areas:
Demography/Planning
Human Resources
Management
Sales
Advertising
Marketing
Consumer Research
Insurance
Real Estate
Personnel/Training
Administration
Recruiting
Public Relations
Employers:
Research Departments/Firms
Personnel/Industrial Relations Departments
Marketing/Management Firms
Organizational Planning Departments/Firms
International Business
Manufacturing Firms
Advertising Firms
Consumer Research/Public Relations Firms
Insurance/Real Estate Companies
Publishing Firms
Consulting Firms
Retail Stores
Banks
Staffing Agencies
Service Industry
Non-profit Organizations
Health Care Organizations
Strategies:
Focus on an occupational area: personnel, industrial relations, management, marketing, or public relations.
Take courses in labor relations, industrial psychology, sociology of work, personnel management, public speaking, writing, social psychology, and human/social interaction.
Take business classes such as accounting
Gain related experience through part-time jobs, summer work, and internships
Join related professional organizations
Seek leadership roles in student organizations
Learn skills in communication networking, electronic mail, computers, spreadsheets, databases, adn word processing
Obtain graduate degree for advancement.
Stress work experience, social skills, public speaking, writing skills, statistics & research training when interviewing.
Social Science Research
Areas:
Market Research Analysis
Evaluation Research
Research
Data Analysis
Demography
Information Sourcing
Employers:
Federal Government
National Headquarters of Non-Profit Organizations
Firms conducting social, market, or statistical research
Public Relations Firms
Professional Periodicals
Newspapers, Magazines, & News Agencies
Social Service Agencies
Hospitals
Business & Industry
Labor Unions
Professional Sociologists
Universities
Religious Organizations
Public Opinion Research Polls
Community Organizations
Private Industry
Advertising and Marketing Firms
Consulting Organizations
Information Broker
Strategies:
Learn federal government job application process.
Develop strong quantitative, statistical, writing, informational gathering, and assimilating skills.
Take courses in research methods and statistics.
Learn skills in communication networking, electronic mail, statistics software, and database, spreadsheet, and desktop publishing programs
Acquire related experience.
Obtain graduate degree for advancement and specialized areas.
Earn certification in applied social research by The American Sociological Association.
Community Relations
Employers:
Federal, State, & Local Government
National headquarters & local branches of non-profit organizations
Private Social Service Organizations
Religiously Affiliated Service Organizations
Child Care Agencies
Strategies:
Learn federal, state & local government job application process.
Obtain experience in counseling, advocacy or administration.
Acquire knowledge of community problems & government resources.
Gain volunteer experience.
Take courses in public speaking, inequality, social classes, race relations, gender, social psychology, social/human interaction.
Learn skills in communication networking & electronic mail.
Government
Areas:
Social Science Analysis
Social Statistics
Demography
Administration
Management
Program Development
Policy Analysis
Personnel
Research
Investigation
Corrections
Rehabilitation
Law Enforcement
Judiciary
Human Services
City Planning
Employers:
Public Assistance Agencies
Federal, State, Local, & County Government
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education
Department of the Interior
Health and Human Services
Drug Enforcement Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
Housing and Urban Development
Veterans Administration
National Institute of Health
National Institute of Aging
Strategies:
Learn federal, state & local government job application process.
Learn skills in computers, communication networking, & electronic mail.
Take additional courses in statistics and social research
Obtain experience in research &a evaluation.
Acquire skills in survey & evaluation research, and specialties in such fields as medical/health sociology, aging, criminal justice, demography, and family.
Gain experience via co-op programs and volunteer work.
Obtain graduate degree for advancement.
Environment and Society
Employers:
Waste Management Firms
Health Agencies
Local Planning Agencies
Environmental Advocacy Groups
National Advocacy Groups
Environmental Periodicals
Federal Government
Regional, State, & Local Agencies
Consulting Firms
Environmental Periodicals
Private Industry
Strategies:
Take courses in general and urban ecology, statistics, environmental science and public speaking.
Learn skills in communication networking, electronic mail, and analytical writing.
Join environment-related student organizations
Gain experience via part-time or internships and volunteer work.
Obtain graduate degree for advancement.
Demography
Employers:
Companies & Organizations doing demographic forecasting and population studies.
Companies compiling market research data.
Consulting firms
Business & Industry
International, Federal & State Agencies
Government & Regional Planning Departments
Colleges & Universities
Foundations
Advertising & Marketing Firms
Private Research Firms
Strategies:
Take courses in social research methods, statistics, computer applications, population, social movements, calculus, & foreign language.
Develop good communication skills.
Gain essential practical experience via part-time, internships, & volunteer work.
Learn skills in communication networking & electronic mail.
Obtain graduate degree for advancement.
Criminal Justice
Areas:
Corrections
Rehabilitation
Law Enforcement
Judiciary
Employers:
Correction Institutions
Court Systems
Federal, State, & Local Government,
Law Enforcement Agencies
Strategies:
Emphasize research methods, statistics and computer skills.
Gain essential practical experience via part-time, internships, & volunteer work.
Volunteer to work with troubled youth
Develop a desire to work with and help all types of people
Learn skills in communication networking & electronic mail.
Obtain graduate degree for advancement.
Obtain experience in a branch of the military.
This information came from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of Southern Indiana