Melissa Nelson '10, a nurse midwife at OB-GYN Associates in Providence, R.I., speaks to students during an alumni panel.
Our graduates pursue careers in business, health professions, marketing, education, law, social work, public service (government and non-governmental organizations), advocacy, and academia.
Sociology Careers
Majoring in sociology provides a strong preparation for positions throughout the business, health, social service, and government worlds. Employers look for people with the critical thinking and research skills that an undergraduate education in sociology provides.
What Our Sociology Graduates Say
“One of the most meaningful things I gained from being a sociology major was that I was able to obtain a diverse education that taught me about different genders and cultures. I was challenged to think outside of the box and work together with different classmates and professors which expand my template of knowledge.”
Katherine Sutton ’12
Reebok, manager of classics assets and activation
“I gained a more nuanced understanding of the many factors that shape how people act and interact. As it pertains to medicine, I learned how patients are more than the diseases they present with; they are intricate narratives of illness interwoven with a slew of social determinants.”
Nicholas Cormier ’15
Medical student, UMass Medical School; former medical simulation and research assistant
“My sociology major at Holy Cross very much prepared for what I do now. Following graduation from Holy Cross, I entered a Ph.D. program in sociology at Brandeis University. My research interests in medical sociology and aging today stem very much from my classes and experiences in sociology at Holy Cross. The skills I cultivated in my sociology classes at Holy Cross prepared me tremendously for graduate work in sociology.”
Julia Bandini ’12
Ph.D. student in sociology, Brandeis University
Some Immediate Post-Graduation Plans of the Class of 2018
- Research analyst at Massey Quick Simon, a financial services company
- Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest - Year of service
- Ph.D. program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in sociology (with a focus on aging and caregiving)
- Project specialist at MassMutual
- Master of educational specialist degree program at Tufts University in school psychology
- Teaching fellow at Nativity School of Worcester
- College Advising Corp at Boston University
- Conducting summer research at Holy Cross for nine weeks, and then attending University of California, San Diego to earn an MFA in Poetry as their San Diego Fellow
- Medical scribe; applying to physician assistant graduate program
Graduate School Information
- GradSchools.com: Masters in Sociology Programs
- American Sociological Association: Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology
Career Information
- University of California, Davis: Careers for Sociology Majors
- American Sociological Association: Booklet: 21st Century Careers with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology
- American Sociological Association: What are They Doing With A Bachelor’s Degree In Sociology? Data Brief On Current Jobs
- American Sociological Association: What Sociologists Do
Some Career Paths
Explore some areas, employers and strategies you can use when looking for a job with a major in sociology.
This information came from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of Southern Indiana
Anthropology Careers
Anthropology is a highly applicable social science that is gaining wider purchase within the worlds of business, health, law, policy, journalism and international relations.
For example, businesses are now keen to hire anthropologists to better understand the behaviors of their clients around the globe and broaden their consumer base. In the medical and legal careers, anthropological skills are very useful to translate between cultural systems and provide more fair and equitable services. Any job that requires international exchanges (and most jobs today do) benefits from an approach that is attuned to cultural difference and global inequality. Anthropology also prepares students for graduate study in a wide variety of fields, such as public health, museum studies, environmental studies, archeology and social work, among many others.
What Our Anthropology Graduates Say
“I teach high school history and it has been important for me to keep my anthropological lens. I have my students look at events from all different angles and perspectives. I worked at the Holy Cross Cantor Art Gallery and was involved in the planning and execution of a textile exhibit. My passion for that project led me to my current graduate school program in museum studies at John Hopkins University.”
Hana Carey ’13
Teacher
“As a future medical student, my anthropology minor taught me how to communicate effectively, and prepared me to interview and connect with individuals from varying cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. I think my minor prepared me to be a culturally competent physician who can connect and treat patients across cultural and language barriers. My minor also helped improve my writing and communication skills, which have proved invaluable in setting me apart from my peers in my scientific/medical career thus far.”
Patricia Giglio ‘14
Medical student at Brown University; former research assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School
“One of the most meaningful things I gained from my anthropology major was learning how to critically analyze. It's a skill that I use in my job now and what I used as a Fulbright researcher in Indonesia. Being able to analyze a situation to try and understand it fully (or as fully as one can) has allowed me to gain different perspectives, making me more open-minded but also enabling me to be more critical, or to ‘dig deeper.’ ”
Martha Walters ‘14
Research Analyst/The Cadmus Group, Inc.
Some Immediate Post-Graduation Plans of the Class of 2018
- Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest year of service as a community support specialist for the Women and Children's Alliance in Boise, Idaho, which provides support and resources for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
- Notre Dame Law School
- Villanova Law School
- Assistant director of the Corporate Work Study Program at Cristo Rey New York High School
Value of an Anthropology Degree
The following news articles describe the value of an anthropology degree in the professional world.
- The New York Times: "Intel's sharp-eyed social scientist”
- The Atlantic: "Anthropology Inc."
General Information About Majoring in Anthropology
- American Anthropological Association: Internship Opportunities
- American Anthropological Association: Careers in Anthropology
- GradSchools.com: Anthropology Graduation Programs
- American Anthropological Association: Job Board