Department of Sociology

Undergraduate

The Department of Sociology supports several undergraduate concentrations, tracks and certificates.

Undergraduate

The Department of Sociology supports several undergraduate concentrations, tracks and certificates.

What is Sociology?

Sociology is the study of how groups and individuals interact in producing social systems. Sociologists study the norms, values, identities, power structures and institutions through which societies are organized. Sociologists have long been particularly concerned with the gap between the ideal of legal equality and the reality of social inequality.

Concentrations & Tracks

A.B. in Sociology

The concentration in Sociology (leading to a Bachelor of Arts) provides foundational skills to examine the intricacies of social systems through the norms, values, identities, power structures and institutions of which societies are organized.

Sc.B. in Social Analysis and Research

The Sc.B. concentration in Social Analysis and Research, a STEM-designated concentration, provides both a conceptual and a working knowledge of the techniques for data collection and analysis used for social research in academic and non-academic environments.

Organizational Studies Track (S/OS)

The Organizational Studies degree track (“OS”) provides a solid foundation in sociological theory and methods, coupled with a focused expertise in sociological research on: micro-, meso-, and macro-level organizations, broadly defined, including non-profit, for-profit, and governmental enterprises.

Certificates

Migration Studies Certificate

The Certificate in Migration Studies, offered by the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC) in partnership with the Department of Sociology, promotes a multidisciplinary understanding of migration and competency in a range of research methodologies.

Engaged Scholarship Certificate

Sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the Swearer Center, the Engaged Scholarship Certificate (ESC) allows undergraduate students to investigate public, civic, and/or social justice issues that they are passionate about through the integration of academic study with community-based learning, research, and action.

Courses

The Department of Sociology offers a comprehensive set of introductory and advanced courses through which students can acquire a range of research and theoretical skills. The department also offers a range of courses in 6 areas (pillars) where we have significant strengths:

  • Globalization and Development
  • Race, Class, Gender and Inequality
  • Urban Sociology
  • Sociology of the Environment
  • Organizations and Economic Sociology
  • Population, Health and Family

View Undergraduate Courses

Contact

If you're interested in sociology, connect online with one of our undergraduate concentration advisors.

Life after Brown

Sociology prepares students for a variety of lives after graduation, including conventional careers from market research to social advocacy, and from journalism to program administration in government and civil society. It also prepares people for opportunities in the new economy, including those that address how people engage the environment and use information technology. Our graduates also continue their formal education in a variety of post-graduate areas, including law, social work, health sciences, and sociology.

Here's what some concentrators from the classes of 2012-16 reported they were doing in their first year after graduation:

  • Co-Founder & Operations Manager, Uplift - Online Communities Against Sexual Violence
  • Alumni Coordinator, College Match
  • Digital Production Associate, Trilogy Interactive
  • Legal Assistant, Immigration Center for Women & Children
  • Sales & Analytics, Bloomberg LP
  • Account Executive, DigitasLBI
  • CEO, Co-Founder, Logim Solutions S.L.
  • Field Manager, The Fund for the Public Interest
  • Investments - Sales Coordinator, Hartford Funds
  • Junior Associate, Arkwright Consulting
  • Marketing Analyst, AthenaHealth
  • Research Associate, Abt Associates
  • Business Analyst, Deloitte Consulting LLP
  • Marketing Associate, DigitasLBi
  • Research Intern, Maternova Research
  • Impact Assessment and Impact Strategy, Teach for Bulgaria
  • Brown University, MAT, Education
  • Columbia University, PhD, Sociology
  • Columbia University Teachers College, Applied Physiology
  • Columbia University, MA, Sociology
  • University of Pennsylvania, PhD, Sociology
  • Warren Alpert Medical School, MD
  • University of California, Los Angeles Law School, JD
  • University of Kentucky Law School, JD
  • New York University Law School, JD

Additional Inofrmation

Honors

In order to be considered for honors, students must (1) be in good standing with the College, (2) have completed at least half of the concentration coursework, and have earned a majority of “A” grades in the concentration.

Transfer Credit

Students who have successfully completed college courses elsewhere may apply to the University for the transfer of credit.

Departmental Undergraduate Group (DUG)

Sociology undergraduates organize intellectually stimulating alumni panels and social events that build community through having fun. Through these events the Sociology DUG creates a supportive network which endures beyond graduation day: keeping students connected with the Department of Sociology at Brown and with each other.