After making the important decision to earn a degree, students face an even more critical choice: what to study. After all, there are thousands of career options available to today’s students.
A Bachelor of Arts in Sociology is a great option for a variety of career paths. In fact, a sociology degree provides a deep understanding of how people think, feel and react both individually and culturally. Many influential and well-known people have pursued and earned degrees in this field.
What Is Sociology?
Simply stated, sociology is the study of societies. However, the field extends beyond this. Sociology is the study of how humans interact with one another. It examines how two strangers communicate for two minutes in a coffee shop and how world leaders treat one another during international crises. Sociology involves history, psychology and economics.
People live among other people, and their interactions, big and small, influence how societies operate. Studying and understanding human interactions and their effects is one of the main reasons sociology is so important.
What Jobs Are Available for Someone With a Sociology Degree?
Most equate sociology with social work, counseling and career advisement, but the degree is more versatile than that. From musicians to high-level government officials, sociology graduates are everywhere.
The education field, for example, is a viable option for sociology majors. Teachers and administrators both can benefit from a strong understanding of global interaction. Understanding people is an important prerequisite for shaping young minds.
Human resource management also requires a keen understanding of how people think and behave. Additionally, government agencies and nonprofit organizations can benefit from intelligent graduates with a knack for understanding people. For anyone who wants to make a difference, a degree in sociology is a top option.
Famous Sociologists
It always helps to know real people doing good in the world. When it comes to sociology, many influential people have found success thanks to personal drive and their sociology degrees. Michelle Obama, successful attorney and wife of President Barack Obama, earned her degree in sociology, as did the Reverend Jesse Jackson and President Ronald Reagan.
Beyond politics, TV talk show host Regis Philbin and actor Dan Aykroyd hold degrees in sociology. Singer Dinah Shore held a sociology degree, and so did actor Robin Williams who used his understanding of sociology to become one of the greatest modern humorists.
Why Study Sociology?
Sociology pertains to everyday life everywhere, even for people who do not aspire to climb the political ladder or become famous. After all, everyone lives in a society and interacts with countless people throughout their lives. A sociology degree, however, prepares people to recognize and solve social problems, to anticipate needs and to predict outcomes.
The coursework for a bachelor’s degree in sociology includes criminology, juvenile behavior, and family studies. In addition, students examine what happens in an aging society and how people deal with drastic social change, such as new ways of understanding sexuality and gender. Learning how people navigate the world around them can be both fascinating and beneficial to students’ personal and professional lives.
A sociology degree can yield many career options, as well as a solid understanding of how society functions. For those who love working with people and are fascinated by how society behaves, a degree in sociology is a wise investment for the future.
Learn more about the Arkansas State online BA in Sociology program.
Sources:
American Sociological Association: What Is Sociology?