Sociology faculty members at MSU are noted for being student-oriented. We are readily accessible and have an open-door policy. Interested students often have the opportunity to engage in research projects with faculty members. Many of our students have won regional and national awards for their papers and have been published in scholarly journals. In the last academic year, our number of majors has doubled.
The sociology program also has a very active service-oriented student organization, the Association for Social and Behavioral Sciences. Members spend time at Boys and Girls Clubs, The Teen Shelter, and raise money for charitable causes.
We also have a chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the international honor society for sociology majors and minors.
Graduates in Sociology from Midwestern State University are attending graduate school in sociology, working in human resource work, working as pharmaceutical representatives, working as financial planners, working in for profit and non-profit organizations, working in colleges and universities, serving as youth ministers and pastors, working in social service agencies, and in mental health services, working in law enforcement, working in business and management positions, working as elementary and secondary teachers (with teacher certification), medical equipment sales, and in adoption agencies, etc.
A degree in sociology can lead to employment opportunities in all of the following areas:
- Criminal Justice – in corrections, probation and parole system, law enforcement.
- Business – advertising, market and consumer research, insurance, real estate, human resources, leadership training, management of non-profit organizations, sales.
- Education – colleges and universities in admissions, alumni relations, or placement offices, educational research, teaching in elementary and secondary schools, in conjunction with appropriate teacher certification.
- Publishing, Journalism, and Public Relations – In writing, research, and editing, research firms, evaluation research, public opinion research, governmental and regional planning departments.
- Health Services – in family planning, substance abuse, rehabilitation counseling, health planning, hospital admission, and insurance companies
- Government Services – in federal, state, and local government jobs in such areas as transportation, housing, agriculture, labor, policy analysis, homeland security, Census Bureau and other federal agencies.
- Advocacy – environmental, child welfare, national policies, victims’ rights.
- Communications – technical writing, newspaper and magazine reporting, public relations.
Marketable Skills Learned From Sociology
The following are functional and transferable skills that major corporations and small businesses value in job applicants:
- Communicate Skillfully – Learn how to convey your ideas effectively in writing and presentations.. The ability to express oneself in a clear, concise, and meaningful manner.
- Analytical Skills – particularly problem-solving and sharp, critical thinking as well as the ability to analyze, synthesize, and interpret information.
- Research Skills – including the ability to define a problem or research a question, design a study to find answers, and make recommendations based on the findings.
- Interpersonal Skills – including the ability to share leadership and responsibility, work cooperatively, and get along with coworkers and clients. Employers seek graduates who can work on task forces and self-managed task teams, but are also capable of initiating and pursuing a project independently.
- Leadership skills – the ability to help others adapt to changing priorities of an organization and who can anticipate change are highly valued skills.
- Gain a Global Perspective – especially regarding racial, ethnic, gender, and social class differences in values, perceptions and approaches to work. Employers need workers who can understand and operate within the context of cultural and other diversities. Corporations increasingly seek employees who possess a global perspective, have a high degree of intercultural awareness, and are free of traditional stereotypes.
- Prepare for Graduate School – An undergraduate major in sociology provides an excellent foundation for graduate study in a wide range of fields including law, business, social work, medicine, public health, public administration and, of course sociology. Sociology provides a rich fund of knowledge that directly pertains to each of these fields.
Reference:
American Sociological Association: Sociology a 21st Century Major:
http://www.asanet.org/students/majoring_sociology.cfm
What do Employers Really Want: Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers by Hansen, and Hansen.
http://www.physics.emory.edu/faculty/roth/careerskills/soft_skills.pdf