Sociology is gaining in popularity at colleges and universities across America. This phenomenon may be attributable, in part, to increasing concern for the human and natural environment in which we live. It is also in response to the demands of the marketplace for employees who are knowledgeable about applied social research methodology, themselves, and the society in which they live.

Few fields of study are as responsive to changes taking place in the human community as is sociology. Courses on social change, social movements, the changing family, aging, crime, and a myriad of social problems facing modern society are testimony to the sociologists concern with the human community. 

The social world in which humans live is far from static. It is constantly changing. The college graduate prepared to face such changes, who has completed a course of study which contemplates the shape of society tomorrow, should be in good shape for dealing with the world today.

Some job counselors suggest that using a college or university education to prepare for a specific job may undermine a student's eventual success in the job market. The demands of the job market are ever changing. 

The job which is in demand today is obsolete tomorrow, or is downgraded to a low-paying low-status effort. For this reason, many counselors suggest that students double-major. If work in one field changes, there is another area in which the student can compete.

The knowledge and skills gained in Sociology are applicable to a wide variety of jobs, many of which are clearly identified in Appendix A and in "Careers in Sociology" (at the Reserve Desk in Meyer Library or at Kinko's). 

This web site has already outlined the knowledge a sociology student should obtain. Perhaps a few of the skills which will be learned should also be highlighted. The following are among the more important and obvious skills a sociology student should acquire.

Organizational Skills:
Sociology students are required to write a Bachelor's paper in SOC 495. This exercise requires that students organize their thoughts and present them in a concise and easily understood manner. The kind of thinking required to organize ones thoughts is also emphasized in the methodology and statistics courses our students take.

Writing and Oral Communication Skills:
As mentioned above, writing is a part of the sociology curriculum. Throughout all of the sociology courses, either written or oral communication, or both, are a necessary part of the student's classroom performance. In addition, the university's General Education Requirements in English and communications are designed to foster good writing and oral techniques of communication.

Research Methods and Knowledge of Statistics:
Two of the courses in the Core of the Sociology program introduce students to the various research methods used in our field and the ways in which the findings may be analyzed statistically. Knowledge of such matters is of value to both the private and public employer. The university's General Education Requirement for mathematics is an additional asset for the student.