A degree that stands the test of time
There’s no denying it — humans are social. Whether you’re fascinated by social institutions like work and marriage or outraged by ingrained systems of inequality, the Eckerd College Sociology major is your chance to get to the bottom of it. Graduates leave our Florida campus for grad school and careers in law and justice, research and data analysis, public health, social work, and business.
Only@Eckerd
Better preparation for grad school
Compared to large schools where introductory classes often have hundreds of students, Eckerd’s small size means you’ll get extensive training in both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Not only will you have the chance to help professors with cutting-edge research — on topics like time and temporal experience, art and culture in urban areas, and sexualities and gender — you can also design your own research study.
In Their Own Words
“The sociology faculty are gifted scholars with wide-ranging interests. More importantly, they are caring instructors and mentors who encouraged my growth and the development of skills which directly shaped the trajectory of my career path after Eckerd. I was able to gain sociological research experience as an undergraduate student, which has been useful for my graduate career. The relationships with faculty that I was able to build continue to impact me. My mentors still share in my joy when I accomplish something, and I still reach out to them for advice and support.”
— Savannah Bastian, Class of 2019, sociology Ph.D. student at Vanderbilt University
Beyond the Classroom
In addition to internships in various law offices and on political campaigns, our Sociology majors have interned with:
- Art galleries
- NOAA’s Performance, Risk and Social Science Office
- PARC, a facility for intellectually disabled adults
Two students are currently working as editorial interns for a sociological research journal published in Romania.
One good way to gain the kind of skills grad schools like is to help your college professors with their research. At Eckerd, you can apply for student research assistantships on topics like:
- Gentrification and urban planning
- LGBT issues
- The study of time and temporal experience
Sociology students regularly spend the three-week Winter Term or an entire semester at the Eckerd College London Study Center. Others have studied abroad as exchange students in Spain, Chile and Malta.
Study Abroad Pics on FlickrAll students are asked to take at least one designated Reflective Service Learning course, which includes at least 20 hours of service, before graduation, either on campus or internationally.
Service Pics on FlickrPopular classes
Deviance
Take a tour of sociological research on deviance, which is understood as the interaction between those doing something and others who feel offended or threatened by what they are doing. Learn how societies and social groups come to view behaviors as either deviant or conventional.
Sex and society
This class is a deep dive into how society shapes our sexual behaviors, desires and identities. Topics include LGBT issues, hook-up culture, kink, intersectionality, schools, the law, the media and sex work.
Outcomes
What can I do with a sociology degree?
- Crime scene investigator
- Data analyst
- Detective
- District attorney
- FBI field agent
- Health sciences grant administrator
- Lawyer
- Marketing and public relations specialist
- Police officer
- Private investigator
- Professor of sociology
- Professor of criminology
- Social worker
- Substance abuse counselors
- Youth program coordinator
Where our sociology majors go to graduate school
- Ave Maria School Of Law
- Broward College
- Chicago School Of Professional Psychology at Irvine
- Drake University
- Emory University
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- Harvard University
- Lynn University
- Marymount University
- National University
- North Carolina State University
- Saint John’s University
- St. Edwards University
- St. Petersburg College
- Stetson University
- Teachers College, Columbia University
- The University Of Memphis
- University Of California Irvine
- University Of Central Florida
- University Of Colorado Denver
- University Of Hawaii
- University Of Houston
- University Of Massachusetts Amherst
- University Of New Hampshire
- University Of San Diego
- University Of South Florida
- University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Valdosta State University
- Vanderbilt University
- Washington State University
Where our sociology majors go to work
- American Financial Group
- Association for Children’s Mental Health
- Atlanta Community Food Bank
- Brown Rountree Attorneys at Law
- City of Boulder Police Department
- Commercial Capital Corporation
- Council Of Europe
- Delta Air Lines
- Dreamworks Animation
- Easter Seals
- Edward Jones
- First Advantage Investigative Services
- General Dynamics
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources
- Gwinnett Family & Health Services
- Jabil
- Kansas City Hospice
- Massmutual
- Minnesota Symphony Orchestra
- N.Y. Police Department
- Peoplescout
- T. Rowe Price
- Tech Data
- TechLaw, Inc.
- TEKsystems
- U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
- U.S. Department of Commerce – NOAA Enforcement
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U. S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. Department Of Agriculture
- U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
- U.S. Postal Service
- U.S. Secret Service
- U.S. Social Security Administration
- Xerox Corporation
