Sociology

Program Description

Career advancement in an increasingly diverse global society requires the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with people from different cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, and social backgrounds. A sociology degree serves as an excellent springboard for a variety of careers in diverse fields in business, industry, and organizations. Sociologists study social life, social change, diverse communities and their interactions, and they use scientific methods to find empirical answers to complex social questions. Studying sociology can help foster your creativity, innovation, critical thinking, analytic problem solving, and communication skills.

As an AUM Sociology major, you will examine such topics as the causes of social inequality, the social factors that influence human behavior and the diversity of cultural practices. You willbe trained to think critically, conduct rigorous research, and understand different points of view — all skills valued by today’s employers in a variety of fields. The American Sociological Association has identified these employment sectors:

• Business
• Community Services
• Health Services
• Higher Education
• Law
• Publishing
• Social Services
• Teaching

As a Sociology major at AUM, you will receive individualized attention to mold your education in line with your interests and passions. We offer a variety of courses and experiential learning opportunities that promote community engagement and help you market your skills for a career or graduate school. Students are also encouraged to perform an internship or volunteer for a local nonprofit organization.

Since Montgomery is known for its Civil Rights history and is home to many social justice groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Equal Justice Initiative, we provide students with the perfect backdrop to study social inequality, peace and justice, and ways to bring about social change.

• The AUM Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Department’s students regularly participate in annual meetings of the Alabama-Mississippi Sociological Association, the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, and other conferences of regional professional organizations. Some students have even presented their own research.
• The department’s professors regularly publish highly regarded research reflecting the expertise in their fields. The specific subjects we specialize in include sociology of families, religion, and education, as well as urban sociology, archaeology, and social work. Our professors bring this expertise into the classroom every day.

Note: While salaries vary depending on several factors including your level of experience, education and training, and geography and industry, here is a sampling of the future job growth and salaries nationally.

Community and social service occupations include social workers, counselors, and religious workers. Employment of community and social service occupations is projected to grow 11 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 306,200 jobs. Most projected new jobs in this occupational group are in counselor and social worker occupations, as their services will continue to be needed in areas such as drug abuse counseling, rehabilitation counseling, and school and career counseling. The median annual wage for community and social service occupations was $44,960 in May 2018, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $38,640.

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Auburn University at Montgomery
Liberal Arts 331
334-244-3378
soc.anth.sw@aum.edu

• Madison Hinton is in the Ph.D. program in Sociology at Mississippi State University.
• Nicole Garrett is the Family Preservation and Reunification Services Director at KVC Behavioral Healthcare in Lexington, KY.
• Jalana Johnson is a Mental Health Counselor at the Alabama Clinical Schools.

The course listings below are a representation of what this academic program requires. For a full review of this program in detail please see our official online catalog AND consult with an academic advisor. This listing does not include the core curriculum courses required for all majors and may not include some program-specific information, such as admissions, retention and termination standards.