Sociology Jobs

This area provides information on sociology jobs, their duties and tasks as well educational requirements.

Our world is ever changing and especially so over the past century. We are in a time of rapid technological advances that impact the way we communicate with others, care for health concerns, and interact with the world around us. The Internet, cloning, space exploration, and other emerging issues make this an interesting time to be a sociologist.

What is Sociology?

Sociology is a branch of philosophy which studies society and the world in which we live. Sociologists look at how people interact and organize themselves. They may study emerging trends, sub cultures, certain demographic groups, social problems such as poverty, birth control, gangs, or domestic violence, or how and why people make certain life choices. Sociologists are concerned with family patterns, social class, health care, and social change.

A large list of careers draw on different aspects of sociology, however, only those with graduate and PhDs in the field hold the title of Sociologists. An official sociologist typically works in research or education.

Duties & Tasks

Throughout the course of their daily activities, a sociologist may:

Plan, develop, and test ways to collect data.

Observe and interview groups to identify problems, gather information and devise solutions.

Conduct studies and evaluate data on social groups, organizations and institutions.

Develop ways to intervene and solve the problems of groups, based on the results of

studies.

Prepare publications and reports that describe studies and their results.

Interpret data and discuss results with colleagues.

Interact and educate government and business leaders who deal with social issues.

Educational Requirements for Sociology Careers

The level of education required for a career in sociology depends on the type of work you wish to pursue. An undergraduate degree will qualify you for many entry-level jobs in careers that utilize knowledge of social issues. Some of these include counseling, corrections, and social services. A bachelor’s degree is also an excellent preparation for advanced work in education, social work, public health, religion, and law. A sociologist may choose to specialize in a particular area such as family, diversity and ethnic relations, or gerontology. Some of the areas covered throughout a sociology course could include:

Principles of sociology

Statistics and social research

Contemporary social thought

Development of sociological theory

Gender and society

Race and ethnicity

Sociology of deviant behavior

Social movements

Sociological issues in education

Wealth and poverty

Contemporary social thought

Cultural anthropology

Sociology Career Areas

In addition to research and education, sociologists with advanced degrees can be found in many categories of industry including business, social service, criminal justice, and government. They work as research analysts, survey researchers, urban planners, demographers, policy developer and community planners.

Related Careers

Those with 4-year degrees will qualify for employment in a wide variety of careers. Some of those that are closely related include:

Census & population

Corrections & criminal justice

Human Services

Public relations

Management training programs

Youth Services

Mental Health

Personnel officers

Sociology News

Relationships

Reference Sites - of at least 3