Sociology is the study of group life. As a social science, it combines scientific and humanistic perspectives in the study of urban and rural life, family patterns and relationships, social change, inter-group relations, social class, environment, technology and communications, health care and illness, social movements, community responses to disasters, and pressing contemporary social issues.

Sociology is a valuable liberal arts major for students planning careers in a wide variety of fields including social research, criminology, demography, social psychology, public administration, gerontology, education, rehabilitation, social work, and market research. It provides a useful background for those planning to enter law, business, medicine, community planning, architecture, and politics. In many professional schools, sociology courses are part of the requirements.

Persons holding a Bachelor's degree in sociology are frequently employed in the helping professions, in business and in various public sector positions, especially those dealing with social programs and their implementation. Usually, they are not employed in jobs with the title "sociologist," since that title requires graduate training.

Employment opportunities for those with Bachelor’s degrees in sociology include entry-level positions in the following areas: administration, advertising, banking, counseling (family planning, career, substance abuse, and so forth), community planning, health services, journalism, group and recreation work, services and social research.

Sociology is a liberal arts major with an advantage. In addition to knowledge in specific course areas such as sociology of families, communities, and organizations, you will learn social research design, statistics, and data analysis. These will be useful to you as you enter the job market. Excerpted from Careers in Sociology, American Sociological Association