Department Website
Program Description
The discipline of sociology and the sociology major at NYU examine how our individual lives are embedded in families, groups and social networks, neighborhoods and schools, and organizations and institutions. Sociologists focus on the ways in which our own biographies are influenced and constrained by broader social, political, and economic forces which can be very localized, but are increasingly global in scale.
We study sociology to understand the social world and to create change that will make it a better place. It is a discipline that gives students the tools to think critically about public issues of the day and to analyze many different kinds of evidence about the world that surrounds us. It pushes students to see the world differently, and to look beyond individuals to see the ways in which power, inequality, and social hierarchies operate beneath the surface of everyday life.
Honors Program
Students with at least a 3.65 GPA both overall and in the major (or who have permission of the director of undergraduate studies) may elect to participate in our honors program.
In the fall of senior year, honors students register for the first term of SOC-UA 950 Senior Honors Research Seminar to develop and structure their research projects. The faculty member teaching the course assists students in finding faculty thesis advisers. In the spring of senior year, honors students take the second term of SOC-UA 951 Senior Honors Research Seminar and work under the supervision of their selected adviser. The second semester of SOC-UA 951 Senior Honors Research Seminar counts as one of the required elective courses for the major.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
The major requirements (36 credits) must be completed with a grade of C or better.
Course List
Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 4 |
EXPOS-UA 1 | Writing The Essay: | 4 |
1 | 16 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
SOC-UA 1 | Intro to Sociology | 4 |
SOC-UA 111 | Sociological Theory | 4 |
SOC-UA 301 | Research Methods | 4 |
SOC-UA 302 | Statistics for Social Research | 4 |
2 | 4-8 |
SOC-UA 940 | | |
| Seminar: |
| Senior Honors Research Seminar and Senior Honors Research Seminar 3 | |
4 | 16 |
| 48 |
Total Credits | 128 |
Graduate Courses Open to Undergraduates
Under special circumstances, courses offered in the sociology graduate program are open to qualified sociology majors with the permission of the instructor. These can substitute for required sociology elective courses for majors or minors.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:
- An understanding of key concepts in the field of sociology, including class, status, capitalism, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, culture, power, stratification, rationalization, anomie, alienation, etc.
- An understanding of the key ideas of leading sociological theorists, including Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Du Bois, and others.
- Knowledge of the ways in which the field of sociology complements or intersects with other scholarly disciplines.
- The ability to analyze data and employ both qualitative methods (ethnography, interviewing, archival research, and experiments) and statistical methods to conduct rigorous investigations of a wide range of social institutions and phenomena.
- Expertise in one particular area of sociological inquiry, leading to a senior capstone (or honors) research paper.
Policies
Major Policies
Advanced Placement or other advanced standing credit in statistics does not satisfy the required course SOC-UA 302 Statistics for Social Research. This policy applies to students who matriculate in CAS in and after fall, 2020.
Policy Applying to Transfer Students
Of the nine courses required for the major, transfer students must take at least five (20 credits) in the College of Arts and Science.
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
College of Arts and Science Policies
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.