*Admissions and internal transfers into this program have been paused
D’Youville University offers a dynamic and flexible B.A. program in sociology. This program provides students with a strong foundation of sociological knowledge that is valuable in any career requiring critical thinking and thoughtful understanding. In addition, the curriculum is designed to provide the student with ongoing guidance in the establishment and attainment of professional goals. The student will be well prepared to gain employment or admission to graduate programs in sociology or related fields.
All sociology majors complete the Nuts and Bolts cluster of courses. These courses are the defining features of a major in the social sciences and include an introduction to the field of sociology, statistics and research methods, and a two-course sequence of professions seminars, internships and senior seminars. Students choose internship placements that are consistent with their goals and interests and approved by the Internship Coordinator. Students will spend a minimum of approximately 15 hours per week in internship-related activities. In the co-requisite senior seminar, students discuss issues pertaining to their internship experiences and professional development (e.g., ethics, supervision, cultural diversity, applying to graduate school) that culminates in the development of a senior paper. The senior experience is designed to enhance the student's studies in sociology, career development and preparation for graduate study or vocational placement.
In addition to these Nuts and Bolts courses, sociology majors are required to complete four courses each from two additional course clusters. These clusters are organized as specific areas of interest within the field of sociology. This curriculum design allows students the freedom to create their own pathway through the major that supports their professional goals. Students interested in a broader education in sociology can create their own course cluster by taking one sociology course from each of four course clusters. Course clusters include:
- Medical Sociology
- Stratification and Inequality
- Activism and Social Justice
- Social Institutions
- Law, the Person, and Society
- Media, the Person, and Society
- Work, the Person, and Society
Sociology Minor
The sociology minor is designed to enhance a student’s academic experience, foster social awareness, and provide a supportive context for those planning to pursue careers in any field that involves social interaction. Students wishing to minor in sociology must complete 15 credits. Students are required to complete either Principles of Sociology (SOC-101) or Social Problems (SOC-201), as well as four additional three-credit sociology electives at any level.
Medical Sociology Minor
The medical sociology minor is designed to broaden a student's understanding of the social implications of health and health care in contemporary society. This minor will strengthen the qualifications of any student pursuing a career in a medical or health-related field. Students wishing to minor in medical sociology must complete 15 credits. Students are required to complete the following courses: Health, Illness and Society (SOC-222), Sociology of Disability and Rehabilitation (SOC-309), Health Disparities (SOC-313), and Social Epidemiology (SOC-400), as well as one additional three-credit sociology elective at any level.
Academic Standards
Academic regulations for sociology are in addition to general university policies for all part-time and full-time students. Part-time and full-time students must meet all the academic regulations listed below.
- Grade and G.P.A. requirements
- Sociology major academic requirements:
- Students must maintain a semester and cumulative average of a minimum of 2.0.
- Students must maintain a minimum grade of C in courses required for the major. Such courses include the Nuts & Bolts foundation courses (SOS courses and SOC 101).
- Students who fail to meet these requirements are placed on program probation for one semester.
- Students are permitted to repeat a course once. Permission to repeat a course must be obtained from the faculty in that course on a space-available basis.
- Sociology elective academic requirements
- Students in the major must achieve a C or better in sociology cluster elective cluster courses that are applied to requirements in the major.
- Students in the major earning less than a C in sociology cluster elective courses may:
- Not apply those courses with less than a C to the major requirements
- Choose to repeat the course when it is next offered in order to obtain a C or better
- Choose to take a different elective to apply towards the cluster requirements in the major. In such circumstances, the student cannot apply the elective course graded below C towards the cluster in the major but may be able to apply it towards the general education elective requirements if they achieved a passing grade in the course.
- Probationary standing:
- Students who are placed on program probation have the following limitations and conditions:
- Students will be limited to no more than 13 credit hours per semester.
- Students must schedule and attend a meeting with their academic mentor within the first 3 weeks of the semester while on academic probation. The purpose of this meeting is to establish a collaborative remediation plan.
- Students will be placed on academic probation for one full-time semester, during which time they must fulfill the conditions of probation and achieve the grade and GPA requirements for the major. Students who do not fulfill the conditions of probation or achieve the grade and GPA requirements for the major may have their probationary standing extended one semester. After two consecutive semesters on probation, students that have not fulfilled the conditions of probation or achieved the grade and GPA requirements for the major may be required to take a leave of absence or may be dismissed from the program. Probation may be permitted to continue beyond two semesters only under extraordinary circumstances.
- Students on academic probation must have the permission of the social sciences internship coordinator to be eligible to register for Internship I (SOS 401)/Senior Seminar I (SOS 402) or Internship II (SOS 403)/Senior Seminar II (SOS 404). In order to obtain this permission, students must demonstrate the ability to meet academic and professional standards of the program required for the internship experience.
- Previously dismissed students who re-apply and are re-accepted into the program will be placed on program probation for their returning first full-time semester.
Admission Requirements
Freshman Admission
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- A high school average of at least 80 percent.
Transfer Admission
Students must have a minimum G.P.A. of 2.00. Transfer credits will be determined on a case-by-case basis to assess adaptability to curriculum requirements.