Our Bachelor of Arts in Sociology Online Degree Completion Program is a research-driven academic community that focuses on understanding and solving community issues. You’ll receive a well-rounded liberal arts education with strong transferable skills that you can use to embark on a number of career paths

Please note that we're offering this program online for the first time, and it's pending the approval of the Chancellor’s Office. If you're interested in applying, please fill out an interest form, and we'll notify you as soon as applications are open.

Our Bachelor of Arts in Sociology Online Degree Completion Program is a research-driven academic community that focuses on understanding and solving community issues. You’ll receive a well-rounded liberal arts education with strong transferable skills that you can use to embark on a number of career paths.

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About the program

Sociology is the study of how members of a society interact with one another. From countries, states, and bustling cities to our own neighborhoods and academic communities, studying human structures and social systems of all sizes is the key to building stronger, empowered societies. Understanding the social, historical, and cultural forces that inform and influence society is freeing, for it shows us how to act and change the forces we find dehumanizing in our own communities.

If you’re interested in empowering your community, our Bachelor of Arts in Sociology online degree program can help you learn the skills you need to understand how societies function, and how we can work together to improve them. This two-year online degree program is specifically designed to make higher education more accessible for all types of learners. Whether you’re interested in changing your career or enhancing your current one, or you’re entering the job market for the first time, our online Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree completion program can help you achieve your professional goals.

Estimated Cost Estimated Cost
$22,500-$27,000
Completion Time Min. Completion Time
2 Years
Course Format Course Format
Online

Program is perfect for...

Like many liberal arts degrees, earning an online sociology degree from SDSU World Campus can help you launch a career in many fields by building a variety of “crossover skills.” You can readily apply these skills to a wide range of occupations and careers in areas including research, education, business, community, corrections, health, and social service. Upon graduation, many of our students also decide to use the knowledge they’ve acquired to continue their education by applying to graduate school, law school, or other master’s degree programs.

For those interested in studying sociology, our online program gives you the opportunity to earn a valuable degree from SDSU without putting your professional life on hold. Whether you’re currently working and interested in attaining a degree to enhance your existing career, or you have other commitments and responsibilities, our online coursework is designed to work with your busy schedule. Best of all, upon graduation, you’ll earn the same degree, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Major in Sociology from San Diego State University, as our on-campus students.

What you can learn

Our online sociology program will teach you to:

  1. Learn the range of sociological concepts, theories and reasoning, including the capacity to compare and interpret theories, deconstruct specific texts and critically reflect upon the conceptual foundation of the discipline.
  2. Comprehend the interrelatedness and distinctiveness of social institutions, structures, social inequalities, and social justice.
  3. Apply research methods in sociology, including principles and procedures used in different types of sociological analyses.
  4. Demonstrate critical thinking by applying sociological imagination to the analyses of and/or engagement with contemporary social issues.

The focus of our curriculum is on community issues. Communities consist of networks of personal relationships that underlie the large scale organizational and institutional structures that constitute societies. These social ties constitute the power resources — or “social capital” — through which things get done. They provide a kind of interpersonal glue that creates social cohesion and enables people within organizations and institutions to form coalitions, initiate processes for social change, and consolidate power resources in seeking to change social structure.

You’ll learn about broader topics like social psychology and social theories, and how collective behavior is informed by individual beliefs and emotions. You’ll also focus on larger-scale topics, such as the development and consequences of different structural arrangements in societies, often classified as institutions. You’ll focus on the unique attributes that influence and inform societies, such as gender, ethnicity, religion, wealth and status, national identity, and transnationality.

Like many liberal arts programs, you’ll learn skills that can be transferred to many different job settings. Such skills include a knowledge of the workings of society, the ability to analyze social problems and to communicate these analyses to others, and interpersonal relations. You’ll also hone your written and verbal communication skills, research methods, and analytical techniques.

You’ll learn about these topics in dynamic virtual classrooms led by experienced instructors from SDSU’s Sociology Department. Our faculty and lecturers perform cutting-edge research on a variety of sociological issues, and they bring their extensive research experience to every lesson, turning the classroom into a forum for constructive group discussion, personal growth, and practical education.

Outcomes

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook for our graduates is bright. Job postings seeking individuals with the skills you’ll learn in an undergraduate sociology degree program topped 1.2 million over the past year, and that’s expected to grow by nearly 8% over the next decade. Salaries for individuals holding a Bachelor’s in Sociology currently range between $35,000–$80,000 per year, much higher than the predicted salary for an individual holding an associate’s degree ($25,000–$50,000).

Labor Analysis
BS in Sociology Graduate — Nationwide

Job Postings
Job Postings
Last 12 months
1,255,310

Projected Growth
Projected Growth
Over 10 years
+7.80%

Salary Range
Salary Range
Average
$35,000-$80,000


Source: BLS & Burning Glass Technologies, 2020

Why Should You Choose Us?

Responsive

As a student of our online sociology program, you’ll focus on community issues. In addition to traditional sociological topics, our curriculum explores the problems facing societies across the globe, including immigration, racism, police brutality, and nationalism, and examines the many potential solutions to these problems.

Accessibility

There are millions of adults across the country who finished some college courses, but never earned a degree or credential. Many of these adults work full-time or part-time jobs. Some have families to take care of. For whatever reason, life got in the way of your degree. Our online sociology degree program provides you with an opportunity to attain a high-quality liberal arts education from a reputable university without putting your life on hold.

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In order to earn a B.A. in Sociology Degree, you must complete the following:

  • 18 Units of Core Courses
  • 12 Units of Elective Courses
  • 3-6 Writing Proficiency Units (if applicable)
  • 9 General Education Exploration Units

Upper Division Courses (Complete 18 Units Total)

Complete all three

Courses FALL
'20
SPRING
'21
SUMMER
'21
FALL
'21
SOC 301. Social Research Methods
Units: 3
0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44 5/55-6/66
SOC 401. Classical Social Theory
Units: 3
0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44 5/55-6/66
SOC 403. Contemporary Social Theory
Units: 3
0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44 5/55-6/66

Choose one of the following

Courses Units FALL '20 SPRING '21
SOC 406. Intermediate Social Statistics 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44
SOC 407. Survey and Experimental Research Methods 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44
SOC 408. Qualitative Research Methods 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44

Choose one of the following

Courses Units FALL '20 SPRING '21
SOC 433. Wealth, Status, and Power 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44
SOC 455. Sociology of Intersectionality 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44

Choose one of the following

Courses Units FALL '20 SPRING '21
SOC 457. Protests, Reforms, and Revolutions 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44
SOC 458. Nonviolence, Peace, and Social Change 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44
SOC 459. The American Labor Movement 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44

Upper Division Sociology Electives (12 Units)

Upper division Sociology electives in the online degree completion program will be selected from the SDSU catalog of approved electives by the Sociology department chair and World Campus each term, based on student interest, faculty availability, and those most appropriate for online delivery.

General Education Explorations Courses (9 Units)

Students will select among the Explorations courses offered in an online modality through SDSU World Campus.

Writing Proficiency Requirements (3-6 Units)

Additional Courses

Courses Units FALL '20 SPRING '21
RWS 305W: Writing in Various Settings 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44
RWS 280: Academic Reading & Writing 3 0/00-2/22 3/33-4/44

 
[Or do we list the courses instead?]

Upper Division Courses (Complete 18 Units Total)

Complete all three:

SOC 301. Social Research Methods (3)
SOC 401. Classical Social Theory (3)
SOC 403. Contemporary Social Theory (3)

Choose one of the following:

SOC 406. Intermediate Social Statistics (3) or
SOC 407. Survey and Experimental Research Methods (3) or
SOC 408. Qualitative Research Methods (3)

Choose one of the following:

SOC 433. Wealth, Status, and Power (3) or
SOC 455. Sociology of Intersectionality (3)

Choose one of the following:

SOC 457. Protests, Reforms, and Revolutions (3) or
SOC 458. Nonviolence, Peace, and Social Change (3) or
SOC 459. The American Labor Movement (3)

Upper Division Sociology Electives (12 Units)

Upper division Sociology electives in the online degree completion program will be selected from the SDSU catalog of approved electives by the Sociology department chair and World Campus each term, based on student interest, faculty availability, and those most appropriate for online delivery.

General Education Explorations Courses (9 Units)

Students will select among the Explorations courses offered in an online modality through SDSU World Campus.

Writing Proficiency Requirements (3-6 Units)

Additional Courses

RWS 305W: Writing in Various Settings (3 units)
RWS 280: Academic Reading & Writing (3 units)

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Admission Requirements

To be fully qualified for admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology Online Degree Completion Program you must:

  • Have a minimum of 60 transferable semester (or 90 quarter) units by the end of the fall term prior to spring transfer and the end of the spring term prior to fall transfer, including:
    • 9 Lower Division Prep Course Units completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better
      • Sociology 101
      • Sociology 102
      • Sociology 201
        NOTE: Statistics 119 or 250, or Biology 215, will be accepted in lieu of Sociology 201
        These courses cannot be taken for credit/no credit (Cr/NC)
    • A minimum of 30 Units of General Education Courses
    • The Golden Four Requirement, which includes:
      • Oral Communication — complete a basic public speaking course or other communication course with a grade of "C-" or higher in at least 3 semester (or 4 quarter) units
      • Written Communication — complete a freshman composition course that emphasizes essay writing or reading and writing concurrently with a grade of "C-" or higher in at least 3 semester (or 4 quarter) units
      • Critical Thinking — complete a mathematics course above the level of intermediate algebra with a grade of "C-" or higher in at least 3 semester (or 4 quarter) units
      • Mathematics — complete a mathematics course above the level of intermediate algebra with a grade of "C-" or higher in at least 3 semester (or 4 quarter) units
  • Have an overall 2.5+ GPA
  • Complete the American Institutions requirement
  • Satisfy the CSU mathematics and writing requirements
  • Passed the Writing Placement Assessment with a score of 10, or completed an approved upper division writing course with a grade of C (2.0) or better (to be completed in your first semester once admitted to the program)

Application Instructions

To apply for our program, please complete an application through Cal State Apply.

A $70 nonrefundable application fee is required of all applicants at the time of application.

Admission decisions are initially based on self-reported information provided via Cal State Apply. You must provide complete and accurate information on your application. Any misreporting will jeopardize an admission offer.

Please do not send your official transcripts unless you are offered admission.

For more detailed admission requirements and other application information, please consult our Transfer Admissions Information.

Cost

$22,500-$27,000

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Contact Information

To contact our Student Service Coordinator, please call (619) 594-3946.