About

Are you interested in learning about our society, the social arrangements within which we live our lives, the diversity of marriages/families, law and criminal justice system, medicine, politics, economics, race, gender, and sexuality? Are you open to majoring in a field that would give you the freedom to explore multiple career paths?

As a sociology major, you will have the opportunity to choose from several concentrations: applied social research (emphasizes skills in collecting and analyzing social data for practical purposes); marriage and family (emphasizes diversity in marriages/families, functions/problems/changes in marriages/families); law and society (designed for students interested in the legal profession and the creation and application of law); and social diversity (emphasizes awareness and appreciation of social differences in society).

Sociologists study social change, diverse populations and their interactions, and use scientific methods to find answers to complex questions. Majoring in sociology can help you learn skills needed to succeed in the 21st century including but not limited to: critical thinking, analytic problem solving, communication, collaboration, multi-cultural and global understandings, innovation, creativity, and excellent written communication. More than any other discipline, sociology is a meeting place of the social sciences, combining its own ideas and methods with insights from other disciplines in examining the ways societies succeed and/or fail.

ECU Advantage

The sociology department takes pride in its advising system, which allows for personal attention to students, guiding each along the way to his/her ultimate career path. It also affords substantial access to faculty and administrators and flexibility in meeting individual, intellectual agendas. Sociology teaches skills employers want and demand in the 21st century.

Internship programs offer course credit for research within community organizations, city agencies, and research institutions, placing students in real communities dealing with real problems.

The Department of Sociology at ECU has a diverse faculty. It has particular strengths in research methods, economic sociology, migration, marriage and family, sociology of health, aging, sociological theory, social movements, sociology of sport, social psychology, cultural sociology, inequality, gender and work.

Our sociology graduates go on to a variety of occupations, both professional and academic, including work in the criminal justice system, social service agencies, business, research, and non-profit organizations. Our graduates have also gone on to advanced study in sociology, marriage and family counseling, social work, psychology, medicine, and law.

As an ECU student, you can research your future career in Steppingblocks. Explore real-world stats about your major, your interests, and your dream job title with data-powered career exploration tools designed for doers like you.

What You Will Study

Program Coordinator: Melinda D. Kane (404-A Brewster; 252-737-2478; kanem@ecu.edu)

Sociology majors must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in SOCI 2110. A maximum of 9 s.h. of research (SOCI 4510), readings (SOCI 4521-4523), and internship (SOCI 4950, SOCI 4951) may count towards this degree.

The degree requires a minimum of 120 s.h. as follows:

1. General education requirements including one of those listed below - 40 s.h.

(For information about courses that carry general education credit view the General Education Program section.)

  • COMM 2410 - Public Speaking OR
  • PHIL 1180 - Introduction to Critical Reasoning OR
  • PHIL 2275 - Professional Ethics
2. Common core - 31 s.h.
  • SOCI 1100 - Sociological Pathways
  • SOCI 2110 - Introduction to Sociology
  • SOCI 3213 - Methods of Research

  • SOCI 3215 - Qualitative Research Methods OR
  • SOCI 4201 - Advanced Techniques in Applied Research

  • SOCI 3216 - Introduction to Social Statistics
  • SOCI 4385 - Theoretical Perspectives and Applications
  • SOCI 4800 - Senior Seminar
  • Choose 15 s.h. of SOCI electives (at least 9 s.h. must be above the 1999 level)
3. Minor or concentration area - at least 18 s.h.

Students may elect to take a minor in another discipline or one of the three areas of concentration listed below. The minor or area of concentration is to be a program of study appropriate for applied sociology and the long-term objectives of the student. A course cannot simultaneously count for the area of concentration and for the required sociology courses. Only 6 s.h. may count in both the health and society concentration and either the medical humanities minor or the gerontology minor. 

    Crime, Law, and Deviance (18 s.h.)
    • SOCI 2220 - Sociology of Deviant Behavior
      • Choose 15 s.h., including at least two disciplines other than sociology, from the following courses:
      • FINA 2244 - Legal Environment of Business
      • CRIM 1000 - Introduction to Criminal Justice
      • CRIM 3500 - Principles of Criminal Law
      • PHIL 1180 - Introduction to Critical Reasoning
      • PHIL 1500 - Introduction to Logic
      • PHIL 2275 - Professional Ethics
      • PHIL 2282 - Philosophy of Law
      • POLS 3204 - The American Judiciary
      • POLS 3223 - Constitutional Powers
      • POLS 3224 - Civil Liberties
      • POLS 4175 - Legal Negotiation and Analysis
      • SOCI 3330 - Criminology
      • SOCI 3620 - Gender and Sexuality Based Violence: A Sociological Analysis
      • SOCI 4320 - Sociology of Law
      • SOCI 4322 - Law and Social Change
      • SOCI 4360 - Sociology of Protest and Activism
      • SOCI 4950 - Internship in Sociology
      • SOCI 5300 - Seminar in Juvenile Delinquency
    Health and Society (18 s.h.)
    • SOCI 3327 - Medical Sociology
      • Choose 15 s.h., including at least two disciplines other than sociology, from the following courses:
      • ADRE 2003 - Introduction to Substance Use and Misuse
      • ANTH 3027 - Human Diseases and Ancient Environments
      • ANTH 3252 - Medical Anthropology
      • EHST 2110 - Introduction to Environmental Health Sciences
      • HDFS 2400 - Introduction to Gerontology
      • HIMA 3000 - Medical Terminology for Health Professionals
      • HLTH 3002 - Women's Health Across the Lifespan

      • HLTH 3020 - Understanding and Achieving Health Equity OR
      • HLTH 3025 - LGBT Population Health and Disparities

      • IRHE 2000 - Introduction to Rural Health Care Teams
      • KINE 3020 - Physical Activity and Disease Prevention
      • PHIL 1700 - Philosophy of Death and Dying
      • PHIL 3281 - Introduction to Philosophical Ethics in the Health Care Professions
      • PSYC 3206 - Developmental Psychology
      • PSYC 3226 - Cognitive Psychology
      • PSYC 4350 - Psychology of Sexual Behavior
      • SOCI 3100 - Sociology of Aging
      • SOCI 3235 - Population Trends and Problems
      • SOCI 3325 - Sociology of Human Sexuality
      • SOCI 3620 - Gender and Sexuality Based Violence: A Sociological Analysis
      • SOCI 5200 - Seminar in the Sociology of Health
      • SOCI 5318 - Social Aspects of Death and Dying
      • Other courses...
    Marriage and Family (18 s.h.)
    • SOCI 4325 - Families, Relationships, and Society
      • Choose 15 s.h. including at least two disciplines other than sociology from:
      • ANTH 3200 - Women's Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective
      • HDFS 2000 - Child Development I: Prenatal Through Early Childhood
      • HDFS 3002 - Family Systems and Parenting Across the Life Cycle
      • HDFS 4303 - Families and Cultural Diversity
      • HDFS 4313 - Health and Well-Being of Families and Communities
      • COMM 4130 - Conflict and Communication
      • COMM 4135 - Gender and Communication
      • GERO 2400 - Introduction to Gerontology
      • HIST 3140 - Women in American History
      • PSYC 2201 - Psychology of Childhood
      • PSYC 3206 - Developmental Psychology
      • SOCI 1025 - Sociology of Intimate Relationships
      • SOCI 3235 - Population Trends and Problems
      • SOCI 3325 - Sociology of Human Sexuality
      • SOCI 4327 - Gender and Adolescence
      • SOCI 4950 - Internship in Sociology
      • SOCI 5400 - Seminar in Gender
      • SOCI 5600 - Seminar in Aging
      • SOCI 5800 - Seminar in the Family
      • SOCW 2400 - Introduction to Gerontology
      • SOCW 4501 - Crisis Intervention
4. Skills and applications - 3 s.h.

Choose one course from the below list:

  • ACCT 2101 - Survey of Financial and Managerial Accounting
  • BIOS 1500 - Introduction to Biostatistics
  • ENGL 3050 - Introduction to Information Design
  • ENGL 4785 - Project Management in Professional Communication
  • GEOG 3430 - Geographic Information Systems I
  • HLTH 4200 - Planning and Evaluation in Health Promotion
  • PLAN 3021 - Introduction to Planning Techniques
  • POLS 3252 - Public Administration

  • SOCI 3215 - Qualitative Research Methods OR
  • SOCI 4201 - Advanced Techniques in Applied Research

  • SOCI 4510 - Research in Sociology
  • SOCI 4550 - Honors
  • SOCI 4950 - Internship in Sociology
  • And other courses
5. Cognates - 9 s.h.
  • ENGL 3810 - Advanced Composition OR
  • ENGL 3820 - Scientific Writing OR
  • ENGL 3880 - Writing for Business and Industry

  • LDSP 1000 - Introduction to Leadership Studies
  • MIS 2223 - Introduction to Computers
6. Electives to complete requirements for graduation.
    For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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