Undergraduate Program

Major Study Requirements

Major in Sociology

All sociology majors must complete at least 37 hours of course work, including the following 19 hours of required courses: 101, 280, 371, 381, 471 and 481L. The 18 elective hours (six courses) are drawn from all sociology courses not specifically required above but must include at least 12 hours (four courses) at the 300 or 400 level. The student may select from a number of designated courses that provide a concentration in one of the following subfields of sociology:

Pre-Law. Provides background for careers or further training in police, correctional or legal institutions.
Human Services and Social Policy. Appropriate for future work in public and private agencies, as preparation for law school or for graduate study in social work, public administration and business administration.

Pre-Law Concentration

The concentration in Pre-Law is designed for students interested in law school or other careers in the legal field, and highlights those aspects of law that overlap with crime and criminal justice. The concentration provides students with an introduction to the causes of crime and deviance as well as social and institutional responses to this behavior. Students can choose from courses focusing on the personal and social forces that give rise to crime, as well as courses that examine the role of the legal and criminal justice systems in dealing with criminals and reducing crime rates. To complete this concentration, students must complete 12 hours from the following list (Note: 9 of these hours must be selected from the 300/400 level courses listed below):

SOC 205	Crime, Public Policy and the Criminal Justice System
SOC 211	Social Problems
SOC 213	Deviance
SOC 312	Causes of Crime and Delinquency
SOC 313	Social Control
SOC 412	Sociology of Police and Social Control
SOC 414	Sociology of Corrections
SOC 416	Sociology of Law
SOC 418	Selected Topics in Criminology
SOC 423	Gender and Crime
SOC 424	Race, Class, and Crime
SOC 425	From Youthful Misbehavior to Adult Crime
SOC 426	Drugs, Crime, and Social Control
SOC 488	Field Observation and Experience
SOC 491	Directed Study in Criminology

Human Services and Social Policy Concentration

The concentration is designed for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree or a career in human services, social work, social policy, health care, mental health, or education (K-12 and post-secondary). The concentration aims to provide broad thematic coverage of these fields by drawing upon elective courses that address topics critical to understanding the context within which welfare, health, mental health, and educational institutions operate, including social problems, race/ethnic relations, and socio-economic inequality. Students must complete 12 hours from the courses listed below. (Note: 9 of these hours must be selected from the 300/400 level courses listed below.) This concentration is recommended as an alternative to the Social Welfare minor for students majoring in Sociology. Students majoring in fields other than Sociology but who have an interest in social work, social policy, health care, mental health, or education are encouraged to pursue a minor in Social Welfare.

SOC 200	Foundations of Social Welfare
SOC 211	Social Problems
SOC 216	Dynamics of Prejudice
SOC 225	Marriage, Family, and Their Alternatives
SOC 300	Social Welfare: Programs and Policies
SOC 303	Sociology of Political Behavior
SOC 308	Sociology of Gender
SOC 310	Sociology of Aging and the Aged
SOC 340	Sociology of Medical Practice
SOC 342	Social Epidemiology
SOC 345	Youth and Society
SOC 400	The Welfare State
SOC 415	Social Stratification
SOC 420	Race and Cultural Relations
SOC 421	Sociology of Education
SOC 441	Complex Organizations
SOC 445	Sociology of Work
SOC 488	Field Observance and Experience
SOC 490	Directed Study (limited to topics approved for the concentration)

Further details are available on each concentration from the Department of Sociology and undergraduate advisors in the Department.

The Department will accept the grade of C- in required and elective Sociology courses as counting toward graduation but requires that the student achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in the Sociology major or minor and a 2.00 overall grade point average. A cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or better in all courses completed is required for regular admission to the sociology major.

Major in Criminology

The Sociology Department offers a specialized program in criminology, designed to give students a comprehensive introduction to the field. Courses focus on the characteristics and causes of crime and deviance and on the origins, nature and consequences of societal reactions to crime and deviance, giving particular attention to the criminal justice system. Basic instruction is also given in sociological theory and research methods.

The Department will accept the grade of C- in required and elective courses in the Criminology major and minor as counting toward graduation but requires that the student achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in the Criminology major or minor and a 2.00 overall grade point average. A cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or better in all courses completed is required for regular admission to the criminology major.

The program is particularly appropriate for students wishing to pursue one of the following career options:

graduate work in the social sciences with a special emphasis on criminology or criminal justice
a career in criminal justice (e.g., law enforcement, corrections, crime prevention), especially in agencies or departments involved in planning and evaluation
a career in law, social work or counseling

Students must complete 40 hours of course work in criminology–34 hours core and 6 hours of pertinent electives as advised.

Core courses: 101; 205; one of 211 or 213; 280; 312; 313; one of 371 or 471; 381; two of 412, 414, 416, 418, 423, 424, 425, 426; and 481L. Generally, students should follow core courses in sequence, beginning with 100-level requirements, proceeding to 200-level requirements, and so on. Electives: students must choose electives from an approved list available from the Department of Sociology. Students may not count the same course as both a core course and an elective. Some upper-division electives require other courses as prerequisites.

Minor Study Requirements

Minor in Sociology

A sociology minor requires 21 hours (seven courses). The core courses are 101, 280 and either 371 or 471. The 12 elective hours (four courses) are drawn from all sociology courses not specifically required above but must include at least 6 hours (two courses) at the 300 and 400 level. If desired, a student may use 371 for the specific requirement and 471 as an elective. If 481L is chosen as an elective, the total number of elective hours will be 13, and the total in the minor will be 22.

Criminology majors may not minor in sociology without a specially approved degree plan constructed in consultation with the undergraduate advisor.

Minor in Social Welfare

The minor in social welfare is designed to accompany a major in criminology, political science, economics, psychology and disciplines other than sociology. Sociology majors with a strong interest in social welfare and related topics should pursue the Human Services & Social Policy Concentration offered as part of the sociology major.

A social welfare minor requires at least 21 hours. The core courses are 101, 200, 300, and 400. In addition, students must choose at least 9 hours of electives from the following list of courses.

	Sociology
211	Social Problems
213	Deviant Behavior
216	The Dynamics of Prejudice
225	Marriage, Family, and Their Alternatives
230	Sociology and Personality
303	Sociology of Political Behavior
308	Sociology of Gender
310	Sociology of Aging and the Aged
326	Sociology of New Mexico
340	Sociology of Medical Practice
342	Social Epidemiology
345	Youth and Society
351	The Urban Community
415	Social Stratification
420	Race and Cultural Relations
488	Field Observation and Experience
490	Directed Study (limited to topics approved for the concentration)
	Anthropology
345	Spanish-speaking Peoples of the Southwest
	Economics
331	Economics of Poverty & Discrimination
335	Health Economics
341	Urban & Regional Economics
	Political Science
270	Public Policy & Administration
372	Urban Politics
470	Public Policy Analysis
	Psychology
220	Developmental Psychology
231	Psychology of Human Sexuality
331	Psychology of Personality
332	Abnormal Behavior

Substitution of a course not on the elective list is possible only with the approval of a sociology undergraduate advisor.

Students minoring in social welfare must adhere to all prerequisite requirements attached to the electives. Finally, courses applied toward a student’s major may not be applied toward a minor in social welfare.

Minor in Criminology

The criminology minor requires a total of 21 hours (seven courses). The core courses are 101; one of 205, 211 or 213; 312; 313; and one of 412, 414, 416, 418, 423, 424, 425 or 426 (one of these is required, but additional courses from the set may be used as electives). The 21 hours must also include 6 hours from a list of designated electives approved by the department.

Departmental Honors

Superior sophomore or junior students majoring in sociology or criminology with a GPA of 3.5 in the major and 3.25 overall are invited to apply for admission to the department's six-credit Undergraduate Honors Thesis Program, beginning in their junior year. Students participating in this program are eligible to graduate with departmental honors if recommended by the faculty on the basis of outstanding performance. Honors students are required to take Sociology 399 (Advanced Workshop in Sociology) in the Spring term to be followed by 499 (Senior Honors Thesis) in a subsequent semester. See the Department's Honors Coordinator for specific requirements.

Keys and Symbols Reference