CAREER PREPARATION IN SOCIOLOGY
The study of any of the three fields offered in this department—Sociology, Social Psychology, or Criminal Justice--provides an excellent background for many careers. Our graduates pursue work or graduate study in human services, corrections, law, teaching, public health, business, urban planning, public relations, research, and media. In some cases, what you learn with us will help prepare you for a job, such as an entry level position in criminal justice, human services, research or business. In other cases, what you learn will prepare you for graduate programs in various fields (sociology, law, criminal justice, social work, hospital administration, public health, etc). In other cases your degree will help you advance in a career you are already pursuing. Within the Sociology major, there are courses that will help prepare you for various careers (including graduate programs), as listed below under career paths. Talk with your advisor about your career plans, so that he or she can help you choose courses that support your career interests. Outside the Sociology Office you can find a list of some of our alumni and alumnae and the work they are doing in a handout entitled “Career Possibilities: Sociology, Social Psychology, Criminal Justice.”
Office of Career Services
The Office of Career Services is designed to help you explore career possibilities, investigate employment trends in Massachusetts and elsewhere, and consider graduate school options. The staff there provides interest testing, individual advising, and workshops on job search, interviewing, resume writing and graduate study. The Career Resources Media Center (Campus Center, first floor) includes many helpful resources related to careers and graduate study. This library is open during most business hours and can be used on a walk-in basis. To talk with a career counselor call (617) 287-5500 and ask for an appointment with a career counselor. A brochure is available listing all of the services provided by the Career Services office, along with other free printed materials. The Career Services website has links to many useful resources as well. For example, if you would like to explore career options with a major in sociology or criminal justice, go to www.careers.umb.edu, then highlight Career Resource Library and click on Hotlinks in the pull-down menu. From there, click on “What can I do with a major in…” and choose whichever majors you want to explore.
Internships
In order to help you try out career possibilities, apply your academic learning to a real world context, and deepen your knowledge in various fields, we offer five internship courses. These carry 6 credits and include 10-15 hours per week of work experience in an agency, plus academic work equivalent to an upper-level 3-credit course. One of these courses may count toward your major in Sociology, Social Psychology, or Criminal Justice (see descriptions of majors above). You may take as many others as you like within your elective credits. If you choose to double major, a second internship could count as part of a second major. The internships are focused on social services (Sociol 460), juvenile justice (Sociol L462), adult criminal justice (Crmjus/Sociol L461), and on profit and nonprofit organizations in all fields (Sociol 444 – Summer Session only, offered occasionally).
There are many advantages to doing an internship. You will be able to integrate academic learning with experience in the workplace, which many students find highly satisfying; you will be able to check out a field that you think you might like to pursue upon graduation; you will develop marketable skills; you will have an opportunity to network with others planning careers in a similar field; you might be offered employment as a result of the internship; and your resume will look more impressive to future employers and graduate programs.
Faculty teaching the internship courses will help you find possible placements related to your interests. You are also free to find your own placement in consultation with the teacher of the course. Students and agencies work out mutually acceptable work agreements. You will be encouraged to interview a few agencies before choosing one in order to give you a sense of the possible options. Because it sometimes takes several weeks to arrange an appropriate internship, students are encouraged to look for a placement at the end of the previous semester. In the past, students have found placements at many private and public agencies in the Boston area, including in schools, hospitals, day care centers, group homes, clinics, shelters, correction facilities, agencies for troubled children, and many others.
For more information about internship programs offered by the University Career Services, check out their web page.
CAREER PATHS
Many of our courses will help you prepare for various careers, sometimes by providing essential skills and sometimes by providing information necessary to understand the workings of that career. You should talk with your advisor about which courses make the most sense in the context of your career interests, the courses available, and your schedule.
Criminal Justice
The major in Criminal Justice is the obvious choice for people planning careers in criminal justice. Students majoring in Sociology may take as many criminal justices courses as they want to within the Sociology major. Criminal justice courses are cross-listed and available to all majors, assuming that prerequisites are satisfied. For example, a Sociology major who wanted to do an internship in Criminal Justice could use Sociol/Crmjus L461 as the Senior Experience/Capstone requirement.
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services Concentration (ASAS Concentration)
If you are interested in pursuing a career in substance abuse services, such as in counseling, case management, treatment, prevention, or alcohol/drug education, the department offers several courses in this field. Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Psychology majors are invited to take a concentration of courses in this area, as listed below. In some cases completion of the concentration will require additional credits beyond those required by a particular major. Students completing this concentration will receive a letter to that effect from the department.
Social Services
The Department offers a concentration in the Sociology of Urban Social Service (SUSS), the core of which is a 6-credit internship course, Sociol 460 - Internship in Urban Social Service. To complete the program, students also take another human service internship course in the department (CRMJUS L461 or CRMJUS/SOCIOL L462) as elective credit or as part of an additional major, plus 3 additional courses related to their interests in human services. The 3 additional courses should be chosen in consultation with an advisor to assure the best career compatibility. Students completing the program receive a letter from the department stating that they have completed the program. For more information about this see Professor Estelle Disch, Wheatley, 4th Floor, Room 18 (phone (617) 287-6256; estelle.disch@umb.edu).
Public Affairs/ Urban Planning
The study of Sociology can help prepare students for careers in public affairs, urban planning or public policy. Check the schedule book for offerings related to social policy, work and unemployment, social stratification, social problems, urban community, mental health, race and ethnic relations, aging, gender, youth, and the family
Business
A number of courses in the department can help you understand the contexts of business. Look for the courses in work, unemployment, inequality, social policy, race and ethnic relations, statistics, gender, and issues in developing countries. You may choose a business-related internship connected to the summer offering of Sociol 444–Cooperative education in Sociology (when available). You might also want to consider a minor in management or the combined Baccalaureate/MBA program in the College of Management. The latter program combines a BA in any liberal arts field with a masters in business administration (for more information, see the UMB Catalog or visit the College of Management.
International Careers
Some courses in the department can help you prepare for a career in international business or policy. Those focused on Asia and Asian American studies, Latino Studies, developing countries, and race and ethnic relations could all be useful. The multidisciplinary International Relations Program, a seven-course program of study, would be a good choice for students interested in international issues (contact Professor Primo Vannicelli, Department of Political Science, (617) 287-6941).
Law
The major in Criminal Justice obviously addresses many topics and subjects in criminal law and would be an excellent choice of major for people interested in attending law school. Sociology majors interested in either criminal or civil law can choose from among many courses that address legal issues either directly or indirectly. In addition to courses in the Criminal Justice major, you might consider courses focusing on the family, gender, aging, race and ethnic relations, social problems, social policy, work and unemployment, social stratification, and political sociology. Students can choose law-related placements in several of the department’s internship courses. Grace McSorley in Career Services is the official pre-law advisor on campus. She can be reached at 287-5500.
Education
Students planning careers in primary and secondary education can benefit from a wide range of courses in the department, including the sociology of education, youth and society, the family, social problems, juvenile delinquency, drugs and society, social inequality, social policy, and the courses related to race and ethnic relations. Students can choose education-related placements in several of the department’s internship courses. Anyone interested in teacher certification at the undergraduate level should contact the Graduate College of Education to obtain program requirements.
PREPARING FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL
Many professional careers require graduate study. You can raise your probability of acceptance into graduate school by clarifying your career goals early and using courses in Sociology and other fields to prepare you for your future course of study. If you are not sure what you want to do, discussions with your advisor and the staff at the office of Career Services (see above) might help you to clarify your interests and options. Internships in this and other departments can also be of immense help, allowing you to get an inside look at various careers before making a commitment to any one field.
Once you have committed yourself to preparing for graduate study (even if you choose not to attend right away), you should pay attention to several issues:
Keep your grades as high as possible, even if that means taking fewer courses and graduating a bit later. Most graduate programs require an average of at least 3.0.
Develop good relationships with several teachers in whose classes you perform well, since those teachers will most likely feel comfortable writing good references for you. Most graduate schools will request three references from your undergraduate teachers. If you don’t plan to attend graduate school right away, teachers can put references on file for you in the Office of Career Services. The latter is especially helpful in case a teacher is on leave or retired when you decide to apply to graduate school. If you are not sure how to get to know your teachers, try visiting during office hours and ask questions about the course, or about careers or graduate school.
Prepare yourself to take whichever graduate entrance exams are required by the programs in which you have an interest. Most Sociology programs, for example, require either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). You can buy practice books for these tests, and can also take courses off-campus specifically designed to prepare you for them.
Study the catalogues or bulletins of various programs to get a sense of what they can offer you. Career Services has graduate school bulletins, and you can write for your own copies of those that interest you. Also, ask your advisor about graduate programs.
Once you have decided to apply to graduate school, it’s a good idea to visit the schools in which you have an interest if at all possible. This is the best way to get a sense of how a program really works for students, and to verify information in the school’s publications such as tuition, fees, possibilities for financial support, etc.