Department of Sociology — Other Information
Pass/Fail Policy
One course applied toward the sociology major or minor may be taken on a pass/fail basis, but it may not be SOCIOL 341 (Elements of Sociological Theory), SOCIOL 350 (Social Statistics), SOCIOL 351 (Methods of Sociological Research), or any course taken to meet the Senior Experience requirement.
Honors
The Department offers advanced students an opportunity to complete their major with honors. The purpose is to provide a more stimulating and in-depth undergraduate experience. It also gives students an opportunity to receive recognition for their achievements. Successful completion of the honors major is noted on the student’s transcript. The requirements for the honors major involve course work, an honors paper, and an overall grade point average of 3.5 in sociology or criminal justice courses. See the department handbook for details.
Students with a 3.0 overall grade point average and a 3.0 in sociology with at least 12 credit hours in sociology courses taken at the University are eligible for admission to Alpha Kappa Delta, the national sociology honor society.
Further details about the honors major and Alpha Kappa Delta are available from the department office.
Advising
Upon declaring a major, students will select or be assigned a departmental advisor. It is the responsibility of majors to keep up to date on their progress toward completion of the major and to maintain contact with their advisors. All majors in this department are encouraged to discuss academic and career issues with their advisors, especially when choosing courses during the preregistration period.
Transfer Credit Policy
Courses transferred to UMass Boston prior to declaring a major in this department will be evaluated for major credit on a course-by-course basis. Once students enroll in the sociology major, the criminal justice major, or the joint major in psychology and sociology, all new sociology or criminal justice courses that students want to transfer into one of our majors must be approved by the chair of the department before the course is taken, as is the current university policy. Each major has its own maximum number of transfer credits allowed: 15 credits in the sociology major; 18 credits in the criminal justice major; and 9 credits on the sociology side of the joint major in psychology and sociology. Students doing the joint major in psychology and sociology should also work with the Psychology Department in order to assess the applicability of any transfer courses in psychology.
Programs and Areas of Focus
For students interested in the field of human services, the SUSS (Sociology of Urban Social Services) Program within the Sociology Department offers a wide range of field placement experiences and related courses. Interested students (both majors and non-majors) should inquire in the Sociology Department office for a description of the program.
Administered through the Department of Sociology, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Studies (ASAS) offers a flexible curriculum in the study of issues involving alcohol and other drugs. ASAS is an interdisciplinary concentration that uses alcohol- and drug-related sociology courses as its core curriculum. ASAS courses are especially relevant to students with career interests in substance abuse treatment and prevention services, teaching in primary and secondary schools, social work, human services, medical and health care professions, and criminal justice.
ASAS is open to matriculated students in sociology, criminal justice, and social psychology.
For complete information on ASAS, see the “Alcohol and Substance Abuse Studies” section of this publication.
Internships
Internships are available in a variety of courses in the Department of Sociology, including
- SOCIOL 460 (Internship in Urban Social Service)
- SOCIOL/CRMJUS L461(Internship in Law and Criminal Justice)
- SOCIOL L462 (Internship in Law and Juvenile Justice)
The Combined BA/MA in Applied Sociology
The Department of Sociology now offers an accelerated five-year BA/MA program for eligible students interested in applied sociology. By entering this program the student can earn both a bachelor’s degree—in any undergraduate field—and a master’s degree in applied sociology, in less time than required for earning the two degrees separately. Students are accepted into the full-time master’s degree program in their junior year, begin taking graduate courses in their senior year and complete the program in their fifth year. On completion of all requirements, students are awarded both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Students who do not complete the entire program, or do not have the required GPA to be awarded an MA degree, may choose to apply appropriate earned credits toward the bachelor’s degree.
Students should apply to this program when they have taken at least three courses in sociology, but no later than the second semester of their junior year (i.e., prior to completing 90 credits). Admission to the program normally requires a 3.00 overall GPA. On the recommendation of the graduate program director, conditional admission may be granted to students with a lower GPA. Admission decisions follow the same procedures and standards used to evaluate graduate applicants for the MA Program. GRE or MAT scores may be submitted, but they are not required. Completion of the program requires 104 undergraduate and 36 graduate level credits for a total of 140. Students may enroll part time and complete the program over a period longer than five years.
Students in the program may choose to complete undergraduate majors in any CLA or CSM department. All students must complete a course in statistics (SOCIOL 350 or PSYCH 270 or equivalent). Those who choose to major in sociology, the joint major in psychology and sociology, or criminal justice will complete the rest of the program’s undergraduate requirements as part of their majors. Those majoring in other fields must satisfy the requirements of a minor in sociology.
The graduate-level requirements for the MA in Applied Sociology will be the same for all students regardless of undergraduate major. Complete information on these degree requirements is available in the “Applied Sociology” section of the University’s graduate bulletin.