To engage creatively our students in the application of sociological insights to their own lives, so that students can locate their own place in society, set goals for their lives, and shape their career paths accordingly. To accomplish this, we ground our students’ studies in the scholarship of sociology, both classic and contemporary, to achieve two parallel purposes:
- To impart knowledge and understanding of socio-cultural processes and structure
- To ensure, through explicitly assigning skills to particular required courses, the development of student abilities in writing, speaking, critical thinking, social research, computer applications, teamwork, leadership, and career identification & development.
Our outcome will be socially-aware, culturally-sensitive, committed community members, who will be well-prepared to pursue graduate study and professional careers in public policy, law, education, urban planning, community development, marketing, management, applied research, or social science.
Parents and guardians, is your student looking at becoming a Sociology major/minor? If so, please click here for more information.
Major Programs (B.A.)
- General Sociology Major
- Sociology Major: Health & Environment Specialization
- Sociology Major: Non-profit and Community Development Specialization
- Anthropology Major
Minor Programs
Double-Major Sociology-Education Programs
- Sociology and Early Childhood Education
- Sociology and Elementary Education
- Sociology and Special Education
- Five-Year Dual Certification in Sociology and Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Note: With all of the double-major Sociology and Education programs, you will not be certified to teach Sociology in Secondary Education. Only students who know that they want to teach at the elementary or early childhood level up to the fifth grade only, and not at the high school level, should consider this path.
Academic & Grading Requirements
| Course | Minimum Grade |
|---|---|
| SOC 101 – Intro to Sociology | C |
| STA 115 – Statistics (or) | C |
| STA 215 – Statistical Inference | C |
In order to become a Sociology major, students must complete the foundation courses (listed above) with the minimum grade or higher. Current students who wish to transfer internally and who have not completed the foundation courses may still submit a change-of-major form to the department chair and be designated as “pre-Sociology” major.
| Course | Minimum Grade |
|---|---|
| SOC301 – Development of Socio-Cultural Theory | C |
| SOC302 – Quantitative Research Methods | C |
| SOC101/HON 216 – Introduction to Sociology | C |
Sociology majors who fail to earn the grade minimum will be
- Placed on departmental probation
- Prevented from taking higher-level courses in the major
- Required to repeat the course
Those who earn an acceptable grade on their second attempt at the course will be removed from probation. Those who fail to earn an acceptable grade on their second attempt may only be allowed to repeat the course a third and final time with permission of the department chair and according to TCNJ’s repeat of course policy.
For Other Courses
All Sociology majors must earn grades of C- or higher in all SOC and ANT courses, in addition to meeting the foundation and critical content course grade minimums.
Incomplete Grade
A departmental policy for completing an incomplete “I” grade applies to all major core courses: SOC 101/HON 216, 301, 302, & 499. When an instructor assigns an “I” to a student in the above mentioned courses, the department chair must be notified and provided with a copy of the contract for course completion. The instructor and student will mutually agree on deadline for the remaining assignment(s). If the minimum grade for the pre-requisite course is not met, the program assistant will de-register the student from the major core course(s) that require(s) this pre-requisite and the student will need to repeat the course.
Un-graded Option
Department majors cannot take the un-graded option for courses to be counted toward the major as students must fulfill the grade requirements for all major, both core and elective, courses. Students may take a SOC/ANT course as un-graded if it is to be counted as a free elective. The instructor must be notified of this option in the beginning of the semester.