At Furman, our sociology program offers a balance of theoretical and research-oriented courses, enhanced by a selection of substantive classes available to both majors and non-majors. The five core requirements beyond introductory-level classes in our course offerings include a two-term methods sequence, social theory, a qualitative methods seminar (SOC 470), and another 400 level seminar course. We also encourage student-faculty research projects, many of which yield student publications and participation at national and regional professional meetings. Social values are at the heart of our curriculum, along with dedicated faculty who take an interdisciplinary approach to learning, supporting efforts to broaden the curriculum to reflect multicultural and cross-cultural concerns.

Career Opportunities
From medical school to law school, education to social work, a degree in sociology will prepare you for any endeavor.
Areas of Study
From law and criminology to gender and race inequality issues, we offer a variety of sociology courses so you can design a curriculum that best suits your career goals.
Students interested in a career in criminal justice, social work, law, and related fields will find a diverse selection of courses in our department. Our criminology courses cover theories of crime causation and the criminological enterprise, our law and society courses examine how various social forces influence the nature and content of law, and our courses in deviance and social control cover multiple forms of deviance including suicide, mental disorders, and sexual nonconformity.
A degree in sociology can prepare you for a career in social services or social research. Our inequality courses examine the ways in which biological and social categories—such as race, class, gender, and sexual orientation—interact and contribute to systematic injustice and inequality between groups.
The sociology department offers many courses that may be of interest to students planning on health careers, like pre-med, public health, medical social work, hospital administration, and nursing.
Our SOC 260 Global Health Inequalities course is offered as part of both the South African and Latin American study away programs.
SOC 234 is part of a set of courses we call The Medicine Program Medicine Program FAQ Handout22 . This 10-credit hour experience is offered every other year and combines medical sociology with medical ethics and a two-credit hour fieldwork course that includes observations in the local hospital system. An application for the program can be found here. https://www.furman.edu/academics/sociology/program-overview/medicine-program-application/
The department also offers SOC 262- Social Determinants of Health — a course of interest not only to sociology majors but also to students interested in pursuing careers in medicine and public health.
Our Blog
Faculty Projects & News
Furman's professors are very active with research and publications, occasionally involving students with the process. Our department has had some recent updates related to our faculty and their accomplishments. Dr. Ken Kolb recently published Retail...
Continue Reading >What Can I Do With a Degree in Sociology
Are you questioning what you can accomplish with a degree in sociology? We have some possibilities for you to explore and consider! You can excel in any number of fields with the skillset you will...
Continue Reading >Internships in Sociology
Majors in sociology have numerous opportunities to discover possible career paths. One of these options is through one of the foundations of the Furman Advantage: internships. Within the past five years, 45% of our majors...
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