The Sociology degree, which may be completed online, face-to-face, or as a mix of online and face-to-face courses, has two major goals: 1) to promote undergraduate student excellence and 2) to advance career success for graduates by providing them with tangible, career-oriented skills. A dedicated faculty offers state-of-the-art courses that are relevant to current issues affecting our students’ lives and their future careers. Graduates are prepared for careers that require employees who think critically and have analytic and technical skills related to understanding crime, law, and deviance; medical sociology; diversity and inequalities; and/or mass culture and collective behavior. All students complete individual, original research projects.
Sociology (B.A./B.S.) may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online. Newly admitted students choosing to complete this program exclusively via UCF online classes may enroll with a reduction in campus-based fees.
Admission Requirements
- None beyond admission to the university.
Degree Requirements
- Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
- Departmental Residency Requirement: at least 24 semester hours of regularly scheduled 3000-4000 level courses must be taken from the UCF Sociology Department.
- Students must earn at least a “C” (2.0) or higher in each core course.
- Students must have at least a “C” (2.0) in each UCF course satisfying major requirements.
- Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all courses satisfying major requirements.
- Experiential Education credit cannot be used for credit in this major.
- Directed Independent studies, directed independent research, and internships must be approved by the Sociology department prior to enrollment.
- No more than 12 hours of directed independent study, directed independent research, and internship (course numbers 3905, 4906, 5907, 4912, 5917, 3940, & 4941) credit may be used for the major.
- All prerequisites of courses taught within the College of Sciences will be enforced.
- Students should consult annually with a departmental advisor.
- Courses designated in 1 (General Education Program) and 2 (Common Program Prerequisites) are usually completed in the first 60 hours.
General Education Program (GEP) (36 Credit Hours)
- At least one course completed in each Foundation area must be a designated State General Education Core Course.
Communication Foundations (9 Credit Hours)
Cultural & Historical Foundations (9 Credit Hours)
Mathematical Foundations (6 Credit Hours)
Math: (3 Credit Hours)
A satisfactory score in the Math Placement Test is required before enrolling in this course. See: https://www.sdes.ucf.edu/placement-tests/
- MAC 1105C - College Algebra Credit Hours: 3 (Preferred)
Statistics: (3 Credit Hours)
- STA 2014C - Principles of Statistics Credit Hours: 3 (Preferred)
Social Foundations (6 Credit Hours)
Political Science/Economics (3 Credit Hours)
- Select one listed course from Social Foundations Credit Hours: 3
Social Sciences (3 Credit Hours)
- SYG 2000 - Introduction to Sociology Credit Hours: 3 (Required)
Science Foundations (6 Credit Hours)
Common Program Prerequisites (CPP) (3 Credit Hours)
- See “Acceptable Substitutes for Transfer Courses” for possible substitutes for the courses listed below.
- SYG 2000 - Introduction to Sociology Credit Hours: 3 (GEP)
- Any course with an SYA, SYD, SYG, SYO, or SYP prefix Credit Hours: 3
Core Requirements: Basic Level
All courses specifically identified in the preceding Common Program Prerequisites section of this catalog are also required in the Basic Core, and must be taken.
- SYG 2000 - Introduction to Sociology Credit Hours: 3 (GEP/CPP)
Core Requirements: Advanced Level (15 Credit Hours)
- SYA 3110 - Social Theory Credit Hours: 3
- SYA 3400C - Applied Social Statistics Credit Hours: 4
- SYA 4300C - Research Methods Credit Hours: 4
- SYA 4450 - Data Analysis: Capstone Credit Hours: 4
Restricted Electives (27 Credit Hours)
- All courses with the prefixes SYA, SYD, SYG, SYO, or SYP, including special topics courses, count toward the restricted electives requirement.
- 5000 level Graduate Courses may be taken by undergraduates with Consent of the Instructor.
- Additional courses can be taken as approved.
- Students may enroll for up to a total of 12 credit hours of Internship and/or Independent Study during their UCF undergraduate career. Arrangements for internships are coordinated by the Director of Department Undergraduate Program and require approval prior to beginning the work.
- 24 credit hours must be at the 3000-4000 level, and taken within the Sociology Department at UCF.
Capstone Requirements
Successful completion of Data Analysis (SYA 4450).
- SYA 4450 - Data Analysis: Capstone Credit Hours: 4
Electives
- Select electives primarily from 3000 and 4000 level courses from within the Sociology Department, as well as from other departments.
Foreign Language Requirements
Admissions
- B.S. Option: Met by graduation requirement. Two years of one foreign language in high school, or one year of one foreign language in college (or equivalent proficiency exam) prior to graduation.
- B.A. Option: Met by graduation requirement.
Graduation
- B.S. Option: None
- B.A. Option: Proficiency equivalent to two semesters of college instruction in a foreign language or in American Sign Language (ASL). Standardized examinations for foreign languages may be used. ASL proficiency is met by successful completion of ASL 2140 and ASL 2150 or an appropriate score on the ASL proficiency exam. Contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/csd/) regarding the ASL proficiency examination.
Additional Requirements
B.A. Option: No additional requirements
B.S. Option: Select one additional methods course (3 Credit Hours)
- SYA 3352 - Spatial Sociology I: Intro to GIS Credit Hours: 3
- SYA 4310C - Qualitative Research Analysis in Sociology Credit Hours: 4
- SYA 4354 - Geographic Information Systems Applications Credit Hours: 3
- SYA 4900 - Applied Sociology Credit Hours: 4
- SYA 4959 - Participatory Geographic Information Systems in Belize Credit Hours: 3
- SYO 3573 - Social Networks: Theory & Applications Credit Hours: 3
Required Minors
Departmental Exit Requirements
- A minimum of “C” (2.0) or better in each course used for the major.
- Students must have at least a “C” (2.0) or better overall in the major.
- For assessment purposes, students are required to take a standard exit exam, for which there is no credit or grade, toward the end of their final semester before graduation.
University Minimum Exit Requirements
- A 2.0 UCF GPA
- 48 semester hours of upper division credit completed
- 60 semester hours earned after CLEP awarded
- 30 of the last 39 hours of course work must be completed in residency at UCF.
- A maximum of 45 hours of extension, correspondence, CLEP, Credit by Exam, and Armed Forces credits permitted.
- Complete the General Education Program, the Gordon Rule, and nine hours of Summer credit.
Total Undergraduate Credit Hours Required: 120
Additional Information
Honors In Major
- Application and admissions through The Burnett Honors College and department. More information about Honors in the Major can be found at honors.ucf.edu/research.
Related Programs
- Anthropology (B.A.)
- Communication & Conflict (B.A.)
- Criminal Justice (B.A. or B.S.)
- Political Science (B.A.)
- Psychology (B.S.)
- Social Sciences (B.S.)
- Women’s and Gender Studies programs
Certificates
Related Minors
Advising Notes
- Student majors are assigned a faculty advisor. To meet with your advisor, you should check their office hours or contact them via email or the department office phone to set up an appointment. If you do not know who your advisor is, contact the main office.
- Contact your college advisor in the College of Sciences Advising Services (COSAS) office (CSB 250) for more information about overall progress toward your degree, GEP and other university requirements, academic probation, special problems as well as general academic advising.
Transfer Notes
- Lower division courses do not substitute for upper division courses.
- Courses transferred from private and out-of-state schools must be evaluated for equivalency credit. The student must provide all supporting information (e.g., syllabus, course catalog description).
- Submit your requests for course evaluations at https://sciences.ucf.edu/cosas/ and click on “COS Course Evaluation”.
Acceptable Substitutes for Transfer Courses
- SYG 2000 - Although the Common Program Prerequisites accepts any lower division sociology course, SYG 2000 - Introduction to Sociology must be taken because it is the basic course in Sociology.
Program Academic Learning Compacts
- Program Academic Learning Compacts (student learning outcomes) for undergraduate programs are located at: http://www.oeas.ucf.edu/alc/academic_learning_compacts.htm
Equipment Fees
- Part-Time Student: $5 per term
- Full-Time Student: $10 per term
Plan of Study
- This is one of numerous possible plans of study. See program description for all requirements.
- Use your Pegasus Path planning tool in your myUCF portal to plan your courses through to graduation.
- Although all classes are listed as being taken during the academic year, you may be required to complete 9 hours of them during the Summer. Consult with an advisor to determine if you are exempt.
- Prior to enrolling in Math, take Math Placement Test ~ https://www.sdes.ucf.edu/placement-tests/
Freshman Year - Fall (16 Credit Hours)
- SYG 2000 - Introduction to Sociology Credit Hours: 3
- ENC 1101 - Composition I Credit Hours: 3
- MAC 1105C - College Algebra Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Credit Hours: 3
- Foreign Language (XXX1120) Credit Hours: 4 (BA Option)
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3 (BS Option)
Freshman Year - Spring (13 Credit Hours)
- ENC 1102 - Composition II Credit Hours: 3
- STA 2014C - Principles of Statistics Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Foreign Language (XXX1121) Credit Hours: 4 (BA Option)
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 4 (BS Option)
Freshman Year - Summer (6 Credits)
- GEP Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
Sophomore Year - Fall (12 Credit Hours)
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Credit Hours: 3
Sophomore Year - Spring (12 Credit Hours)
- SYA 3110 - Social Theory Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Credit Hours: 3
Sophomore Year - Summer (6 Credit Hours)
- GEP Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
Junior Year - Fall (14 Credit Hours)
- SYA 4300C - Research Methods Credit Hours: 4
- SYA 3400C - Applied Social Statistics Credit Hours: 4
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Credit Hours: 3
Junior Year - Spring (16 Credit Hours)
- SYA 4450 - Data Analysis: Capstone Credit Hours: 4
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Sociology Methods Course Credit Hours: 3 (BS Option)
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3 (BA Option)
Senior Year - Fall (12 Credit Hours)
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
Senior Year - Spring (13 Credit Hours)
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 4
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
