Undergraduate FAQ & Policies

Major/ Minor FAQ

Students who want to declare a sociology major or minor must complete a three-step declaration process.

Step One: File the Declaration on Workday

To declare a major or minor in Sociology, log into Workday then search for the “Request to Change or Add a Program of Study” task. Then, follow the step-by-step guide available here. Students will receive a follow-up message from the Academic Coordinator once the Workday Student system has processed the declaration.

Step Two: Complete the Declaration Survey

The follow-up email will prompt you to complete a brief declaration survey in Qualtrics. It asks about your interests, goals and expectations for the program, and any tentative post-WashU plans. The Academic Coordinator uses these responses to curate resources and determine potential advisor matches.

Step Three: Schedule a Meeting with the Academic Coordinator

Once the declaration survey is completed, you should contact the Academic Coordinator to set up a meeting (Zoom or in-person). In the meeting, the Academic Coordinator will review the program requirements, share resources, and answer questions. The meeting concludes with the assignment of the student’s advisor and formal approval of the major/minor declaration.

Students’ programs of study are technically official upon declaration in Workday, but students need to complete all three steps to ensure they connect with the department, get questions answered, and learn about opportunities.

When students declare a sociology major or minor, the Academic Coordinator will assign them an initial faculty advisor from among the core sociology faculty members. This pairing depends on student interests, faculty availability, and faculty rank (senior faculty advise more students than junior faculty). Occasionally students request a specific advisor; these requests can sometimes be accommodated. When faculty go on leave, their advisees are temporarily reassigned to other faculty.

The faculty advisor will provide general support and mentorship to the student. For example, advisors are a good resource to ask questions about the undergraduate requirements, strategize about how to choose courses and weigh study abroad and summer opportunities, discuss research ideas, and to solicit feedback about capstone options. Your faculty advisor must approve your courses in Workday before registration each semester. Therefore, at minimum, students should be in communication with their advisor once a semester. Some undergraduate students meet with their advisor more frequently.

Undergraduate students differ in the type and amount of mentorship they need, and faculty advisors can only support individual students with effective communication. Most faculty expect undergraduate students to be proactive in initiating contact, such as by reaching out to advisors with questions, requesting meetings, and keeping advisors informed about program progress. In addition, all Sociology faculty hold regular office hours (unless they are on leave or sabbatical), and students are encouraged to reach out to additional sociology faculty beyond their advisor.

Students are also encouraged to reach out to the Academic Coordinator for general advising and program questions. This person is most familiar with the administrative nuts and bolts of the major and minor, and college and university requirements for undergraduates.

Please note that students’ initial faculty advisor need not remain their advisor for the duration of their undergraduate career. As interests evolve and as students and faculty learn each other’s working styles, they may find that another faculty member is a better fit. Students should consult the faculty with whom they are interested in working. Faculty advising changes can be made upon student request to the Academic Coordinator if there is mutual agreement between the student and new faculty advisor. As a professional courtesy, students should communicate with their currently assigned advisor when they plan to switch advisors. The Academic Coordinator will help facilitate students’ transitions to new faculty advisors.

A degree in Sociology opens doors to careers in law, education, policy research, non-profit and business management, and countless other paths. Our Academic Coordinator and your advisor would be happy to have more detailed conversations about how you can link your specific interests in Sociology to satisfying career opportunities. We also encourage you to check out the American Sociological Association’s career-based resources for Sociology majors.

Beyond the Classroom

We strongly advise students to begin their Study Abroad planning journey through working with Overseas Programs, the central resource for coordinating your Study Abroad plans. Study Abroad goals differ by student; however, Sociology is prepared to support you as you select a program, location, and instructional format.

Once you determine your Study Abroad program, our Director of Undergraduate Studies (and later, our Academic Coordinator) will work with you to coordinate the administrative aspects of how your coursework abroad will contribute to your Sociology studies at WashU. Please schedule a meeting with our DUS after you coordinate your Study Abroad plans through the Office of Overseas Programs. We strongly recommend that you begin the Study Abroad search and coursework approval processes well in advance of each semester's deadline; we cannot assure approval of last-minute requests.

Sociology majors may use up to 6 credit hours of approved Study Abroad coursework to fulfill program requirements. Sociology minors may use up to 3 credit hours of approved Study Abroad coursework to fulfill program requirements. All students coordinating Sociology credits through their Study Abroad coursework will be required to complete an exit survey (sent by the DUS) to receive program credit from their Study Abroad experience.

Students with an interest in deepening their experiences in the WashU Sociology Department should consider Undergraduate Teaching Assistant and Undergraduate Research Assistant opportunities.

Students who are interested in supporting faculty and students within the classroom - or assisting faculty with research projects should contact the Academic Coordinator. Both opportunities can be taken for academic credit and/or paid compensations.

UGTA and UGRA roles are limited based on faculty needs and availabilities; we cannot guarantee that every interested student will be able to participate in their desired opportunity. Students who are interested in these roles may wish to utilize the resources provided by WashU's Center for Teaching and Learning and Office of Undergraduate Research as they prepare for and carry out undergraduate TA/RA roles.

Washington University’s Sociology Department is the proud home of the (re-established) Missouri-Beta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society.

Founded in 1920 to “acknowledge and promote excellence in scholarship in the study of sociology, the research of social problems, and such other social and intellectual activities as will lead to improvement in the human condition,” AKD provides an outlet to recognize and further the accomplishments of our Sociology students. Additionally, AKD serves as a hub for students to propose and organize a range of department-sponsored social and professional activities.

The Beta-Missouri Chapter of AKD inducts new members once a year, in each Spring semester, by invitation only. For more details on the organization and one's prospective eligibility, please reach out to our Academic Coordinator.

To be eligible for Latin Honors in Sociology, students must have maintained a 3.65 GPA through their sixth semester and fulfill department-specific criteria. For most departments, earning Latin Honors indicates that you have excelled in your coursework and have completed a substantial research project.

Sociology majors should review the criteria for Latin honors established by the College of Arts & Sciences to determine their eligibility for this award. Those who are eligible should consider undertaking an Honors Thesis in Sociology, as it is the only path to receiving Latin Honors within the Department. Students who participate in the Honors Thesis Program must complete a two-semester sequence of coursework (6 credit hours total) to successfully fulfill the departmental Capstone and Latin Honors requirements: a preparatory seminar in the fall and a spring independent study spent in thesis research and writing.

Thesis projects can vary in scope, but typically involve original sociological research presented in the format and length of a conventional academic article – i.e. 30-40 pages of text, references, and figures. We strongly recommend that students considering a Sociology Honors Thesis speak with their department advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies about their intentions and project plans as early as possible - absolutely no later than the Spring term of their Junior year - so that they are ready to complete their Sociology Honors Thesis Program application and begin the Honors Program sequence in the Fall of their Senior year.

Students who wish to pursue Latin Honors via the Sociology Honors Thesis should first complete the Sociology Honors Thesis Program application. Honors Thesis cohorts are admitted annually, juniors should apply for the Program in the Spring prior to entering their senior year. Admitted students will be notified of their acceptance into the Program in the early- to mid-summer. Once admission to the Sociology Honors Program is approved, students should register for SOC 4902: Sociology Honors Thesis (3 credits) in the Fall semester of their senior year. In the Fall, students will participate in a seminar-style preparatory course, working to develop their thesis projects, secure needed institutional research approvals*, solidify their faculty mentoring team, and to construct the basis of their thesis through a project proposal. In the Spring term, students should register for SOC 4900 Capstone Project for Sociology Majors (3 credits), this time completing their coursework as an independent study supervised by the faculty mentoring team they develop. Students who opt for the thesis capstone option can apply three of their thesis credits (those associated with SOC 4902) toward their upper-level major's elective requirements, meaning that – in addition to their completion of the two-semester Honors sequence – they would only need to complete four (rather than five) additional 3000-/4000-level SOC electives. To receive departmental approval to register for these courses, students must:

(1) Satisfy the College GPA requirement for admission to Latin honors, now set at 3.65 through six semesters;

(2) Identify a department faculty member who has approved the content and scope of the thesis and is willing to serve as the student’s thesis advisor. (Note that this advisor can be – but does not have to be – the student’s department academic advisor); and,

(3) Complete the following prerequisites: SOC 3030: Introduction to Research Methods, SOC 3001: Social Theory, and SOC 3040: Statistics for Sociology (or approved equivalent, having completed - or be in the process of completing - the sixth, substituted SOC elective in place of the major's Statistics requirement).

Prior to undertaking the Honors Thesis project, the student must consult with their thesis advisor to identify a thesis reader to serve as a secondary assessor of the thesis project and product. The reader may be another faculty member in the Sociology Department, a Sociology faculty affiliate (given explicit consent), or another member of the Washington University faculty community - ideally in program-adjacent fields.

After completing the written thesis, each Honors student will give a brief "defense" presentation (10 - 15 minutes, followed by Q&A) summarizing their research, to be attended by the advisor, their reader, and other permitted parties. The student will exit to allow their advisor and reader to meet and determine if the student’s work meets the Sociology Department’s standards for Latin Honors recommendation. In the case of a favorable recommendation, the level of Latin honors conferred (cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude) will be determined by the student’s grades through seven semesters, and in accordance with guidelines established by the College of Arts & Sciences, following these proportions: The top 15 percent in overall GPA of the full cohort of Latin Honors candidates who complete the necessary requirements of their major requirements will graduate summa cum laude; the next 35 percent magna cum laude; and the next 50 percent cum laude.

*Sociology research often involves conducting interviews, surveys, or specific kinds of observational data that includes “human subjects.” A primary component of the Fall preparatory seminar will be securing needed approvals from Washington University’s Office of Institutional Integrity ("Institutional Review Board") to conduct one's thesis research. Students anticipating involving human subjects in their Sociology Honors Thesis research should review the Human Research Protections Office's website and resources.

While the field of Sociology focuses on the research that informs broader social systems and policy, our students and faculty are well-situated within their roles and communities to make meaningful, data-informed, on-ground social change.

Our Department works closely with both the Center for Career Engagement and the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement to match students with high-impact experiential learning opportunities - sometimes in the form of program-required Capstone internships, sometimes as an uncredited means of exploring career options and opportunities.

Additionally, many of our faculty teach classes that center experiential learning as a part of the broader course's content. From community-sourced guest speakers and collaborative research, to grant-writing and introductory public scholarship, WashU Sociology offers countless opportunities to translate your classroom knowledge into realized career pathways and real-world impacts.

Departmental Policies and Procedures

Students may transfer courses from a domestic study program (i.e., another accredited previously-attended institution in the U.S.) or a Department-approved Study Abroad program. Transfer credits can fulfill Sociolgoy major or minor requirements, upon approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Majors are eligible to transfer up to 6 credit hours to fulfill either: a) one introductory-level SOC course and one upper-level SOC elective course or b) two upper-level SOC electives. Minors are eligible to transfer one course to fulfill one introductory-level SOC course or one upper-level SOC elective course, or up to 3 credit hours.

Please note that student options for using transfer credit to fulfill core requirements is limited to SOC 3040: Statistics for Sociology. Both SOC 3030: Introduction to Research Methods and SOC 3000: Social Theory (or SOC 3003: Black Feminist Theory) must be taken in Washington University’s Sociology Department.

Students interested in receiving credit for courses taught outside the department should contact our Academic Coordinator. Please note you that will be required to submit a copy of the syllabus for the course you are petitioning to take, as well as a brief memo as to what is sociological about the course and how it fits into your larger program of study. Coursework that is being used to fulfill other program requirements (another major or minor) cannot be used towards SOC requirements.

The Academic Coordinator will ensure that your petition is reviewed by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Undergraduate Committee. Course approvals are assessed on petitioned courses' descriptions, syllabi provided, and justification memos submitted. You will receive an e-mail from the Academic Coordinator and/or the Director of Undergraduate Studies reporting the outcome of your credit petition decision.