Undergraduate FAQ & Policies

You should initiate the declaration process in WebSTAC. Once you’ve completed that process, our Sociology academic coordinator, Kaitlyne Motl, will contact you via email to complete a brief survey, then set up an appointment to meet with her to finalize your faculty advisor assignment. You will then schedule an initial meeting with your advisor to discuss your course choices and other plans. 

How to Declare a Sociology Major or Minor

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Advisors are assigned based on your own stated preferences. When declaring your major/minor on WebSTAC and during your initial meeting with our academic coordinator, you will have the opportunity to request a specific advisor. While not a requirement, many students prefer to work with an advisor with whom they have established a relationship through prior courses. In other cases, you may prefer to be paired with an advisor who shares your specific interest areas within the overall field. Our academic coordinator, Kaitlyne Motl and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Steve Fazzari are both happy to discuss possibilities and provide advice along these lines. Please note that you are always able to switch advisors if you find that a different faculty member better matches your developing interests or activities. In those cases, please schedule a meeting with our academic coordinator to discuss and finalize any changes in advisor assignments. Feel free to read through the faculty bios on the Sociology Department website to become familiar with potential advisors.

Sociology opens doors to careers in law, education, policy research, non-profit and business management, and so many 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.

Over time, the Sociology department will develop a list of specific programs that we recommend for students with particular interests in the discipline. We advise students to select an abroad program primarily based on broader considerations, such as program location and format. You may find School for International Training (SIT)-sponsored programs to be especially strong options if you value immersion in local communities and experiential research opportunities above a more conventional campus-based experience. You can find a range of university study abroad resources through the Overseas Programs office.

In general, we are willing to consider a wide range of study abroad program and course options for major and minor credit. For a more definite sense of possibilities along these lines, you will first need to contact the Overseas Programs office. Once you have met with one of their representatives, please then schedule a meeting with your Sociology Advisor and/or the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Steve Fazzari, to discuss whether particular programs and courses meet basic requirements for major/minor credit. While obtaining departmental approval for your Study Plan is a required step in the University’s study abroad application process, we recommend that you initiate conversations with your advisor much earlier as you consider different location and program options.

Sociology majors may use up to 6 credit hours of approved study abroad coursework to fulfill major program requirements.  Sociology minors may use up to 3 credit hours of approved study abroad coursework to fulfill minor program requirements. 

Students with an interest in deepening their experiences in the WashU Sociology department can opt into the following opportunites:

• Course Assistantships (UGTAs)
• Research Assistantships (RAs)

If you are interested in supporting faculty and students within the classroom - or assisting faculty with research projects - please reach out to our Academic Coordinator. Both opportunities can be taken for academic credit and/or paid compensation.  

Washington University’s Sociology Department has reactivated its membership – first established in 1933 – as Missouri’s 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. Instituted both as a registered student group (“sociology club”) and an honorary association for outstanding juniors and seniors in the department, 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 annually in the Spring term.

 For more details on the organization or how to join, please reach out to our Academic Coordinator.

To be eligible for Latin Honors, the student must have maintained a 3.65 GPA through their sixth semester and must be approved by the Academic Coordinator or Director of Undergraduate studies. Latin Honors indicates that you have earned top grades and will complete a substantial research project. Students interested in the opportunity to conduct research on a topic of their choosing, and whose grades satisfy the criteria for Latin honors established by the College of Arts & Sciences may elect to undertake a sociology honors thesis. Completion of an honors thesis is the only path to Latin honors for Sociology majors.  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.

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 thesis speak with their department advisor and/or other Sociology faculty members about their ideas as early as possible - 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 will write an honors thesis should first complete the Sociology Honors Thesis Program application.  As thesis cohorts are admitted annually, students should apply for the Program in the Spring prior to their senior year.  Students will be notified of their acceptance into the Program in the early- to mid-Summer.  Once your application is approved, you may register for SOC 4901: Sociology Honors Thesis (3 credits) in the Fall semester of their senior year.  In the Fall, students will participate in a seminar style course, working to develop their thesis projects, secure needed institutional research approval, solidify their faculty mentoring team, and to construct the basis of their thesis through a project proposal. In the Spring, students will register again for SOC 4901 (3 credits), this time completing their coursework as an independent study supervised by their faculty mentoring team. Students who opt for the thesis capstone option can apply three of their thesis credits (those associated with SOC 4901) toward their upper-level major requirement, meaning that – in addition to their thesis project – they would only need to complete four (rather than five) additional 300/400-level seminar courses. 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 3050: Statistics for Sociology.  

Prior to undertaking the thesis project, the student additionally will consult with their thesis advisor to identify a thesis reader. The reader may be another faculty member in the department or a member of the regular teaching staff (including postdoctoral fellows and adjunct faculty with on-going appointments).

After completion of the written thesis, each honors student will give a brief presentation (10 - 15 minutes, followed by Q&A) summarizing their research, to be attended by the advisor, their reader, and other interested members of the department. The advisor and reader will meet to determine if the student’s work meets the department’s standards to be recommended for honors. 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 will include “human subjects.” Prior to initiating their research, students must receive approval from Washington University’s Institutional Review Board. For an overview of the University’s IRB process,  please refer to:  https://hrpo.wustl.edu/research-toolkit/2018-common-rule/

Students may transfer courses from a domestic study program (i.e., another four-year institution in the U.S.) or an approved study abroad program. Transfer credits can account for major or minor requirements, upon approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Majors are eligible to transfer two courses (equivalent of 6 credit hours) to fulfill either:  A) one introductory-level course and one upper-level course or B) two upper-level courses. Minors are eligible to transfer one course to fulfill one introductory-level course or one upper-level course, or up to 3 credit hours. 

Please note that student options for using transfer credit to fulfill core requirements is limited to SOC 3050: Statistics for Sociology. Both SOC 3030: Introduction to Research Methods and SOC 3001: Social Theory (or SOC 3002: 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 will be required to return 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. Please submit your petition before the start date of the class you are requesting to take rather than after enrolling or completing the class; you do not want to take a course and then learn that it won't count for program credit!

The Academic Coordinator will ensure that your petition is reviewed by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Undergraduate Committee. Course approval is contingent on an evaluation of the proposed course description and syllabus. You will receive an e-mail from the Academic Coordinator related to the outcome of your submitted petition.