A bachelor’s in sociology is a social-science degree built on two things: social theory and research methods. Schools award it as a BA or a BS, and the label usually signals how much statistics and methodology the program requires. The BA typically pairs the major with a language or broader humanities requirement. The BS typically adds quantitative coursework. Both are legitimate; the methods sequence, not the letter, is what changes your hiring prospects.
This page covers the degree titles you will see, what the methods core actually requires, why sociology is not a route to social work licensure, and how to compare programs honestly.
Quick answers
Can I get a bachelor’s degree in sociology online?
Yes. In IPEDS 2024, 877 institutions reported bachelor’s-or-higher completions in sociology, and 745 of them reported offering distance-education programs (IPEDS 2024). Online sociology degrees are common because the discipline is reading, writing, and data analysis rather than lab or studio work.
Is a BA or a BS in sociology better?
Neither is universally better. A BS usually carries more statistics and quantitative methods, which helps if you are aiming at research, survey work, or market research. A BA usually leaves more room for a second field or a language, which helps if you are aiming at law, policy, or graduate study in a humanities-adjacent area. Compare the required course lists.
Does a sociology degree let me become a social worker?
No. Licensed social work practice requires a degree from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and a sociology major does not meet that standard. Some sociology graduates enter an MSW afterward, which works but adds time. If clinical practice is the goal from the start, see social work. For non-licensed service roles, see human services.
How many credits is a bachelor’s degree?
Approximately 120 semester hours, typically four years full-time. The sociology core usually starts in the second year, with methods and statistics in the middle years and a capstone at the end.
What math will I have to take?
At minimum, a social statistics course, and often a college algebra or quantitative reasoning prerequisite before it. Statistics in sociology is applied: descriptive measures, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression run inside SPSS, Stata, or R rather than by hand. Students who put off the statistics course until senior year usually regret it, because the capstone depends on it.
Is a bachelor’s enough, or will I need a graduate degree?
It depends entirely on the job. For program coordination, case management, human resources support, and market research, a bachelor’s plus demonstrated methods skill is enough. For the occupation titled sociologist, it is not: that role expects a master’s or doctorate, and it has roughly 300 annual openings nationally (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). See Online Master’s in Sociology.
At a Glance
- Common degree titles: BA in Sociology, BS in Sociology, or sociology with a criminology, social justice, or applied research concentration
- Typical duration: 4 years full-time
- Credits: Approximately 120 semester hours
- Core skills: Social theory, research design, survey construction, qualitative coding, applied statistics
- Accreditation: No programmatic accreditor for sociology; verify institutional accreditation
For a full map of this program area, start here: Sociology Program Guide
Schools to compare
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,588
Avg net price
$6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 172
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$110,066
Avg net price
$6,128/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 47
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
7%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,735
Avg net price
$14,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$67,832
Out‑of‑state$67,832
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$88,665
Avg net price
$17,716/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$81,400
Avg net price
$17,379/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 37
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
33%
Graduation rate
84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$74,915
Avg net price
$16,109/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,414
Out‑of‑state$50,614
Key stats
- Retention rate: 92%
- Programs offered: 81
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
The main undergraduate pathways
Standalone sociology major (BA or BS)
The direct route. Theory sequence, methods sequence, a spread of substantive electives, and a capstone. The variable worth checking is how many methods credits the major actually requires. Some programs require one combined methods-and-statistics course; stronger programs require a research design course, a statistics course, and an applied research capstone in sequence.
Sociology with a concentration
Common concentrations include criminology and deviance, social justice and inequality, family and human development, medical sociology, and applied or organizational research. A concentration is worth taking seriously only if the department teaches four or more courses in it on a predictable rotation. If crime is the entire interest, compare a dedicated criminology major instead of a two-course sociology track.
Sociology paired with an applied second field
Sociology combines well with a minor or double major that supplies a job title. Pairing with human services, psychology, criminal justice, or business analytics coursework gives you the analytical frame plus a hiring category. That is a deliberate strategy, not an admission that the major is weak.
Typical coursework in a bachelor’s program
| Course Topic |
What You Learn |
| Introduction to Sociology |
Core concepts: structure, culture, socialization, institutions, stratification |
| Classical and Contemporary Theory |
Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and modern frameworks used to build arguments |
| Research Methods |
Research design, sampling, measurement, survey construction, interviewing, ethics review |
| Social Statistics |
Descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression using SPSS, Stata, or R |
| Social Stratification |
Class, income, wealth, mobility, and how inequality reproduces across generations |
| Race, Ethnicity, and Gender |
How social categories are constructed and how they shape institutional outcomes |
| Criminology and Deviance |
Theories of crime and social control; the overlap with the criminology major |
| Sociology of Family, Work, or Health |
Substantive electives applying theory and methods to a specific institution |
| Capstone or Senior Research Project |
An original study from question to data to written findings |
Skills you may build
- Designing a research question that data can actually answer
- Writing and testing a survey instrument, and knowing what a bad question does to results
- Running descriptive and inferential statistics in a real statistical package
- Coding interview and observational data into themes without inventing them
- Reading a study and identifying what its sample can and cannot support
- Writing findings for a non-academic audience, which is most of the paid work
Prerequisites and course sequencing
The methods and statistics courses usually sit behind an introductory sociology course and a quantitative reasoning requirement, and the capstone sits behind both. Before you enroll, confirm:
- Whether a math prerequisite is required before social statistics, and whether you already satisfy it
- How often methods and statistics run online, and in which terms
- Whether the capstone requires institutional review board approval for human-subjects work, and how that works for online students
- Whether any concentration courses run only in alternating years
- Whether the program requires an internship or field placement, and whether it can be completed locally
If you are moving faster than a standard four-year plan, compare accelerated sociology programs. Compression is harder on statistics and the capstone than on theory and elective reading.
Transfer credits and degree planning
Transfer credit can shorten a bachelor’s substantially, particularly for general education and introductory social science. Rules vary by institution, so confirm:
- The maximum number of transfer credits accepted
- The minimum grade required for a course to transfer
- Whether credits apply to the major core or only to general electives – introductory sociology usually transfers, methods and statistics often must be retaken in-house
- Residency requirements, meaning a minimum number of credits completed at the institution
See Affordable Online Sociology Degrees for more on managing total program cost.
Accreditation and program quality checks
There is no programmatic accreditor for sociology degrees. Verify that the institution holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education database.
Professional associations in the discipline publish standards and journals, but they do not accredit degree programs. If a program advertises approval by a sociology association, read that claim carefully – institutional accreditation is the check that matters here.
Building evidence while you study
Because the major does not come with a license or a job title, the transcript needs proof of work attached to it. Practical habits that pay off:
- Keep every methods assignment that involved real data, cleaned up as a portfolio piece
- Choose a capstone question you can defend in an interview, not one chosen to be easy
- Learn one statistical package well enough to list it honestly on a resume
- Take an internship or volunteer research role with a nonprofit, health department, or campus research center
- If market research is the target, add coursework in survey methodology or data analytics
Bachelor’s vs a master’s in sociology
A bachelor’s is a broad analytical degree that lands in program, service, and research-support roles. A master’s in sociology deepens the methods training and opens applied research and teaching-adjacent work, and a doctorate is the realistic requirement for the sociologist and postsecondary teaching occupations. Be specific about which job you are buying before you enroll in graduate school.
Compare degree options:
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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