Sociology Careers
The sociology major is uniquely suited to prepare you for success. Sociology is at the forefront of efforts to increase understanding of social change, diversity and human relationships, and it utilizes systematic methods to find answers to complex social questions. Studying sociology will help you become a more creative, innovative, critical thinker, and it will build your problem solving and communication skills. Sociology will challenge you to see the world through the lens of diverse cultures and communities, and enhance your ability to collaborate with others in developing multi-cultural and global understandings. Training in sociological methods will help you build strong math and science skills, and it will also illuminate the contexts in which social issues must be understood, in ways that cannot be quantified. Writing theoretical, policy and empirical research papers about social problems and their solutions will foster the strong writing and presentation skills you need to succeed in our ever-chaning world.
Here are just a few of the positions that our W&M Sociology Alumni are in today:
Global careers:
- Overseeing regional development portfolios as a Research Analyst at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
- Joining government efforts to address social and economic development worldwide as a Program Assistant at the U.S. Agency for International Development
- Programme Analyst for the United Nations Office of Project Services in Amman, Jordan
Careers in public health and medicine:
- Supporting programs targeting malaria, reproductive health, child survival, and HIV in Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Haiti while working for Populations Services International, an international NGO.
- Managing clinical research protocols for the U.S. Air Force at Travis AFB in Northern California.
- Performing outreach and education as Postpartum and Breastfeeding Coordinator for the community-based program sePARE in Puerto Rico
Legal and criminal justice careers:
- Working for criminal justice reform as a Policy Analyst for Campaign for Fair Sentencing of Youth
- Assessing the impact of mass incarceration on communities as a Prisoner Reentry Researcher
- Educating the next generation as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
- Fighting against the abuse and mistreatment of children as a Child Advocate Attorney
- Supporting campus safety as a University Police Chief
Social change and public policy careers:
- Director of Corporate Relations of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
- Community Planning and Development Specialist of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Program Coordinator of the Congressional Hunger Center
- Doing research and advocacy for victims of sexual and domestic violence at the Virginia Department of Health
- Working to achieve good government as a Research Associate at the Partnership for Public Service in Washington, D.C.
Sociology Alumni are also making a difference in business, the arts, and teaching, just to name a few fields. For example:
- Evaluating contracts as a Business Development Associate at Dexis Consulting Group in Washington, DC
- Launching an award-winning technology startup called Heat Seek NYC to help vulnerable tenants in the wintertime when their landlords don't provide adequate heat (as required by law)
- Restoring and operating a family farm in Maine
- Pioneering a new meditation and art therapy program at the Roanoke Rescue Mission homeless shelter in Virginia (4/5/2016)
