Bachelor of Science in Sociology

Collaborative Online Degree

This 100 percent online, consortial program is taught by IU South Bend, IU East, IU Kokomo, and IU Northwest. This consortial model allows you to take coursework from several campuses and learn from a wide range of faculty.

This program is authorized, exempt, or not subject to state regulatory compliance and may enroll students from all 50 states.

Many online support services are available to assist you as you progress through the program.

Sociology is the scientific study of society, social institutions, and social relationships. It examines the complex social, economic, political, and technological challenges facing our society today.

The IU Online Bachelor of Science (BS) in Sociology explores the discipline of sociology, the sociological perspective, and the contribution of sociology to our understanding of social reality. You learn to identify sociological imagination in source material, explain the importance of the relationship between biography and history, analyze issues from multiple points of view, and assess the historical and social structural contexts of an argument.

As a student in the program, you use qualitative and quantitative research methods to examine social life. You study the major theoretical arguments and key concepts of functionalist theory, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and social constructionism. You develop deep understanding of the structure and functions of social inequalities and hierarchies of difference and power. You also examine how agency, culture, and social structure operate in society.

Admissions

Admissions requirements vary by campus.

Degree Requirements (120 cr.)

Students may be able to transfer an associate degree or up to 64 credit hours from a regionally accredited two-year college and up to 90 credit hours from a regionally accredited four-year college or university.

Requirements are broken down as follows:

• Sociology Core Courses including Capstone (21 cr.)
• Sociology Elective Courses (27 cr.)
• General Education Courses (30-42 cr.)
• Free Electives (balance of credits needed to equal 120 credit requirement)

• All courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise noted

Core Courses

• BSS-B 490 Senior Capstone
• SOC-R 100 Introduction to Sociology; OR
  SOC-S 100 Introduction to Sociology
• SOC-R 121 Social Problems; OR
  SOC-S 101 Social Problems and Policies; OR
  SOC-S 153 Social Problems
• SOC-R 351 Social Science Research Methods
• SOC-S 340 Social Theory;  OR
  SOC-R 355 Social Theory
• SOC-R 359 Introduction to Social Statistics
• SOC-R 494 Internship Programs in Sociology
  (subject to program approval)
• SOC-R 498 Capstone Seminar
• SOC-S 161 Principles of Sociology
• SOC-S 215 Social Change
• SOC-S 217 Social Inequality
• SOC-S 230 Society and the Individual
• SOC-S 252 Methods of Social Research
• SOC-S 261 Research Methods in Sociology
• SOC-S 262 Quantitative Methods