A bachelor’s degree in sociology is designed to take four years to complete, requiring about 120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours. Some students take slightly longer than four years. For example, at the University of Wisconsin, sociology majors graduate in an average of 4.3 years. Time to degree can increase for a variety of reasons. Some students take on internships that make them more marketable after graduation but that delays their coursework by a semester. Others may change majors to sociology after putting time into another course of study.
In 2008, about 40 percent of graduating sociology majors went on to advanced study, according to the American Sociological Association report “What Are They Doing With a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology?” Master’s programs in sociology are designed to be completed in two years of full-time study. However, the ASA found in 2010 that about 20 percent of sociology master’s students were also working full-time as they studied, which the students reported would increase their time to degree.
Out of 872 sociology master’s students who responded to a 2008 ASA survey, just under 50 percent planned to pursue a Ph.D. in sociology, and another 8 percent said they would pursue a doctorate in another field. The ASA reported these findings in its publication “Paying Attention to the Master’s Degree in Sociology.” Most doctoral programs in sociology are designed to be completed in six years, but as in the other social sciences and humanities, they often take much longer.
Students who earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology are well prepared for careers in such broad areas as politics, journalism, social work, business and research. Many also go on to MBA programs and to law school, as well as to graduate programs in the humanities and social sciences. About half of the students who earned master’s degrees in sociology in 2010 went to work in the education sector, while the other half was split evenly between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, according to an ASA report titled “Sociology Master’s Graduates Join the Workforce.” A doctoral degree in sociology prepares students for jobs in high-level research. Graduates can seek employment in academia, but also in diverse fields such as research analysis, criminology, demography, management and urban planning.