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School of Education

Sociology Major and Minor Requirements

Faculty advisors: Professor Diana Hess, 256D Teacher Education Building, 263-4571, dhess@education.wisc.edu; Professor Alan Lockwood, 256A Teacher Education, 263-6262, lockwood@education.wisc.edu. Students not yet admitted to this program should consult with advising staff at Education Academic Services (EAS), Room 139 Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, 608-262-1651.

IMPORTANT: The secondary education faculty members are restructuring their teacher certification programs at UW-Madison. These programs are moving to post-baccalaureate certification, which means that students will only be certified to teach these subjects through graduate-level work in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The current undergraduate teacher licensing programs will be discontinued and certification will no longer be offered at the undergraduate level. Students will begin the new graduate programs in summer 2015.

The affected programs are English, Mathematics, Social Studies (Broad Field Social Studies, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology), and Science (Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Broad Field/Natural Science, and Physics).

The last group of undergraduates will be admitted to the current professional programs in fall 2013. The application period for this admission period will extend from October 2012 to February 1, 2013.

[catalog update 10/1/12]

Sociology Major Requirements

Complete a minimum of 34 credits. The credits required for program admission must be chosen from courses below. At least 15 credits of upper-level major course work (numbered 300-699) must be taken in residence on the UW-Madison campus. Students may wish to consult with the Sociology undergraduate advisor, Room 8128 Social Science Building, 262-3261. Courses are Sociology listings unless otherwise indicated.

  • Select one:
    • 210 Survey of Sociology, 3-4
    • 211 The Sociological Enterprise, 3
    • 181 The Sociological Enterprise, Honors Introductory Seminar, 3-4
  • Select one:
    • 360 Statistics for Sociologists I, 4 AND 357 Methods of Sociological Inquiry, 3-4 (concurrent registration recommended)
    • 358 Design and Analysis of Social Research, 3 AND 359 Statistical Analysis of Social Research, 4 (take concurrently)
    • 357 Methods of Sociological Inquiry, 3-4 AND one equivalent statistics course from another department (Econ 310, Gen Bus 303, Geog 360, Math 310, Poli Sci 551, Psych 210, Psych 280, Stat 301)
  • 475 Classical Sociological Theory, 3
  • Select at least one course from two of the following groups of departmental offerings. Courses used to meet the requirements above may not be applied to this requirement. Note: Each course may be counted in only one of the groups listed below.
    • Methods/Stats: 361, 362, 365, 375, 376, 461, 544
    • Deviant Behavior: 421, 422, 431, 441, 445, 446, 463
    • Theory: 462, 476, 477, 478
    • Social Psychology: 464, 515, 525, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 543, 545, 551, 573, 575, 577, 578
    • Social Organization: 311, 327, 414, 415, 465, 470, 601, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 617, 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 678 
    • Demography and Ecology: 380, 460, 663, 666, 674, 676, 677
    • Community and Environmental Sociology: 533, 540, 541, 551, 573, 578, 612, 617, 618, 619, 639, 650, 653, 666
  • Additional course work to total a minimum of 34 credits selected in consultation with the department's undergraduate advisor.

Note: Students interested in studying and teaching in a number of social studies disciplines may wish to combine the major listed here with a major in Broad Field Social Studies. This combination allows an individual to develop a depth of study in a particular area of interest while acquiring a broader understanding of the social sciences. The ability to teach a number of social studies courses may increase employment opportunities and this combination will also provide a foundation for certification in additional social studies subject areas at a later date.

Sociology Minor Requirements

The Sociology minor may be completed by students in Secondary Education Social Studies or Elementary Education licensing programs. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 is required, based on all Sociology minor course work taken on the UW-Madison campus. The graduation grade point average may be modified by the last 60 credits rule (see Social Studies Education Application and Admission Information).

Secondary Education students may select this minor only if completing a major in another Social Studies certification area. It is not possible to be certified only in a minor area. Interested Secondary Education students must apply and be admitted to the Social Studies program. Admission is limited and competitive. See additional information under the major of choice.

All Secondary students, whether completing their first degree or adding on a teaching minor to a prior certification, should expect to complete a methods course, participate in practicum and student teaching experience, and earn passing scores on a content exam to be recommended for certification. Students wishing to complete a minor must consult with the faculty advisor/program coordinator to discuss its field experience component.

The Sociology minor requires a minimum of 24 credits. Complete the required courses for the major and Sociology electives to reach 24 credits.