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Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

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Let your interest in social interactions and human relationships gained as a sociology major translate into starting your MBA while still an undergrad!

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When you come to Caldwell University for your B.A. in Sociology, our faculty and coursework prepare you for a career in human services, social justice, and social research. Our alumni can be found working as agents of change in social service agencies across our communities and behind the scenes tackling emerging social issues. Many of our graduates go on to pursue graduate degrees in Social Work along with Masters and doctoral programs in the social sciences. Students leave our program equipped for the professional world with skills in data analysis, information literacy, and problem-solving.

Why Caldwell?

Our department takes an applied approach where students participate in internship programs, independent studies, and research internships with faculty. We also offer professional development opportunities for students to meet practitioners in the field, including our annual Social Justice Symposium, our annual Sociology and Criminal Justice Career Fair, and information sessions with various agencies (such as the Drug Enforcement Administration). A Sociology degree at Caldwell University affords students the opportunity to tackle complex social issues with both academic and applied experience at an institution with a Dominican social justice mission.

In order to prepare students for the job market and future study, students earn proficiency in key skills demonstrated in the outcomes assessment. 

Statement of Outcomes Assessment

Two fundamental learning goals of the sociology and criminal justice major are student competence in research methods and theory. The Department meets these goals through our courses in social science research methods, criminology, and sociological theory. Methods of Social Research I and II are required for both sociology and criminal justice majors, while Sociological Theory is required of sociology majors and Criminology is required of criminal justice majors. After completing the required outcomes assessment courses, sociology and criminal justice majors should be able to:

1. describe and apply classical and contemporary theories in at least one area of social reality;

2. describe and evaluate classical and contemporary theories of crime causation and apply these theories to real world phenomena;

3. identify basic methodological approaches and describe the general role of methods in building sociological knowledge;

4. design a research study in an area of choice;

5. develop proficiency in use of statistics for the comprehensive understanding of professional journals;

6. apply statistical skills to conduct data analysis using secondary data.

In each of the required theory and research courses, the instructor of the outcomes assessment course is responsible for awarding student grades; however, outcomes assessment is the shared responsibility of all full-time department faculty. It is at the discretion of the individual instructor whether or not to consider departmental faculty evaluations of student work in their courses when awarding student grades for the course.

For sociology majors, departmental faculty will review and evaluate the research paper submitted in Sociological Theory and the final paper submitted for SO 344 Methods of Social Research I as well as SO 346 Methods of Social Research II. For criminal justice majors, departmental faculty will critique and assess the research paper submitted in Criminology and the final paper submitted for Methods of Social Research II.

For a student to pass his/her outcomes assessment requirement, a majority of the departmental faculty must agree that the quality of the work done for both courses demonstrates competence. If a student fails to meet the necessary criteria for any of their outcomes assessment paper requirements, the student may: (1) revise the written work, submit a new paper for consideration prior to the end of the semester during which the student is enrolled in the course, and give an oral presentation of the paper before the department faculty reviewers; (2) request an Incomplete (in accordance with the Academic Policies set forth in the Caldwell University Undergraduate Catalog), revise the written work, submit a new paper for consideration within the allotted time period, and give an oral presentation of the paper before the department faculty reviewers; or (3) repeat the course (in accordance with the Academic Policies set forth in the Caldwell University Undergraduate Catalog).

It is possible that a student may pass his/her outcomes assessment but receive less than a C grade for the course in which the outcomes assessment work was done. In such a case, the student does not have to go through the outcomes assessment process again; however, the course has to be repeated, since students must achieve at least a C grade in all required courses for the major.

It is also conceivable that a student may fail the outcomes assessment process, yet achieve a C or better in the course in which the outcomes assessment work was required. In such a case, the student does not have to repeat the course, but must follow guidelines outlined above for students who do not pass their outcome assessment requirement.

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