What Jobs can you get with a Sociology Degree?

This post treats in detail the various jobs you can get with a sociology degree, from associate’s to doctorate; the skills you will develop in the course of your studies, which will prove valuable in your later work, and the salary you should expect to earn on the various sociology jobs.

The study and practice of sociology have remained relevant over time in most societies where sociologists play a vital role in the study of human behavior as pertains to the society.

Indeed, there are various exciting jobs you can get with a sociology degree and have a successful career.

Please read on:

Why Sociology Degree?

Our world in every aspect deals with social affairs, ranging from social relationships in marriage and family to the social classes, variant cultures/religion, crime, community, economic outlook, and racism to mention but a few.

It is the responsibility of sociologists to evaluate and gather information about the social behavior and reactions of people to specific conditions and to provide an understanding of social processes.

They use survey means, history, laboratory experience, and personal experience/interaction to gain perception of the forces that mold people’s lives, and how best to adjust in order to overcome social problems.

A degree in sociology furnishes students with critical thinking skills especially as relates to the functioning of human social life, they learn how to communicate effectively, how to collect and analyze data in order to derive inference, and how to aid people in understanding social processes.

A sociology degree is among the most popular courses in colleges as it ranks 23rd most popular college degree in the U.S. with 34,595 degrees awarded from 2013-2014.

Sociology as a major is as highly paying as it is popular; an M.A degree holder is estimated to earn as much as $73,760 annually though the number of jobs remains fixed with roughly 2600 jobs available.

What can you do with a Sociology Associate’s Degree?

For those desiring a career in sociology, a 2-year Associate’s degree can set you on a path to impart the social lives of people.

An Associate’s degree in sociology provides basic research and analysis skills, effective communication, and ability to represent information graphically.

These skills prepare students for job positions as:

• Drug/Alcohol Abuse Counselor: They aid clients in overcoming their addictions. They achieve this by providing guidance, support, and rehabilitation of patients through therapy sessions, identifying clients’ issues by listening, and creating a treatment plan. See detailed substance abuse counselor job description.
• Social Service Assistant: Their duties involves assisting clients in benefitting from community services. Their knowledge of human social behavior is employed in resolving issues related to family, human relationships, care for children and the elderly.
• Marketer: They specialize in evaluating customers’ needs and how best to present a commodity in a way that meets the desires of the target market. They are also responsible for identifying the right target audience for a particular product, as well as setting product prices.
• Domestic Violence Advocate: They provide counseling and support to victims of domestic violence. They aid clients in facing and resolving their domestic issues by offering professional counsel and therapy sessions.
• Human Resource Assistant: They assist H.R managers in scheduling and administering tests to applicants seeking employment in an organization, they maintain office records, ensure circulation of information in the office, as well as providing secretarial support. See detailed human resource assistant job description.

Payscale projects an annual median salary of $28,800 for females earning with an Associate’s degree in sociology and $31,560 for their male counterparts.

A career in sociology often requires practical skills and work experience which is why students and fresh graduates opt for voluntary roles in schools as a counsellor, in communities and social work department helping the socially impaired and abused overcome their social and psychological trauma, but some careers require a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

What can you do with a Sociology Bachelor’s Degree?

As a sociology Bachelor’s undergraduate, you are trained to apply theories of sociology in various organizations.

You will learn how to make reasoned argument as well as how to properly carry out research when judging and evaluating complex situations.

The training also imbibes good people skills and how to relate to different people, taking into consideration the diversity in behavior on students.

As a Bachelor’s degree graduate of Sociology, you can secure jobs as:

• Correctional Counsellor: Their duties involve aiding prison inmates in going through a relapse-prevention plan by counselling them, teaching them job skills as well as helping them decide on their goals.
• Social Worker: They find employment in homes, schools or hospitals where they render social support to young people, drug/alcohol abusers, aged and homeless people, helping them through tough social situations. See detailed social worker job description.
• Human Rights Officer: They monitor and give report of violation of civil, political and social rights of people. They also specialize in collecting information of infringed rights, interacting with victims of violation as well as being present during court trials.
• Public Relations Officer: The duty of a public relations officer ranges from organizing events, creating and implementing public relations strategies and among others, writing of reports, articles in an organization.
• Community Development Worker: They assist economically and culturally underdeveloped communities in achieving improved social life.

Sociology Bachelor’s degree holders are estimated to earn as much as $61,109 and $65,996 for female and male earners respectively as salary.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, most sociology jobs require Master’s degree or Ph.D., stating that the field of sociology is very popular and has minimal number of jobs.

What can you do with a Sociology Master’s or Doctorate Degree?

To achieve a professional edge and withstand competition in the job market, sociology majors often take their study all the way up to Master’s or Doctorate level.

With advanced degrees in sociology, you can get any of the following jobs:

• Public Policy Maker: They work in the private or public legal field where they carry out research on public policies as it relates the public, they also participate in cases where decisions made can affect masses.
• Social Science Instructor: Their duty involves teaching secondary school or undergraduate students as an instructor or professor.

The salary of sociology Master’s is pegged at a maximum of $78,604 for females and $107,442 annual median salary for males.

Conclusion

In a world filled with social ills, misdemeanor and vices, the importance of a sociologist cannot be underestimated.

With any of the above degrees in sociology, you can be sure of getting the job and career you will be happy in, and will be able to do a lot of things that will bring joy to other people.

Are you satisfied with our response to the question: what jobs can you get with a sociology degree? If so, which of them strikes your interest to having a degree in? Do make a comment in the box below.