The study of social systems and organizations is known as sociology. Political science, marketing, organization management, and even law enforcement are all common elements of the discipline. One of the introductory social science classes — sociology, psychology, or economics — is almost always a required class for a student earning an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree.
To become a sociology professor, even if a college graduate has a major and a bachelor’s degree in sociology, additional education is required. With a master’s degree, some individuals can teach introductory classes at the community college level; however, a doctorate in sociology is required to compete for tenure at a four-year college or university.
Obtaining a high school diploma and acceptance into a college or university is the first step on the path to becoming a sociology professor. Sociology is a popular field of study, and most accredited institutions of higher education in the United States offer it. Students who want to be a professor of sociology usually major in the subject, with or without a major or minor in a related field like criminal justice or political science.
Undergraduates will need to pass basic statistics classes in addition to introductory classes in sociological theory and different specializations in the field — criminology, social stratification, medical sociology, and research methods. Although many students do not expect it, a working knowledge of statistics is essential in the social sciences for both designing experiments and evaluating published reports of scholarly and public studies.
Preparation for the Graduate Record Examination® (GRE®) should begin in an undergraduate’s junior year. The GRE® scores, undergraduate grades, professor recommendations, and the quality of any independent study projects all play a role in whether or not a student’s application to a sociology graduate school program is accepted. Students begin to consider whether their efforts will culminate in a thesis and a master’s degree in sociology, also known as a terminal degree in academic circles, early in their first year of graduate study.
Students interested in becoming sociology professors and eventually earning a doctorate must first earn a master’s degree in the field. While writing their dissertations and preparing to defend them in front of a committee of department professors, doctoral students usually work as teaching assistants.