University of Minnesota
Department of Sociology
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The Sociology Bachelor of Science Degree

The Sociology Bachelor of Science Degree

The Bachelor of Science degree is designed for students interested in a more rigorous concentration in the applied areas of statistics, mathematics, educational psychology and philosophy of science (rather than a second language). Students with high aptitude for research and statistics, and/or a career interest in marketing or research, are typically most interested in this option. The BS can be an extremely difficult program for individuals who are not strong mathematical thinkers.

The supportive field area consists of 12-16 upper division credits, for a total of four courses, focusing on research, quantitative analysis and other kinds of analysis (e.g., program evaluation, legal analysis, policy analysis). These courses must be pre-approved by our faculty and completed with a grade of C- or better. A good way to tell whether the BS is for you is to count the number of courses that intrigue you from the list of approved supportive field courses. If you're not absolutely thrilled with this list, you'll be a lot happier doing a BA.

Sociology BS Worksheets:
Soc BS - General
Soc BS - LCD

The Department of Sociology informally screens students who wish to complete the Bachelor of Science to be sure they have the aptitude and interest to be successful in the highly rigorous supportive field courses. We recommend potential BS students complete one year of calculus, a prerequisite for many supportive field courses, before declaring the BS in sociology. You may be officially designated as a BA student while approval of the proposed supportive field courses is pending.

To be considered for the B.S. option, you must submit a written proposal to the undergraduate advisor in the Department of Sociology.  We recommend that you receive approval for your BS program before completion of the supportive field courses. Please include with your proposal:

  • statement explaining why you are interested in the BS degree rather than the BA; and why you are choosing sociology as a major
  • A list of the proposed supportive field courses and a statement of rationale for each course. It is very helpful to include an articulation of the cohesiveness to the supportive field courses.

Submit the signed proposal (with a current APAS report) to the undergraduate advisor for approval. The advisor will then seek faculty approval of your proposal.