Department of Sociology

Welcome to the Department of Sociology! A degree in sociology equips you with the tools needed to critically analyze the world and your place in it. Given the unprecedented challenges facing society today, a degree in sociology is more important than ever. With a degree in sociology you will be able to conduct research and analyze data, skillfully communicate, think critically, and gain a global perspective. Collectively, these skills represent what is known as the “sociological imagination.”

The department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, as well as a minor in sociology. At the graduate level, the department offers a Master of Science in Sociology. The master’s program is quite active with more than 60 students currently in residence.

As a sociology student, you'll gain access to a world-class faculty engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as social disparities in health, racial and ethnic relations, immigration and border studies, the sociology of religion, stratification and social mobility, adolescent and young adult well-being, aging and life course, and cultural sociology. You will also have access to a secure data lab, equipped with the latest software, that ensures that our faculty can train you to work with major, national data sets which are of a sensitive nature.

Fittingly for our location in the new College for Health, Community and Policy, many faculty engage in research projects connected to the local community, such as with the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, area high schools, the Alamo Colleges, and the San Antonio Military Medical Center. Reflecting the global reach of the faculty, they have also partnered with Sichuan University and the Universidad de Guadalajara.

In addition to exposure to the research process, as a student you will be encouraged to pursue an internship that provides hands-on work experience connecting your classroom experiences to tangible career opportunities. Sociology prepares you for careers in a variety of fields, including education, social services, counseling, governmental and non-profit agencies and criminal justice, to name but a few. Sociology provides excellent preparation for graduate school and advanced professional degrees. Many students go on to pursue graduate education in sociology (some in our own department), social work, educational administration, urban planning, law school, business, public policy, criminal justice and demography.

You can also qualify for the department’s International Honor Society chapter, Alpha Kappa Delta, which offers the opportunity to be acknowledged for excellent academic performance. Honor Society members participate in scholarly events on campus and in the greater San Antonio community.

This brief sketch only scratches the surface of potential opportunities for students in sociology. I invite you to contact myself or our sociology advisor (Joanne FordRobertson), and stop by to tour our facilities, meet our faculty, staff and students and learn more about what we have to offer!

— Ray Swisher, Chair
Chair and Professor, Department of Sociology 
raymond.swisher@utsa.edu

Contact

Raymond Swisher, Ph.D.

Department Chair, Sociology; Interim Chair, Demography; Professor

Demography, Sociology

raymond.swisher@utsa.edu