• To provide students with understanding of social environments and patterns of human behavior. This knowledge is a foundation for many disciplines in addition to sociology, e.g., criminal justice, education, psychology, social work, ministry, business and international affairs.
• To help students understand themselves and others in the context of local, national and world societies through the comparison of societies and cultures.
• To prepare students to work with many populations and issues in a variety of settings in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
• To provide students with the tools for study and analysis of the structure and functioning of social groups, social institutions, and societies.
• To provide professional education for employment in the criminal justice systems and generalist social work practice, and the foundation for post-graduate study.
Career Opportunities
The Department of Sociology and Social Work prepares students to be effective leaders in the work force. A number of students were hired while still in internships, and many graduates have secured professional employment during or shortly after completion of their undergraduate study. Popular careers students enter include research design, public relations, human services, probation and criminal justice, social work, social welfare, counseling, health care administration, and many other rewarding fields. Graduates are employed in a variety of occupations: as social workers at a hospital and with the County of San Diego, as counselors with the Salvation Army and with Big Brothers & Sisters, as corrections officer with the State of California and with Federal Pre-Trial Services, as director of a senior citizen center, as a layout designer for San Diego Gas and Electric Company, as teachers at all levels, and as local, state, and federal law enforcement officers.
Many graduates continue their education at the post-graduate level in Sociology, Social Work, and law. Students have entered schools such as the University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Colorado, Duke University, University of Southern California, San Diego State University, and the California Western School of Law.
Social Work Major
All classes required for the major must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.000) or above.
LOWER-DIVISION REQUIREMENTS
COURSE # TITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UNITS
SOC 101 Intro to Sociology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..3
SOC 250 Sociology of the Family . . . . . . . . . . ...3
BIO 101 Human Biology and Bioethics . . . . ..... .4
ECO 102 Principles of Economics II . . . . . . .... . .3
MTH 203 Intro to Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .3
PSY 103 General Psychology . . . . . . . . . . ... . . .3
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................. .19
UPPER-DIVISION REQUIREMENTS
COURSE # TITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UNITS
SOC 316 Sociology of Aging
OR
SWK 340 Child Welfare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .3
SOC 360 Race and Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .3
SOC 460 Social Research Methods and Design 4
SWK 303 Intro to Social Work . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .3
SWK 330 Social Welfare Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
SWK 365 Human Behavior for the Social
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................. .3
SWK 370 Social Work Practice I . . . . . . .. . . . . .3
SWK 371 Social Work Practice II . . . . . . . . . . . .3
SWK 470 Social Work Practicum I . . . . . . . . .. . .4
SWK 471 Social Work Practicum II . . . . . . ... . . .4
SWK 472 Seminar in Social Work I . . . . . . . .. . .2
SWK 473 Seminar in Social Work II . . . . . .... . . .2
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................. . .37
RECOMMENDED ELECTIVES:
COURSE # TITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UNITS
FCS 150 Human Development . . . . . . . . . . . .... .3
PSY 321 Abnormal Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
PSY 300 Personality and Adult Development ....4
SOC 103 Social Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .3
SOC 305 Social Stratification . . . . . . . . . . ... . . .3
SOC 330 The Development of
Feminist Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................. . .4