The Undergraduate Program

Undergraduate Chair: Dr. Chenoa Flippen
Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies: Dr. Marcus T. Wright
(For any questions about the program, please contact Dr. Wright

The Penn Sociology Undergraduate Program seeks to provide students with an understanding of social structure and how individuals' experiences are related to that structure. The cornerstones of our program are two robust majors - Sociology and Law and Society - as well as three minor programs (Sociology, Law and Society, and Medical Sociology).
 

Students collaborating on project
 

SOCIOLOGY MAJOR

We help students identify and explain patterns of social life and human behavior by emphasizing how large-scale social phenomena (such as class, race and gender inequality) affect the everyday experiences of individuals, and vice versa. While doing so, our program also introduces students to the conceptual and methodological tools of social science research, including ethnography, social statistics, and demographic methods.

The Sociology major prepares students for a broad array of careers in fields such as law, medicine and health care, consulting, marketing, digital technology, human resources, education, scholarly and applied social research, data analysis, management in the public and private sectors, administration, social work, demography and government. For more information on the Sociology major, visit our requirements page.

The Sociology major at Penn is designated as STEM degree. This designation brings emphasis to how our program engages students in the instruction of research methodology (including design, observation and data analysis) as well as various quantitative methods such as statistical analysis. These are crucial technical skills that employers are seeking in the job market regardless of the positions you are applying for. Since our program is now a STEM designated degree, International students who major in Sociology at Penn will be able to apply for an additional 24 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information on this, please visit the following link: https://global.upenn.edu/isss/opt-stem
 

LAW AND SOCIETY MAJOR

Our brand new major in Law and Society provides students with an understanding of the place of law in economic, cultural, political, and social life, as well as how legal systems intersect with social structures and systems of stratification. The Law and Society major benefits students upon graduation with a wide range of opportunities including the pursuit of graduate studies in law, engaging in policy work, and other careers in the public and private sectors where a holistic understanding of the intersection of law and various aspects of society is beneficial. For more information on this new major, visit the requirements page or contact the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies.

 

For further information on our programs and initiatives, visit the links in the right-hand menu, or contact the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Marcus T. Wright.