Sociology

Program Description

The Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) Degree in Sociology is designed for students planning to transfer into a baccalaureate program in sociology or a similar major at a California State University (CSU) or another 4-year college or university. Sociology is the critical and applied investigation of everyday life. This approach to academic studies provides students with an analysis of social life, social change, and the social factors and consequences of human behavior using the methods of social science research. Sociologists examine the social construction of individuals, groups, organizations and institutions and how people interact within these contexts.

The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program allows students to fulfill lower division major requirements at a community college and guarantees transfer with junior status to a college within the California State University (CSU) system. Students who complete an ADT and transfer to a similar major at a CSU are guaranteed a pathway to finish their baccalaureate degrees in 60 semester units.

This AA-T degree program requires students to meet the following requirements:

1. Completion of 60 semester units that are eligible for transfer to the CSU system, including the following:
   1. The California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) Requirements.
   2. A minimum of 18 semester units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district.
   3. A minimum of 12 semester units earned at Merritt College.
2. Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
3. Obtainment of a minimum grade of “C” (or “P”) for each course in the major.

The completion time for this AA-T degree program is generally 4 semesters. Completion time will vary based on student preparation and the number of units completed per semester.

See the Transfer Information section of this catalog for more information on ADT and Cal-GETC requirements.

Career Opportunities

Skills developed from studying sociology can be useful in business, community service, activism, child develoipment, politics, criminal justice, education in the government, private and non-profit sectors

Learning Outcome(s)

1. Identify relevant sociological theorists and their contributions to the discipline of sociology
2. Use sociological perspectives to analyze social issues and suggest solutions to social problems
3. Distinguish among various systems of social stratification and analyze ways that they create social inequality
4. Apply both qualitative and quantitative research to analyze social trends and evaluate relationships among entities in society