Jun 23, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Sociology, Criminology Concentration, B.S.


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Sociology and Anthropology  
615-904-8349
Angela Mertig, program coordinator
Angela.Mertig@mtsu.edu

Ugur Orak, faculty advisor
Ugur.Orak@mtsu.edu

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. It is an expanding field that addresses challenging issues such as family dynamics, inequality, patterns of behavior, and forces for social change and resistance. Sociologists’ research can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life, from crime to corporate downsizing.

Students may pursue a B.S. in Sociology with a general focus or one of three concentrations: Criminology, Social Justice, or Work and Family Studies.

Students must receive at least a C in each required course. Ideally students should take SOC 2980 , SOC 3040 , SOC 3050 , and SOC 3060  early in the academic program, but no later than the junior year and prior to enrolling in the senior seminar SOC 4980  which should be completed during the senior year.

Students must complete 21 credit hours of criminology courses including two required courses (SOC 4300  and SOC 4540 ) and the remaining hours as guided electives.

A single minor is required for the Criminology concentration.

Academic Map


Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Sociology, Criminology Concentration, B.S., Academic Map    

Degree Requirements


True Blue Core (TBC) 41 hours
Major Requirements 47 hours*
     Major Core    26 hours
     Criminology Concentration    21 hours
Minor 15-18 hours
Electives 14-20 hours
TOTAL 120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the True Blue Core curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill True Blue Core requirements, the number of elective hours will increase.

True Blue Core (41 hours)


True Blue Core (TBC)  requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories. Students must choose at least one course from each Discovery category.

The following course required by the program meets True Blue Core requirements:

Major Requirements (47 hours)


Sociology Core (26 hours)


Criminology Concentration (21 hours)


Concentration Guided Electives (15 hours)

Minor (15-18 hours)


Electives (14-20 hours)


Curriculum: Sociology, Criminology


Freshman Fall


  • 3 credit hours (HSSR)
  • Written Communication 3 credit hours
  • Creativity and Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
  • Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours

Subtotal: 13 Hours


Freshman Spring


  • Information Literacy 3 credit hours
  • Creativity and Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
  • Quantitative Literacy (MATH 1530  recommended) 3 credit hours
  • Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours
  • SOC guided electives 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 16 Hours


Sophomore Fall


Subtotal: 16 Hours


Sophomore Spring


Subtotal: 16 Hours


Junior Fall


  • 3 credit hours
  • SOC guided elective 3 credit hours
  • Criminology concentration elective 3 credit hours
  • Minor courses 6 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours


Junior Spring


  • Elective 3 credit hours
  • Criminology concentration electives 6 credit hours
  • Minor course 3 credit hours
  • Minor course or elective 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours


Senior Fall


  • Criminology concentration electives 6 credit hours
  • Minor courses 6 credit hours
  • Elective 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours


Senior Spring


Subtotal: 14 Hours


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