Best Sociology Programs in Alabama for 2027

UAB built its sociology BA around where it sits: a large metropolitan area with a major medical center. You start with sociological theory plus a look at abnormal psychology and mental health, then choose a concentration, and Social Psychology is the one the program lists. Most of the content is delivered in person on campus. With 36 degrees awarded in 2023–24, it is one of the larger options on the Alabama page.

Concentration

Social Psychology

Setting

Large metropolitan area with a major medical center

Foundations

Sociological theory, abnormal psychology and mental health

Program Sources: Sociology, BA | Find Your Degree

Auburn sets a hard floor in its sociology major: you need a C or better in Sociology Global Perspective, Social Inequalities, and the theory, methods and statistics courses. In your junior year you pick Ethnographic Methods or Methods of Social Research, and Analytics for the Behavioral Sciences sits in the same stretch. Eighteen hours go to a concentration you plan with your adviser, with six more in directed electives. Seniors choose between Contemporary Theory and Theories of Crime and Criminality. Nineteen degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Concentration

18 hours chosen with an adviser, plus 6 hours of directed electives

Methods Choice

Ethnographic Methods or Methods of Social Research

Senior Theory

Contemporary Theory or Theories of Crime and Criminality

Program Sources: Sociology (SOCY) | Auburn University BulletinSociology (SOCY) | Auburn University Bulletin

The sociology major at UAH ends in SOC 495, a Senior Capstone Seminar where you pick the research track or the internship track, so you decide whether your last project is a study or a placement. A second option, the Criminology and Intelligence concentration, pairs criminology and sociology theory and methods with risk assessment, open-source intelligence and law enforcement skills, and it gives you contact with current and former FBI, intelligence and law enforcement professionals in the Huntsville area. Nine degrees were awarded in 2023–24, which makes this a small program.

Capstone

SOC 495 Senior Capstone Seminar, research track or internship track

Concentration

Criminology and Intelligence

Local Connections

Current and former FBI, intelligence and law enforcement professionals in the Huntsville area

Program Sources: Major | Sociology | The University of Alabama in Huntsville

South Alabama’s sociology BA is a 120-hour degree that asks for a minor, so 18 to 24 of those hours go to a second field. The major side is upper-division sociology electives plus electives at any level. If you want writing-intensive credit inside the major, the plan suggests Social Gerontology, Social Stratification or Majority-Minority Relations, each a designated writing course. Every undergraduate completes two of those writing courses, and at least one has to come from the major or the minor. Nine degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Minor

Required, 18 to 24 hours

Writing Courses

SY 372, SY 421 or SY 445 recommended to meet the major’s writing requirement

Total Hours

120

Program Sources: Sociology (BA) | University of South AlabamaSociology (BA) | University of South Alabama

Troy puts methods and statistics side by side in the sociology major: Research Methods in Sociology and Sociological Statistics are both required, along with Social Inequality, Sociological Theory and a closing Professional Seminar in Sociology. You choose between Social Institutions and Collective Behavior and Social Movements, take Social Problems in Contemporary Society, and then pick fifteen more hours of approved upper-level sociology courses to shape the degree. The major totals 36 hours. Thirteen degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Methods Sequence

Research Methods in Sociology and Sociological Statistics

Capstone

SOC 4499 Professional Seminar in Sociology

Electives

15 hours of approved upper-level sociology courses

Program Sources: Program: Sociology Major - Troy UniversityProgram: Sociology Major - Troy University

Jacksonville State splits its sociology major into two tracks. The Applied track is for going straight to work with your degree, and the Advanced track is for graduate programs in sociology or related fields, with more emphasis on conducting and analyzing research. Either one can be earned as a BA or a BS. The department describes a small-program feel, with faculty mentoring, student research, conference travel support and scholarships. Six degrees were awarded in 2023–24, and you can also add sociology as a second major.

Tracks

Applied for entering a career, Advanced for graduate study

Degree Types

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science

Double Major

Sociology can be added as a second major

Program Sources: Sociology: Applied (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science) - Degree/Program ListingSociology: Advanced (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science) - Degree/Program Listing

North Alabama’s sociology major is 28 to 34 credit hours, earned as a BA or a BS, and you pair it with a minor or one of three tracks: Family Life Education, Non-Profit Management or Industrial Leadership. The Family Life Education route connects to a certificate approved by the National Council on Family Relations, which includes three hours of field practice and can lead to provisional Certified Family Life Educator approval. Fourteen degrees were awarded in 2023–24, and the department’s ten full-time faculty teach both sociology and psychology.

Tracks

Family Life Education, Non-Profit Management or Industrial Leadership

Major Size

28 to 34 credit hours of coursework

Certificate

Family Life Education, with three hours of field practice

Program Sources: Sociology Major & Tracks | University of North AlabamaSociology Major & Tracks | University of North Alabama

Spring Hill keeps sociology small. The program lists an average class size of 13, a Sociology Club, and a department that places its majors in internships around Mobile, from the Mobile Police Department and Via Senior Services Center to Housing First and Mobile Public Schools. The department sits beside a criminology BA, so you can compare the two before you declare. Five sociology degrees were awarded in 2023–24, and the degree page lists Behavioral Frontiers and Housing First, Inc. among the places graduates work.

Class Size

Average of 13 students

Internship Sites

Mobile Police Department, Via Senior Services Center, Housing First and others

Student Organization

Sociology Club

Program Sources: Sociology Bachelor Degree Program | Spring Hill College | AlabamaDepartment of Sociology | Spring Hill College | Sociology and Criminology

UAB’s online Applied Sociology MA follows its Plan II rather than the department’s Medical Sociology doctoral route. The applied curriculum requires research methods, applied theory, applied sociology, social psychology, and a six-credit capstone project. Students can use electives for program evaluation, survey research, social networks, health disparities, or other fields. The distinction matters for a prospective doctoral applicant: UAB explicitly says Plan II is not a step into its Medical Sociology PhD, whose Plan I core has separate requirements.

Culminating Work

Six-credit applied capstone project

Doctoral Distinction

Plan II is separate from the Medical Sociology PhD pathway

Program Sources: UAB Graduate Catalog: Sociology MA

UAB’s doctorate is a medical sociology program, so the research you design lands in clinical settings, health agencies, communities and whole regions rather than in sociology in the abstract. Core courses in general sociology come first, followed by advanced medical sociology that equips you to teach in sociology departments, medical schools, and nursing and public health programs. Graduate students conduct thesis and dissertation research through on-site placement with partner departments at UAB. One PhD was awarded in 2023–24 at this Research 1 university.

Focus

Medical sociology and the social, cultural and psychological factors in health

Research Placement

On-site placement with partner departments for thesis and dissertation research

Teaching Preparation

Sociology departments, medical schools and other health professional schools

Program Sources: PhD in Medical Sociology | CAS - Department of Sociology