Best Sociology Programs in Arizona for 2027

ASU’s Sociology BS in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences opens with Careers in Sociology and Introduction to Social Science Research, then adds Social Statistics I or Elements of Statistics and a sociological theories course. The capstone is a pair: Advanced Sociological Research Methods and Advanced Sociological Perspectives. Twelve credit hours of major electives and nine hours of related-area subjects let you aim the degree at your interests, and BS students also complete two Science and Society courses. With 99 degrees awarded in 2023–24, it is one of the larger options on the Arizona page.

Methods Sequence

Introduction to Social Science Research, then Social Statistics I or Elements of Statistics

Capstone

SOC 490 Advanced Sociological Research Methods and SOC 491 Advanced Sociological Perspectives

Science and Society

Two courses, at least one upper division

Program Sources: Sociology,BS | Program Requirements | ASU Degree SearchSociology,BS | Program Requirements | ASU Degree Search

Arizona’s sociology BA is organized around four core courses: Introduction to Sociology, Sources of Sociological Theory, Social Research Methods and Quantitative Reasoning in Sociology. After that you take 24 units of sociology electives, 21 of them upper-division. A minor of at least 18 units is required unless you double major, and second-language proficiency at the fourth-semester level sits in the foundations. The department points to internships, practicums and independent study as the way to build ties to social service agencies and individual professors. Forty-one degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Core Courses

Introduction, theory, research methods and quantitative reasoning, 12 units

Minor

At least 18 units, or a double major

Experiential Options

Internships, practicums and independent study

Program Sources: Degree Requirements - Sociology | SociologyB.A. Sociology | Sociology

NAU lets you steer its sociology BS toward one of four concentrations: Social Justice and Inequality, Culture and Community, Environment, Globalization and Sustainability, or Health. The major runs 54 to 60 units, and that total includes 18 to 24 units of minor work, with MAT 114 as the highest math required. The department runs an undergraduate internship program, and an accelerated pathway leads into the M.A. in Applied Sociology. Thirty-two sociology degrees were awarded there in 2023–24.

Concentrations

Social Justice and Inequality; Culture and Community; Environment, Globalization and Sustainability; Health

Internships

Undergraduate internship program

Graduate Pathway

Accelerated M.A. in Applied Sociology

Program Sources: Sociology, Bachelor of Science | Sociology

Arizona’s sociology doctorate runs three to five years beyond the master’s. You complete 45 units for the major and 12 for a sociology minor, or minor in another department, and the core includes Sociological Theory, two Social Statistics courses, Social Research Methods, a Teaching Seminar and a Presentation Seminar. Written comprehensive exams in two subfields and an oral exam covering both are expected by spring of year three. Year four on belongs to the dissertation, with 18 units of SOC 920 and a defense before your committee. Six degrees were awarded in 2023–24 at this Research 1 university.

Comprehensive Exams

Written exams in two subfields plus an oral exam covering both

Core Training

Theory, two statistics courses, research methods, teaching and presentation seminars

Dissertation

18 units of SOC 920 and a defense before your committee

Program Sources: Ph.D. Requirements | SociologyPh.D. Requirements | Sociology

Eastern Arizona College’s Associate of Arts in Sociology is a general AA built for two outcomes: entry-level social services work, or transfer into a bachelor’s program at a four-year college. Because universities set their own requirements, the catalog sends you to the official Arizona transfer pathway for the school you plan to attend and tells you to adjust the degree to fit. A degree-certificate map in PDF lays out the curriculum. Three degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Degree Type

Associate of Arts

Transfer Planning

Check the official transfer pathway of the school you plan to attend

Curriculum Map

Downloadable degree-certificate map in PDF

Program Sources: Sociology, Associate of Arts | Eastern Arizona College Catalog

Estrella Mountain’s sociology AA is a 60 to 64 credit transfer degree where every course has to come back with a C or better. The catalog names four partner programs it is meant to align with: the sociology BS and BA at ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, the BS in ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and NAU’s sociology BS. You may need to take some classes at another Maricopa college to finish. Nine degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Length

60 to 64 total credits

Transfer Partners

Three ASU sociology degrees and NAU’s sociology BS

Grade Rule

C or better in every course

Program Sources: Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Estrella Mountain Community CollegeAssociate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Estrella Mountain Community College

Mesa’s sociology pathway map spells out what you should be able to do by the end: describe social situations through several theories, connect individual experience to institutions with the sociological imagination, examine structural inequality in domestic and global contexts, and critique assumptions about groups and identities. It covers the first two years toward a bachelor’s in sociology at 60 to 64 credits and follows the 2026 to 2027 catalog, when the Arizona General Education Curriculum adds Quantitative Reasoning and Institutions in the Americas. Nine degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Learning Outcomes

Sociological imagination, structural inequality, research evidence and critique of dominant narratives

Catalog Year

2026 to 2027

General Education

Arizona General Education Curriculum with Quantitative Reasoning and Institutions in the Americas

Program Sources: Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Programs and Degrees | Mesa Community CollegeAssociate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Programs and Degrees | Mesa Community College

At Chandler-Gilbert the sociology AA starts with Introduction to Sociology, flagged as a critical gateway course, and then asks for two of three electives in the major: Gender and Society, Race and Ethnic Relations, or Social Problems. Alongside them in the first term you take First-Year Composition, college math and a first-year experience course. The degree is meant to line up with ASU and NAU sociology majors, so the choices you make here carry into a bachelor’s. Two degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Gateway Course

SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology

Choose Two

Gender and Society, Race and Ethnic Relations, or Social Problems

Transfer Targets

ASU and NAU sociology degrees

Program Sources: Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Chandler Gilbert Community CollegeAssociate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Chandler Gilbert Community College

Paradise Valley’s sociology AA is the starting point if your plan is a bachelor’s in sociology and possibly a graduate degree after it. One of its stated outcomes is identifying quantitative and qualitative research and the ethical standards that go with it. The page lists what a bachelor’s can lead to, from social and community services to marketing and human resources, and what a graduate degree adds, including sociology professor, lawyer or statistician. Maricopa students may need classes at more than one of the system’s colleges. Six degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Research Outcome

Evidence-based quantitative and qualitative research with ethical standards

After a Bachelor’s

Social services, public relations, marketing, human resources, education, community health and research

After a Graduate Degree

Sociologist, social scientist, sociology professor, lawyer or statistician

Program Sources: Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Paradise Valley Community CollegeAssociate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Paradise Valley Community College

Glendale’s version of the Maricopa sociology AA lists Oral Communication among the general education pieces starting in 2026 to 2027, next to Quantitative Reasoning and Institutions in the Americas. Your first term pairs Introduction to Sociology with First-Year Composition, college math and a first-year experience course, and two of Gender and Society, Race and Ethnic Relations or Social Problems follow in the next two terms. Careers on the page run from Child, Family, and School Social Workers to Survey Researchers and Sociologists, each with Arizona wage data. Five degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

General Education

Oral Communication, Quantitative Reasoning and Institutions in the Americas

Sequence

Introduction to Sociology in term one, two sociology electives in terms two and three

Career Data

Arizona wages for social workers, survey researchers and sociologists

Program Sources: Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Glendale Community CollegeAssociate in Arts, Emphasis in Sociology | Glendale Community College