Best Sociology Programs in Louisiana for 2027

LSU lets you take the sociology BA straight or with a concentration in criminology. Either way you need a C or better in Introductory Sociology, Introduction to Statistical Analysis, Methods of Sociological Research and Sociological Theory, and the recommended plan puts statistics and methods in your second year so research skills come early. The degree also includes a foreign language sequence, and upper-level sociology electives fill the last three years. A Director of Undergraduate Studies advises majors. With 145 degrees awarded in 2023–24, LSU leads the Louisiana page.

Tracks

General sociology or a concentration in criminology

Grade Requirement

C or better in Introductory Sociology, Statistical Analysis, Research Methods and Sociological Theory

Research Sequence

Statistics and Methods of Sociological Research in the second year

Program Sources: Sociology, B.A. | LSU General Catalog

Tulane requires nine three-credit sociology courses, 27 credits in all. One 1000-level course gets you started, then comes Foundations of Sociology, Intro to Research Design, Social Statistics and Social Theory, followed by three courses at the 6000 level and one more elective. The department’s listings also include an Honors Thesis, internships and service learning, and 1000-level choices that range from Sexualities and Society to Sociology of Sport and Criminology. The major sits inside a 120-credit degree with 30 credits of Newcomb-Tulane College core curriculum. Tulane ranks second on the Louisiana page, with 31 completions in 2023–24.

Required Courses

Foundations of Sociology, Intro to Research Design, Social Statistics and Social Theory

Advanced Study

Three 6000-level courses plus one more elective

Senior Options

Honors Thesis, internships and service learning

Program Sources: Sociology Major | Tulane University University Catalog

Louisiana Tech builds a nine-hour modern language requirement into its sociology BA and rounds out the social sciences with economics, psychology, political science and geography. The sociology sequence starts with Introduction to Sociology in your first year, moves to Research Methods as a junior and ends with Social Theory as a senior, with 21 hours of sociology electives along the way and a statistics course in the final year. That leaves room for electives of your own, since the curriculum totals 120 semester hours. The Louisiana page lists Louisiana Tech third, with 15 graduates in 2023–24.

Methods And Theory

SOC 320 Research Methods and SOC 401 Social Theory

Sociology Electives

21 semester credit hours across sophomore, junior and senior years

Language Requirement

Nine semester credit hours of a modern language

Program Sources: Sociology (BA) | Louisiana Tech University Catalog

McNeese splits its sociology BA into two concentrations, General Sociology and Family Science, and the family science path makes graduates eligible for Certified Family Life Educator certification through the National Council on Family Relations. Majors learn research design, sampling procedure and secondary data analysis, with training on advanced computer software. Internships come through family science and criminal justice programs. Faculty in the Department of Social Sciences study inequality, crime, family, marriage, gender relations, domestic terrorism, riots and natural disasters, and students co-author papers presented at conferences. McNeese conferred 23 degrees in 2023–24, which places it fourth on the Louisiana page.

Concentrations

Family Science and General Sociology

Professional Certification

Family science graduates are eligible for Certified Family Life Educator status

Research Skills

Research design, sampling procedure, secondary data analysis and advanced software training

Program Sources: Sociology - McNeese State University

Nicholls State requires 33 credit hours in sociology, including Introductory Sociology, Social Research I, Social Research II, Sociological Theory and 18 hours of upper-level courses. Social Research II is an applied statistics course that uses SPSS, and a separate Writing for the Social Sciences course teaches APA-style research papers. Before you graduate you must pass a sociology capstone test. You choose between an Applied Sociology concentration and a Social Work concentration, and the department encourages the social work route if you want to work in social services or head to graduate school. Nicholls awarded 13 degrees in 2023–24 and sits fifth on the Louisiana page.

Required Courses

Introductory Sociology, Social Research I and II, Sociological Theory and 18 upper-level hours

Concentrations

Applied Sociology or Social Work

Capstone Test

All majors must pass a sociology capstone test to graduate

Program Sources: Sociology Program – 2026-2027 | Nicholls State University

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette saves the heavy lifting for junior and senior year: Sociological Synthesis, Social Research Methods with a one-credit laboratory, then Sociological Theory. Earlier on you take Cultural Anthropology, General Sociology and six sociology hours chosen with your advisor, plus a modern language sequence in a single language. An 18-credit-hour minor is part of the plan. The catalog gives one specific piece of advice, that sociology majors take STAT 214 as their second math course. A Social Work concentration is listed separately. Lafayette is sixth on the Louisiana page, with 13 degrees awarded in 2023–24.

Junior Core

Sociological Synthesis, Social Research Methods and a Methods Laboratory

Senior Core

Sociological Theory and nine hours of sociology, six at the 400 level

Minor

An 18-credit-hour minor chosen with your advisor

Program Sources: Sociology, BA | University of Louisiana Lafayette Catalog

Grambling’s sociology BA calls for at least 39 semester hours in sociology, laid out term by term: Social Problems and Cultural Anthropology early, Social Theory and Methods of Research in the spring of sophomore year, Statistics for Behavioral Sciences with a lab in junior fall, Sociology of Family as a senior, and a Capstone in the last semester. A Medical or Environmental concentration is built in, with courses such as Medical Sociology and Sociology of Mental Health, and it adds biology courses. The department also invites students to become Student Research Scholars through Social Science Investigators. Grambling conferred 14 degrees in 2023–24, seventh on the Louisiana page.

Methods Sequence

Methods of Research, plus Statistics for Behavioral Sciences with lab

Concentrations

Medical sociology or environmental sociology

Capstone

SOC 499 Capstone in the final semester

Program Sources: Sociology Program | Grambling State University

The sociology department here names environmental sociology and gender studies as its two major areas of specialization, with several courses in each. The wider curriculum covers theory, research methods, race relations, statistics, social inequality and population problems, and other courses go deep on cities, families, crime, industry and social change. Your first-year plan starts with SOC 1051 and a social science elective at the 2000 level. The department shares a home with anthropology and also offers an MA in sociology and in applied sociology, so the BA connects to graduate study in the same place. The Louisiana page ranks it eighth, with 10 degrees in 2023–24.

Areas Of Specialization

Environmental sociology and gender studies

Curriculum Topics

Theory, research methods, race relations, statistics, social inequality and population problems

Graduate Pathway

MA degrees in sociology and applied sociology in the same department

Program Sources: Sociology | Department of Sociology

LSU’s sociology doctorate requires 54 graduate credit hours, nine of them for the dissertation. At least 12 credits come from 7000-level topical seminars, a core of at least 21 hours covers sociological theory, methods and statistics, and 3 hours come from two professional development seminars. After coursework you pass a general examination with written and oral parts, defend a dissertation proposal and finish with an oral defense of the dissertation. Your course plan is built with an advisory committee of your major advisor and at least two other graduate faculty. Six doctorates were awarded in 2023–24 at this Research 1 university.

Core Requirement

At least 21 hours in sociological theory, methods and statistics

Seminars

12 credits of topical seminars and 3 credits of professional development seminars

Doctoral Milestones

General examination, proposal defense and oral dissertation defense

Program Sources: Sociology, Ph.D. | LSU General Catalog

Tulane’s sociology PhD asks for at least 48 credit hours and two qualifying exams: the first in an established sociological domain, the second in a cross-disciplinary body of scholarship that becomes the foundation for your dissertation. A master’s thesis comes before the dissertation defense. You also serve six semesters as a research or teaching assistant, one of them as instructor of record, and meet three times with a graduate career specialist. Optional concentrations pair sociology with fields such as Africana Studies, Environmental Studies or Health and Medicine. Only 2 degrees were awarded in 2023–24, so this is a very small program.

Qualifying Exams

Two exams, one in a sociological domain and one in a cross-disciplinary body of scholarship

Assistantships

Six semesters of research or teaching assistantships, including one as instructor of record

Concentrations

Optional cross-disciplinary concentrations and a Certificate in Publicly Engaged Scholarship

Program Sources: Sociology, PhD | Tulane University University CatalogSociology, PhD | Tulane University University Catalog