Best Sociology Programs in Missouri for 2027

Forty-five degrees in 2023–24 make Mizzou’s sociology BA one of the larger options on the Missouri bachelor’s list. The 30 credits climb from entry courses, Introduction to Sociology and Social Inequalities, to Recent Theories in Sociology and Social Research, then to three upper-level electives. Your capstone is a choice among a research-oriented 4000-level course, a 150-hour professional internship, or an honors thesis for students with a 3.3 GPA, written over two semesters and defended publicly. One capstone option is a service-learning practicum in which you survey and report for a community partner. An accelerated path leads to a Master of Public Affairs in five years.

Capstone Options

4000-level research course, 150-hour internship or two-semester honors thesis

Research Core

Recent Theories in Sociology and Social Research

Accelerated Path

BA in Sociology to Master of Public Affairs within five years

Program Sources: BA in Sociology | University of Missouri Academic CatalogSenior Capstone | Sociology - Sociology

Truman’s major is a joint Sociology/Anthropology degree, and the sociology option has a clear four-level structure. After a new majors seminar and an introductory course, you take Level 2 electives such as Social Problems and Sociology of Health and Illness, then the research core of Sociological Theory, Research Design and Data Analysis and Reporting in Sociology/Anthropology. Level 4 adds topics courses, an internship evaluation and two one-credit capstones, one on career preparation and one on presenting your research. The BA also asks for 15 credits of support from a minor or another area, plus intermediate proficiency in a foreign language. The department sponsors a four-week study abroad program in Chile.

Research Core

Sociological Theory, Research Design and Data Analysis and Reporting

Capstones

Career Preparation and Research Presentation, one credit each

Required Support

15 credits from a Truman minor, another area or an approved unified theme

Program Sources: Program: Sociology/Anthropology (BA) - Truman State UniversitySociology/Anthropology Major | Truman State University

Washington University’s sociology major runs ten courses. Two introductory courses come first, then a theory course (Social Theory or Black Feminist Theory) and two methods courses, Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics for Sociology. Five upper-level electives follow. Juniors and seniors finish with a capstone. You can write a research paper tied to a course, complete an internship of at least 90 hours, or do a year-long honors thesis, which is required for Latin honors in sociology. A new Urban Studies specialization starting in Fall 2026 looks at inequality in urban spaces, including St. Louis. The department emphasizes how inequality is created and passed on over time.

Methods Requirement

Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics for Sociology

Capstone Options

Course-linked project, internship of at least 90 hours or honors thesis

Specialization

Urban Studies, new in Fall 2026, with attention to urban spaces including St. Louis

Program Sources: Major & Minor Requirements | Department of SociologyUndergraduate Program | Department of Sociology

Missouri State frames sociology as public sociology, with community engagement at the center. The 36-hour major pairs Statistics for Social Research, Research Methodology and Introduction to Sociological Theory with Public Sociology and Community Studies. You also choose one course with a cultural competence focus, such as Race and Ethnicity or Sociology of Global Health, and one with a community engagement focus, such as Service-Learning in Sociology, an Ethnographic Field School or an Internship in Applied Sociology. Leadership and Professional Development serves as the capstone. A minor or a second major is required, which suits a double major. Twenty-two students earned the degree in 2023–24.

Research Core

Statistics for Social Research, Research Methodology and Introduction to Sociological Theory

Community Engagement

Public Sociology and Community Studies plus a service-learning, field school, internship or nonprofit course

Capstone

Leadership and Professional Development

Program Sources: Program Requirements | Sociology Program | Missouri State University

UMKC builds its sociology BA on a short, specific core: Sociology: An Introduction, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Social Stratification, Social Theory, Methods of Sociological Research and a statistics course written for sociology and criminal justice. Social Stratification is also the writing-intensive course. Twelve credits of electives let you mix sociology with anthropology and race, ethnic and gender studies, for example Consumer Society, Body and Society or Latinx Immigrants, Migrants, and Refugees in the U.S. The degree adds six credits of a foreign language, and a four-year map guides your course sequence semester by semester. Fifteen students earned the degree in 2023–24.

Required Core

Introduction, Cultural Anthropology, Social Stratification, Social Theory, Methods and Statistics

Electives

Twelve credits spanning sociology, anthropology and race, ethnic and gender studies

Language Requirement

Six credits of foreign language

Program Sources: Bachelor of Arts: Sociology | University of Missouri-Kansas City Academic Catalog

You can take Saint Louis University’s 30-credit sociology major as the general track or use your electives for one of two concentrations: Health and Medicine, or Urbanization, Immigration and Demography. The Health and Medicine concentration covers the interplay of inequality and institutions in health and illness, with courses such as Health Inequalities in the U.S. The second one covers urban and community change and includes Demographic Methods. The required core has Research Methods, Anthropological Theory, a statistics or qualitative research course, and a capstone or departmental honors thesis. Fieldwork practicums place majors at neighborhood centers around St. Louis.

Concentrations

Health and Medicine, or Urbanization, Immigration and Demography, at 12 credits each

Research Requirement

Research Methods plus Statistics and the Social World or Qualitative Research

Senior Experience

Sociology Capstone or Departmental Honors Thesis

Program Sources: Sociology B.A. : SLU - Saint Louis University

Maryville teaches sociology as half of a Psychology/Sociology dual major, so one bachelor’s degree carries both majors. On the sociology side you take Introduction to Sociology, Social Issues in a Changing World and Sociological Theory, then four electives, two at the macro level and two at the micro level, ranging from The Sociology of Poverty to Urbanism and the Built Environment. A shared social science research sequence covers critical thinking, research methods or research design, statistical inference, and a senior seminar or senior project. The plan totals at least 63 credits for the major, and an optional internship fits your career interests. Eleven students earned the degree in 2023–24.

Sociology Core

Introduction to Sociology, Social Issues in a Changing World and Sociological Theory

Research Sequence

Critical Thinking in Social Science, Research Methods or Design, Statistical Inference and a senior seminar or project

Electives

Two macro-level and two micro-level sociology courses

Program Sources: Program: Psychology/Sociology Dual Major, B.A. - Maryville UniversityPsychology/Sociology Degree | Bachelor's in Psychology/Sociology | Maryville University

Missouri–St. Louis lets you choose between a BA built on interviews, stories and community engagement and a BS built on surveys, statistics and data analysis. The BA core is five courses: Introduction to Sociology, Sociological Social Psychology, Sociological Theory, Social Research Methods and Applied Social Research, which works as the capstone. You add 18 elective hours, 12 of them at the 3000 level or above, and the faculty encourage pairing them with a Gender Studies, Gerontology, Urban Studies or Veterans Studies minor. Every major sits a major field exam, usually alongside the capstone. In 2023–24 the program awarded 13 degrees.

Core Sequence

Social Psychology, Theory, Social Research Methods and Applied Social Research

Degree Tracks

BA with qualitative tools or BS with quantitative research tools

Exit Requirement

Major field exam, usually taken with the capstone course

Program Sources: Sociology BA < University of Missouri St. LouisSociology Degree | UMSL

Lindenwood’s Sociology BA runs 37 to 40 credit hours, a compact major that leaves room for a double major. Undergraduate research and internships are built into the curriculum instead of added afterward, and concentration electives let you tilt the degree toward an interdisciplinary interest. You get an assigned faculty advisor for academic, career and internship guidance. The department is shared with psychology and public health, and the program page lists recent graduates working at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Compass Health Network and the Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri. Twelve students earned the degree in Saint Charles in 2023–24.

Credit Hours

37 to 40 credit hours, with room for a double major

Applied Experience

Undergraduate research and internships built into the curriculum

Electives

Concentration electives for interdisciplinary interests

Program Sources: Sociology, BA | Lindenwood University

St. Charles lays out a four-semester, 64-credit path for its sociology area of study, written so the credits parallel the first two years of a bachelor’s degree. Introduction to Sociology opens semester one next to College Statistics, and Contemporary Social Issues and Introduction to Cultural Anthropology follow in semester two. Later terms add Gerontology I, Marriage and the Family, and Sex, Gender, & Society. The college describes the area as covering social issues, structures and policies, with attention to social justice, equity and criminology. Courses can be swapped to fit your transfer plans, and an advisor helps you match them to the four-year school you choose. One student earned the degree in 2023–24.

Statistics Course

College Statistics in the first semester

Sociology Sequence

Introduction, Contemporary Social Issues, Gerontology I, Marriage and the Family and Sex, Gender, & Society

Transfer Pathway

Associate of Arts of 64 credits, parallel to the first two years of a bachelor’s degree

Program Sources: Suggested Course Sequence - Sociology, AA (Area of Study) - St Charles Community CollegeGeneral Transfer/Associate of Arts Program