Best Sociology Programs in New Mexico for 2027

UNM’s sociology major is 34 hours: 13 hours of required courses and 21 more of electives, at least 12 of them upper-division, with one pick from a short list of designated courses. Two concentrations steer those electives. Pre-Law leans toward crime, deviance and legal settings, while Advocacy and Public Policy points toward community organizing, the nonprofit sector and policy work. A cumulative 2.25 GPA is required for regular admission to the major. UNM awarded 34 degrees in 2023–24 and ranks first on the New Mexico page.

Major Size

34 hours, including 13 hours of required courses

Concentrations

Pre-Law, and Advocacy and Public Policy

Upper-Division Work

At least 12 credits among the 21 elective hours

Program Sources: Sociology Degree Requirements | Department of Sociology & Criminology | The University of New Mexico

The NMSU sociology BA keeps its departmental core short: sociological theory, social research methods, sociological research analysis and a senior seminar, each worth three credits. Beyond those, you add sociology electives, including 4000-level courses, so that at least 33 credits carry the SOCI prefix. A second language is not required for this BA. Of the 120 credits, 48 must come from courses numbered 300 or above. NMSU awarded 27 degrees in 2023–24, second on the New Mexico page.

Departmental Core

Theory, research methods, research analysis and senior seminar

Sociology Credits

At least 33 credits with the SOCI prefix

Language Requirement

No second language required

Program Sources: Sociology - Bachelor of Arts | New Mexico State University Academic Catalog

Eastern New Mexico lets you choose a BA or a BS in sociology, and the difference is language: the BA requires foreign language proficiency or classes, while the BS does not. Both focus on how race, gender, social class, inequality, family, religion, media and law shape social interaction, with courses in sociological theory, social movements, institutions such as law, medicine and the media, and stratification by class, race and gender. ENMU awarded 19 degrees in 2023–24, third on the New Mexico page.

Degree Choice

Bachelor of Arts with a language requirement, or Bachelor of Science without one

Course Topics

Theory, social movements, social institutions and stratification

Social Forces

Race, gender, social class, family, religion, media and law

Program Sources: Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Sociology | Eastern New Mexico University

WNMU’s sociology major is built from nine requirements: introduction or social problems, research methods, social inequality, social statistics, sociological theory, social psychology, a one-credit professional development course, a two-credit internship and the Senior Seminar in the Social Sciences. The department rotates twenty-six courses on an established schedule, so planning ahead matters. You can pursue a BS or a BA. Learning outcomes focus on conducting empirical research: forming questions from sociological theory, collecting and analyzing data and recognizing the limits of your own methods. Three degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Required Courses

Research methods, social inequality, statistics, theory and social psychology

Professional Practice

Professional development course and a two-credit internship

Capstone

Senior Seminar in the Social Sciences

Program Sources: Sociology - Social Sciences and Cultural Studies - WNMU

New Mexico State offers its Sociology MA on campus and online, with a consequential difference between formats: the current catalog says online students use the coursework-only route, while on-campus students may pursue a thesis. Both routes include advanced quantitative analysis and choices in theory and methods, including social networks, text analysis, qualitative methods, and visual ethnography. The thesis route ends with an oral examination; the coursework route ends with a written examination. Applicants who want to build an original thesis should therefore compare delivery formats before applying.

Online Route

Coursework-only, non-thesis option

Methods Choices

Networks, text analysis, qualitative methods, or visual ethnography

Program Sources: New Mexico State Catalog: Sociology MANew Mexico State Catalog: Sociology Department

Nobody enters UNM’s sociology program as a terminal master’s student. Everyone is admitted straight into the PhD and earns the MA, with a thesis, along the way. The doctoral plan adds up to 48 hours of coursework plus 18 dissertation hours, built on Classical Social Theory, a methods course, two advanced statistics courses and a fieldwork methods course covering ethnography, interviews and focus groups. You also take one course on race and ethnicity, sit comprehensive exams in one of the department’s core subfields, and defend a dissertation prospectus. UNM awarded 6 sociology doctorates in 2023–24.

Coursework

48 hours of coursework plus 18 dissertation hours

Methods Sequence

Methods of Social Research, two Advanced Social Statistics courses and Fieldwork Methods

Milestones

MA thesis en route, comprehensive exams in one subfield, dissertation prospectus

Program Sources: Department of Sociology & Criminology Graduate Resource Guide, University of New Mexico

The sociology associate degree at CNM is mapped to a specific destination: a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of New Mexico. The catalog sequence starts with Introduction to Sociology and fills the rest of the plan with composition, public speaking or interpersonal communication, a laboratory science, humanities, fine arts and a modern language elective. UNM offers pre-law and human services and social policy concentrations, and CNM lists the courses that count toward each. CNM awarded 91 sociology associate degrees in 2023–24, and it is first on its state page.

Transfer Pathway

Designed to meet requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at UNM

UNM Concentrations

Pre-law and human services and social policy

Starting Course

SOCI 1110 Introduction to Sociology

Program Sources: Sociology, Associate of Arts | CNM Catalog