Best Sociology Programs in West Virginia for 2027

APU’s sociology degree runs 120 semester hours with a 30-hour major core: introductory statistics, Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Stratification and Inequality, Social Deviance, classical and contemporary theory, Research Methods for Sociology and Statistics for Social Science. You then choose a 15-hour concentration in Community Action, Digital Society, Education, Health, Public Policy or Social Justice. A three-hour Senior Seminar in Sociology is the final course, taken after all major and elective courses are complete. Elective hours (42) leave room for an unrelated minor or certificate. The program awarded 85 degrees in 2023–24, first on its West Virginia page.

Major Core

30 hours, including two theory courses, Research Methods and Statistics for Social Science

Concentrations

Community Action, Digital Society, Education, Health, Public Policy or Social Justice

Final Course

SOCI498 Senior Seminar in Sociology 2

Program Sources: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology | American Public University System CatalogBachelor of Arts in Sociology | American Public University System Catalog

Shepherd’s sociology degree is a Bachelor of Science with two tracks, and the choice is mostly about where you want to land. The Culture and Society concentration points toward graduate school or work with a government agency, private business or non-profit organization. The Criminology concentration points toward law school or a law enforcement agency, such as the FBI, probation work or a local police force. Both live in a department that also houses criminal justice, so criminology and anthropology courses sit alongside the sociology core. Twelve degrees were awarded in 2023–24, which keeps the major small.

Culture and Society Track

Aimed at graduate school and government, business or non-profit work

Criminology Track

Aimed at law school and law enforcement careers

Program Sources: Sociology, B.S. | Shepherd UniversitySociology, B.S. | Shepherd University

West Virginia University pairs sociology with anthropology from the start: the 40-hour major requires Introduction to Anthropology next to Introduction to Sociology, then Sociological Theory, Social Research Methods and a statistics course. You choose five sociology electives from a menu that includes Sociology of Law, Social Psychology, Sociology of Rural Life and Sociology of Work and Work Places, with at least three at the 300 or 400 level. Two more electives can come from anthropology or criminology. SOC 488 is the capstone every major completes. Six degrees were awarded in 2023–24, so the department is small, and it also runs an Inside-Out Prison Exchange.

Common Core

Anthropology and sociology introductions, Sociological Theory, Social Research Methods and statistics

Sociology Electives

Five courses from topics such as law, rural life, work and social psychology

Capstone

SOC 488 Capstone Experience

Program Sources: Sociology, BA | WVU Catalog | West Virginia UniversitySociology, BA | WVU Catalog | West Virginia University

Marshall’s curriculum is flexible, but it still makes sure you meet social theory, learn the discipline’s basic research methods and take courses with real breadth and depth. The finish is a research or applied sociology project on a topic you pick, built on your training in theory and methods. Course descriptions point to a cross-cultural, bio-cultural look at social and environmental factors in health and disease, a sociological criminology survey, and the sociology of religion. You can also add a Marshall sociology master’s degree after the B.A. The department says classes are small enough for one-on-one direction, and seven degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Research Project

A research or applied sociology project on a topic of your choice

Curriculum Basics

Social theory, research methods, and courses in breadth and depth

Graduate Option

Earn a sociology master’s degree after the B.A.

Program Sources: Sociology, BA Degree Program | Marshall UniversitySociology, BA Degree Program | Marshall University

Concord organizes sociology around the American Sociological Association’s Sociological Literacy Framework, so theory, research methods, social structure and critical thinking are spelled out as learning goals. The Bachelor of Science can carry an emphasis in Criminology, which suits you if law or criminology graduate study is the plan, and an optional internship puts the coursework to work in a field you pick. Faculty say they involve students in research, and Concord’s sociology and social work faculty share one department, formed in July 2017. Fourteen degrees were awarded in 2023–24. Course topics range from social inequality and race and gender relations to crime and deviance and the internet’s effect on relationships.

Criminology Emphasis

For careers or graduate study in criminology or law

Optional Internship

Real-world experience in an area of interest

Learning Framework

Adapted from the ASA Sociological Literacy Framework

Program Sources: Sociology | Department of Social Work & Sociology | Concord UniversityDepartment of Social Work & Sociology - Concord University

Fairmont State asks sociology majors to do some science. The program stresses a firm foundation in statistical analysis and the scientific method, plus a critical look at historical and contemporary social theory, with content ranging across race, class, geography, culture and communication. You can perform independent research with faculty and attend conferences to present it. Two add-ons shape the degree: an emphasis on population studies, and a Behavioral Analytics concentration that replaces free electives with data-analysis courses. Students interested in analytics are advised to have an ACT math score of 21 or above. Six degrees were awarded in 2023–24.

Behavioral Analytics

Concentration added to the major in place of free electives

Population Studies

Optional degree emphasis

Faculty Research

Independent research with faculty and conference trips

Program Sources: Sociology | Fairmont State UniversitySociology | Fairmont State University

WVU’s doctorate is 40 credit hours: a 16-hour core that opens with Becoming a Sociologist, then two Sociological Data Analysis and Interpretation courses, Sociological Research Methods, Sociological Explanation and Qualitative Methods. Fifteen hours of electives are any sociology course at the 600 level or above, and nine hours are research credits. Funded teaching assistants also take SOC 710. Beyond coursework, you complete written and oral benchmarks laid out in the program handbook. The stated outcomes include conducting independent, original research of publishable quality and developing a research program of your own. Four doctorates were awarded in 2023–24.

Core Courses

Six courses covering data analysis, research methods, explanation and qualitative methods

Research Credits

Nine hours across SOC 697 and SOC 797

Benchmarks

Written and oral benchmarks described in the program handbook

Program Sources: Sociology, Ph.D. | West Virginia UniversitySociology, Ph.D. | West Virginia University