Centre for Career and Personal Development Degree Profiles
Sociology
Sociologists study the ways in which social structures, social processes and cultural products constrain and enable human behaviour.
Key Skills & Knowledge
Team Work and Group Dynamics: Capacity to anticipate and understand the views and concerns of others; conflict resolution and mediation, listening, clarifying, questioning and responding skills; interact with people of different backgrounds in various situations.
Understanding organizational and group dynamics: Awareness of how our individual & collective ways of thinking, feeling and acting are shaped by our social experience; knowledge about social relevance and knowledge of social systems; knowledge of community resources, the functioning of human groups, such as religious groups, educational systems, families & deviant groups.
Qualitative and Quantitative Research: Conduct research related to attitudes, beliefs, preference, behaviour, and expectations of a particular group; design, survey, and presentation of findings, use statistical software packages, knowledge of statistics and social research methodology, including data collection and analysis.
Communication: Write carefully reasoned reports, essays, locating sources of information, both in research libraries and in the community; present and explain sociological research clearly.
Specialized knowledge: in Criminology, Demographics, Gerontology, Social Organization and Urban Sociology.
Sample Job Titles
Please note some of these positions may require further training, certification or education. Check out the occupational profiles to review the full details for the occupations that interest you at alis.alberta.ca/occinfo
- Activity Leader
- Addictions Counsellor
- Adoption Services Worker
- Adult Development Co-ordinator
- Advertising Assistant
- Career Planning Coordinator
- Child & Youth Care Worker
- Childhood Development Officer
- Citizenship & Immigration Officer
- Community Action Programmer
- Community Service Worker
- Correctional Services Worker
- Counsellor
- Crime Victim Services Worker
- Criminologist
- Crisis Intervention Worker
- Customs/Immigration Agent
- Demographer
- Foreign Service Officer
- Genealogical Services Specialist
- Geriatric Attendant
- Gerontological Specialist
- Group Home Worker
- Hospice Coordinator
- Hospital Administrator
- Indigenous Liaison
- Information Specialist/Librarian
- International Development Advisor
- Labour Relations Specialist
- Market Researcher
- Multicultural Field Worker
- Policy Advisor/Analyst
- Probation/Correctional Officer
- Program Developer/Evaluator
- Public Administrator
- Public Health Advisor/Worker
- Public Relations Co-ordinator
- Recreation/Leisure Specialist
- Recruiter
- Rehabilitation Counsellor
- Researcher/Research Assistant
- Residence Life Coordinator
- Sociologist
- Statistical Analyst
- Statistician/Statistical Assistant
- Survey Interviewer/Pollster
- Teacher/Professor
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Writer
- Youth & Family Service Worker
Potential Industries
- Advertising & Marketing
- Child and Youth Care
- Communications
- Correctional Services
- Counselling Agencies
- Criminology
- Cultural Studies
- Demography
- Editing
- Education
- Employment and Work
- Family Planning
- Fundraising
- Gerontology
- Government Agencies
- Homeless Shelters
- Health & Illness
- Human Resources
- Human Rights
- Immigration & Ethnicity
- International Development
- Labour Unions
- Law Enforcement Agencies
- Mental Health Services
- Non-profits & NGOs
- Parole and Probation Services
- Public Administration & Policy
- Public Health
- Publishing
- Recreational Therapy
- Rehabilitation Centres
- Research Centres
- Statistics
Associations & Professional Development
- American Sociological Association
- Association for Applied & Clinical Sociology
- Calgary Community Network Association
- Canadian Council on Social Development
- Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
- CJS Blog publishes news about the Canadian Journal of Sociology
- Canadian Sociological Association
- International Rural Sociology Association
- International Sociological Association
- Pacific Sociological Association
- Rural Sociological Society
- Sociology at Work
Additional Resources
Did you know?
Formal Career Assessments like the Strong Interest Inventory and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator can be helpful tools for your career development. These assessments have been used for decades to help individuals choose a major, explore career options during and upon completion of a degree and to further understand yourself in relationship to the world of work. Inquire with Career Services if you are interested in these formal assessments.
Publications
Great Jobs for Sociology Majors by ISBN: 9780071544825Publication Date: 2008-09-18
What to Do with Your Psychology or Sociology Degree by ISBN: 0375766251Publication Date: 2007-09-18
Great Jobs for Liberal Arts Majors by ISBN: 0071482148Publication Date: 2007-09-11
Key Contacts
Faculty Contact
Arts Students' Centre
Social Sciences Building, SS102
T: 403.220-6318
E: ascarts@ucalgary.ca
W: arts.ucalgary.ca/advising
Clubs on Campus:
Sociology Students' Association
Career Services
MacEwan Student Centre, Room 188
T: 403.220.8020
E: csstdnt@ucalgary.ca
W: ucalgary.ca/careers
