Student Experience in Sociology
Sociology is about people, communities, and the forces that shape our everyday lives. As a sociology student at CSU, you'll join a collaborative learning community where you'll connect with faculty and alumni mentors and classmates while exploring complex social issues through research, internships, leadership opportunities, and community engagement. Along the way, you'll build the knowledge, practical experience, and sociological imagination to create meaningful change wherever your career takes you.
Undergraduate Research
Explore questions that matter through hands-on research with faculty members. You can contribute to projects examining environmental change, criminal justice, food systems, inequality, and social policy while developing valuable skills in research design, data collection, analysis, and communication. Students can also get involved with faculty-led research through the department’s research and engagement centers, and many complete an independent research project as part of their senior capstone.
Internships & Career Preparation
Classroom learning comes to life through internships that connect sociology to careers in nonprofit organizations, government agencies, research centers, community organizations, businesses, and social services. Working with faculty, the department's internship coordinator, and internship supervisor that you choose, you'll gain hands-on experience, expand your professional network, and develop the practical skills employers value while exploring career paths that align with your interests and goals.
Student Organizations
Get involved outside the classroom through student organizations and leadership opportunities. Whether you're connecting with classmates through the Criminal Justice Organization, joining Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society, or representing fellow students in departmental leadership, you'll build community while developing leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.
Study Abroad
Expand your perspective by studying sociology in an international context. Faculty-led programs, including CSU's criminology and criminal justice study abroad experience in Prague, explore how culture, history, public policy, and justice systems shape societies around the world. Department scholarships and financial aid options make study abroad accessible for all students. These immersive experiences help you connect classroom concepts with global perspectives while building cross-cultural understanding.
Scholarships
The Department of Sociology offers scholarships that recognize academic achievement and help support students throughout their undergraduate experience. Departmental awards can help offset educational expenses while encouraging students to pursue their academic, research, and professional goals, including studying abroad.
VIDA: Learning Community
VIDA is a first‑year Residential Learning Community that helps students build community, explore interests, and connect those interests to academics and careers. Open to Liberal Arts majors and Exploratory Studies students in select tracks, VIDA offers peer support, faculty engagement, and interactive events in Parmelee Hall’s suite-style environment.
Get Involved
Make the most of your college experience at CSU!