Welcome to the University of Virginia!  We are delighted that you are interested in majoring in Sociology.  The following information applies to students entering their fifth semester of college (usually the Fall semester of the third year).

Declaring a Sociology Major Immediately

If you have completed a course in Introductory Sociology and one other Sociology course at your previous institution with grades of “C” or better, you may declare a major in Sociology immediately.

Details on how to declare a Sociology major are available in the Undergraduate Handbook.

Your first step is to contact the Department’s Academic Administrator (soc-academicadmin@virginia.edu) to let them know you plan to declare.  The Academic Administrator will assign you to a faculty advisor in the Sociology Department.

For the Fall semester, you should register for SOC 3120-Sociology Research Workshop.  You should also plan to take SOC 3020-Introduction to Social Theory in either the Fall or the Spring of your third year.

Although you will not be required to take SOC 1010-Introductory Sociology at the University of Virginia, you will be required to take one additional Sociology course in its place.

Transfer of credit for the other Sociology course taken at your previous institution must be approved by the Sociology Department’s Director of Undergraduate Programs.  Submit a request for approval accompanied by the syllabus for the course to Ms. Joyce Holleran.

Deferring Your Declaration of a Sociology Major

If you are entering your fifth semester of college and you have not yet completed Introductory Sociology and one other Sociology course with grades of “C” or better at your previous institution, you must defer declaring a Sociology major for one semester while you complete those prerequisites.

You should contact the Department’s Academic Administrator (soc-academicadmin@virginia.edu) to let them know you would like to major in Sociology and you plan to submit the Declaration of Major Deferral Form.  This form is available from the College website. On the form, list the Director of Undergraduate Programs as your “major contact” in the Department.

For the Fall semester, you should register for the following courses:

• SOC 3120-Sociology Research Workshop
• If you have not yet taken Introductory Sociology, SOC 1010-Introductory Sociology

You should also plan to take SOC 3020-Introduction to Social Theory in either the Fall or the Spring of your third year.

After you receive your Fall semester grades, if you have earned a “C” or better in your Sociology courses, you may declare a Sociology major.  Details on how to declare a Sociology major are available in the Undergraduate Handbook. 

You must declare a major by the beginning of your sixth semester, or the College will not allow you to register for classes.

If you took Introductory Sociology at your previous institution, you will not be required to take SOC 1010-Introductory Sociology at the University of Virginia. However, you will be required to take one additional Sociology course in its place.