Procedure for Deferring Your Declaration

If you are entering your fifth semester and have not yet completed the prerequisite courses, you must defer your declaration for one semester while you complete the prerequisites. 

Contact the Department’s Academic Administrator (soc-academicadmin@virginia.edu) that you would like to major in Sociology but you need to defer.  They will go over the procedure with you.  Otherwise, if you submit the deferral form incorrectly, the Department may not know about it.

Prepare and submit the Defer Declaring a Major Form from the College website (https://college.as.virginia.edu/forms).  This form must be submitted online through DocuSign.  On the form, list the Sociology Director of Undergraduate Programs as your “major contact” in the Department (see Undergraduate Studies Committee to find out who that is in the current academic year).  If your deferral form is in order, the Director of Undergraduate Studies will sign it and forward it on to the Registrar.

Procedure for Declaring the Major

When you are ready to declare a major, please follow these steps:

Step 1. Contact the Department’s Academic Administrator (soc-academicadmin@virginia.edu) that you would like to declare your major. They will assign you to a faculty advisor. If you have a preference for a particular advisor, please include that.

Step 2. Download and fill out a copy of the declaration worksheet (available at https://sociology.as.virginia.edu/program-forms-and-links). The worksheet will ask you to list required and elective courses and the semester in which you took or plan to take them. With respect to future elective courses, this does not represent a commitment to take those courses. The goal is simply to plan one possible path to completing the major. To identify elective courses that you may wish to take, you can consult the current undergraduate course listing and the University Undergraduate Record, which lists all approved courses in Sociology.

Step 3. Schedule a meeting with your assigned faculty advisor. Bring the declaration worksheet to the meeting. Your advisor should review your worksheet and discuss your broader interests and future plans. You and your advisor should then agree on a plan of study.

Step 4. Prepare and submit the Declaration of Major/Minor Form online through DocuSign (see instructions at https://college.as.virginia.edu/forms). DocuSign will route the form to your advisor for signature. Once your advisor signs it, the form will be forwarded to the Sociology Department and the University Registrar.

Your Faculty Advisor

When a student becomes a Sociology major, a faculty member will be assigned as the student’s academic advisor, replacing any previous academic advisor.  Students are expected to meet with their advisors at least once each semester to discuss choice of courses, progress toward fulfilling requirements, and any other questions or problems concerning the student’s academic work.

Faculty office hours are posted on their office doors and on the Department website. If you cannot meet during your advisor’s regular office hours, contact your advisor to make an appointment.

The College schedules advising weeks in late October or early November and late March or early April. Your advisor should contact you to schedule a meeting during those weeks.  However, if you do not hear from your advisor, you should take the initiative to arrange a meeting.