Credit requirements

Sociology Minors are required to complete six courses (18 credits) in the program.

Required Course

Students must complete the following course with a grade of “C” or higher:

Elective Courses

Minors must also complete two elective courses (6 credits) at the 4000 or 5000 level. The remaining three elective courses (9 credits) can be taken at any level.

Grade Requirements

All courses used to meet the 18- credit requirement must be letter-graded. Courses taken on a Credit/No Credit or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis do not count toward the major.

Note: The Sociology Department waived this rule during the 2020-2021 academic year and the Fall semester of 2022, following the Provost’s grading policy during those terms. Courses completed during the 2020-2021 academic year or the Fall semester of 2022 with grades of CR will be counted toward the minor.

A grade of “C” or better is necessary in every course to be counted toward the minor. Students receiving less than a “C” in SOC 1010-Introductory Sociology must retake the course and receive a grade of “C” or better. Students receiving less than a “C” in an elective course will be required to take another Sociology course to complete the minor. (Elective courses where a student receives an unsatisfactory but passing grade still count toward the College’s requirement of 120 credits for graduation even though they do not count toward the major. Because the College will not give credit for taking a course twice, if SOC 1010 is re-taken, the second time will not count toward the 120-credit requirement.)

In addition, students are required to maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher in Sociology. Students who fail to do so will be dropped from the minor.

Note: The online Student Information System (SIS) sometimes calculates the major GPA incorrectly by ignoring courses that cannot be applied toward the major due to low grades. The Department’s calculation of the major GPA includes all Sociology courses and thus may be different.

Summer Session and J-Term Courses

Sociology courses taken during the summer session at the University of Virginia are equivalent to academic-year courses and count toward the major in Sociology. Thus, both required and elective courses may be taken during the summer session.

Sociology elective courses taken during the January term (“J-Term”) at the University of Virginia may be counted toward the major. (Required courses are not offered during J-Term.)

Courses in Other Departments of the University or Other Institutions and Programs

All courses to be counted toward the minor in Sociology must be taken in the Sociology Department. Thus, courses taken in another department, in another institution’s summer session, in a study-abroad program, or at a previously-attended institution (for transfer students) do not count toward the minor.

Independent Study

Fourth-year students with a strong academic record (a Sociology GPA of 3.2 or higher) may wish to pursue an independent study under the supervision of a faculty member (SOC 4970 - Special Studies in Sociology). Three credits of SOC 4970 can count towards the minor. Enrollment in SOC 4970 requires prior approval by the Director of Undergraduate Programs. To apply for approval, a student should first develop a syllabus with the instructor who will supervise the independent study. This syllabus should indicate the planned learning goals, readings, activities, frequency of meetings with your instructor, and modes of learning assessment. The student should also complete the Independent Study Form, which is available on the Sociology website (https://sociology.as.virginia.edu/program-forms-and-links). The form and syllabus should be submitted to the DUP, who may ask for revisions before approval.

Graduate Courses and Dual-Level Courses

Although Sociology courses at the 5000-level are designed for graduate students, some of these courses may be of interest to fourth-year students with an exceptional academic record (a Sociology GPA of 3.4 or higher). Undergraduate enrollment in a 5000-level course is at the discretion of the instructor. Undergraduate students should not normally take a 5000-level course until they have completed SOC 1010-Introductory Sociology and six courses (18 credits) in Sociology.

Occasionally the Department offers courses that have a dual listing, e.g. SOC 4053/8053. These courses are open to both undergraduate and graduate students with distinct requirements for each. Undergraduates should enroll in the lower-level course listed.

Exemption from SOC 1010

Transfer students who have transferred credits for a course in Introductory Sociology taken at another institution prior to matriculation at the University are exempt from the requirement to take SOC 1010-Introductory Sociology. However, the Introductory Sociology course taken at the previous institution does not count toward the 18 credits required for the completion of the sociology minor. Thus, transfer students must take one additional sociology course at any level.

Other Exemptions and Waivers

Students in unusual circumstances may petition the DUP and the Undergraduate Studies Committee for an exemption from a requirement or a waiver of any departmental policy relating to the minor. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the Committee has all appropriate materials.

Procedure for Declaring the Minor

Students sometimes know early on that they wish to complete a minor. Other students decide to declare a minor after they find they have already fulfilled all or almost all of the requirements.  When you are ready to declare a minor, please follow these steps.

Step 1.   Contact the Department’s Administrative Coordinator and let him or her know you would like to declare your minor. The Administrative Coordinator will answer any questions you may have and will direct you to a member of the faculty Undergraduate Committee.

Step 2.  Schedule a meeting with that faculty member (in person or via Zoom) to discuss your interests in sociology and the specific courses you would like to take. You and the Undergraduate Committee member should agree on a plan of study. Note: If you have already completed or almost completed the requirements for the minor, this step is optional.

Step 3.   Prepare and submit the Declaration of Major/Minor Form online through DocuSign (see instructions at https://college.as.virginia.edu/forms). Be sure to check the box indicating that this is a minor declaration. DocuSign will route the form to the Undergraduate Committee member for signature. Once signed, the form will be forwarded to the Sociology Department and the University Registrar.

Changing a Major to a Minor

Students sometimes wish to change their status from a major to a minor. For example, a student who is double-majoring may find that she or he cannot complete all the requirements for both majors. In that case, you should follow the procedure above for declaring the minor but be sure to let the Administrative Coordinator know you are switching from a major to a minor.