Courses in Sociology: Where to study and job roles

Sociology is the study of societies and how they interact to form personal and collective beliefs, behaviours and identities. A career in Sociology is the best way to go forward if you want to trace the changing landscape of society in view of topics like urbanisation, industrialisation, globalisation and social divides.

Studying Sociology

• You need to clear your Class XII board exams from any stream with English as a subject to get admission to a BA course in Sociology.
• After your graduation, you may go for postgraduate courses to get an MA degree in Sociology. Your admission will depend on your score in the undergraduate exam or your score in the university entrance exam, depending on the mode of admission.
• You can pursue either MPhil or PhD in Sociology after completion of your master’s course.

Leading institutes offering Sociology courses

Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Course offered: BA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need to pass your Class XII board exams with at least 50% marks in any stream.
• Duration: Three years.

• Admission: Merit-based

Course offered: MA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need a three-year undergraduate degree in Sociology or any discipline with at least 50% aggregate to qualify for an admission test.
• Duration: Two years.
• Admission: You need to appear for an admission test conducted by the department concerned.

You can find more here.

St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata

Course offered: BA in Sociology .

• Eligibility: You need to pass your Class XII board exam in any stream with a minimum of 50% aggregate.
• Duration: Three years.

• Admission: Merit-based.

Course offered: MA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need a three-year undergraduate degree in Sociology with at least 50% marks.
• Duration: Two years.

• Admission: Merit-based.

You can find more here.

Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Course offered: BA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need to pass your Class XII board exams with at least 50% aggregate in any stream to qualify for an entrance exam.
• Duration: Three years.

• Admission: Admission depends on the performance in the BHU admission test.

Course offered: MA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need a three-year undergraduate degree in Sociology with a minimum of 50% aggregate.
• Duration: Two years.

• Admission: Merit-based.

You can find more here.

Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi

Course offered: MA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need a Sociology undergraduate degree with at least 50% marks in your BA (Hons) course to appear for the JNU Entrance Examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
• Duration: Two years.
• Admission: Depends on your performance in the entrance exam.

You can find more here.

Delhi School of Economics, Delhi

Course offered: MA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need a Sociology undergraduate degree with at least 60% marks in your BA (Hons) course to appear for the DSE Entrance Examination.
• Duration: Two years.
• Admission: Depends on your score in the entrance exam.

You can find more here.

Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi

Course offered: MA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need a Sociology undergraduate degree with at least 55% marks to apply for the admission test conducted by the university.
• Duration: Two years.
• Admission: You need to clear the entrance exam and perform well in the subsequent interview.

You can find more here.

University of Calcutta

Course: MA in Sociology.

• Eligibility: You need a three-year Sociology undergraduate degree with at least 55% marks.
• Duration: Two years.

• Admission: Merit-based.

You can find more here.

Some Colleges under Calcutta University which offer undergraduate degree courses in Sociology

• Asutosh College
• Lady Brabourne College
• Maulana Azad College
• Bhawanipur Education Society College
• Surendranath College
• Bangabasi College
• Shri Shikshayatan College

Study Abroad

Most sociology courses require fieldwork. If you study abroad, your entire study experience can be your fieldwork.

Here are some institute that offer Sociology courses:

• Harvard University, US
• University of California, Berkeley, US
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, US
• London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
• University of Oxford, UK
• University of Edinburgh, UK
• University of Toronto, Canada
• National University of Singapore, Singapore

Career prospects after studying Sociology

• Policy analyst: They are responsible for developing different policies in collaboration with the government after conducting thorough research on social issues such as healthcare and education.

• Sociologist: Their job entails studying community behaviour, conducting research on various social norms, studying complex structures and tracing the origins of various social changes. They can work in a service-based corporate industry.

• Counsellor: Their primary responsibility is to work with individuals and groups to promote mental health and to provide support and rehabilitation services.

• Public relations specialist: Their job is to establish a company's presence in the minds of people.

• Administrator: They contribute to the smooth operation of a business by managing inquiries, maintaining files and documents and keeping records.

• Researcher: They gather, organise, study, and analyse data in order to forecast future trends and solve various social problems.

• Academic: After earning a MA or PhD in sociology, a person may choose to teach at high school, college or universities at home or abroad.

• Media specialist: People with expertise in understanding social relationships, social behaviour, and society are in high demand in media. They work in reporting, advertising or publishing divisions.