Applying to the Sociology Major

Quad outside Savery Hall

The Sociology major is non-capacity constrained major; if you meet our admissions requirements, you will be accepted. Students in the major have priority access to the program’s upper-division seminars and many of our more popular classes. The Sociology Department welcomes applicants to the major every quarter, including Summer. 

 

Deadlines and Requirements

 

Applications open the same day final grades are posted from the previous quarter and are due by 4:00 PM on the following dates:

2023-2024 Academic Year

  • AUT23: Tuesday, October 3, 2023 CLOSED
  • WIN24: Tuesday, January 9, 2024 CLOSED
  • SPR24: Friday, March 29, 2024
  • SUM24: Friday, June 21, 2024

2024-2025 Academic Year

  • AUT24: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
  • WIN25: Friday, January 10, 2025
  • SPR25: Friday, April 4, 2025
  • SUM25: Friday, June 27, 2025 

The requirements for admission to the Sociology major are as follows:

  1. Completion of at least one 5 credit Sociology course
  2. Completion of – or enrollment in – SOC 300 the quarter for which the application is filed
  3. Overall UW Sociology GPA 2.50
  4. Overall UW GPA 2.00

Applicants are usually notified of admissions decisions two to three weeks after the application deadline. New Major Orientation takes place on a Wednesday afternoon, the same week as notifications are sent out, or Wednesday of the following week. Students considering the Sociology major are encouraged to make an advising appointment to discuss their interests. Our advising team is always happy to meet with prospective majors.

 

Transfer Students

If you have completed or are completing Sociology courses at a community or technical college, you can see how these credits will transfer to UW by consulting the UW Equivalency Guide

Transfer grades are considered in the admissions process to the Sociology major. Once you are admitted into the major, your transfer credits may fulfill some of the major requirements. However, transfer grades will not apply to your UW Sociology GPA. A minimum of 25 UW Sociology credits are needed to fulfill the Sociology major requirements.

 

How to Apply

The Sociology major application will not allow students to save their work and return to edit. Therefore, we suggest that students write their personal statement in another platform such as Word or Google docs and upload the document to application. Follow these steps to complete the application:

1. Complete your brief (1-2 page double-spaced) personal statement as a separate document.  Please consider the following guidelines for writing your statement:

a) Please do not try and define the discipline of sociology. Instead we encourage you to discuss experiences that brought you to the major, favorite courses, and elaborate on your interests in specific sociological topics. You may also discuss how you envision your education and skills connecting to your goals, as well as your future career plans.

b) Please discuss non-UW volunteer or community service activities you participate in on a regular basis and how they relate to your academic interests. While this is not considered when evaluating your application to the major, it will assist us in identifying candidates for the Albert W. Black Undergraduate Community Service Award – a year-end award that recognizes graduating sociology majors with a demonstrated commitment to public service.

2. Complete and submit the Major Application Form below. When filling out the major application form, you will need to attach three items as PDFs.

a) Your unofficial transcript

b) Your DARs for Sociology

c) Your personal statement

[Spring 2024 Application opens on March 20, 2024] 

*ATTENTION: Use your UW NetID login to access the new major application. 

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