Careers After Graduation
Sociology is not just limited to work in social services. SCU's Sociology program prepares its students for a wide range of career choices.
Skills
Sociology majors possess skills that many employers require:
- Creativity and innovation
- Critical thinking
- Analytic problem-solving, including strong use of math and science skills
- Skillful communication and excellent written expression
- Collaboration and interpersonal skills
- Cultural Competency; multicultural and global understandings
- Researching and analyzing data
Look At What Our Alumni Are Doing Or Have Done
Executives in Large Corporations
- General Motors
- Toyota
- Keystone Resorts
- Stanford Medical Center
Government Agencies
- Mayor (San Luis Obispo)
- County Supervisors
- Demographer (City of Los Angeles)
- Deputy Probations Officer (City of Los Angeles)
- Chief Investigator (SFPD)
- Chief Of Police (City of Santa Clara)
- Police Officers
- Ameri-corp
- Peace Corp
Business and Non-profit Organizations
- Aris
- Second Harvest Food Bank
- Cisco
- Hewlett/Packard
- National Semiconductor
- US Stock Exchange
- CFO (Telecom Company)
- Assistant Online Marketing Manager (Sephora.com)
- Director of Organizational Development (Abgeniz)
- Family Service Mid-Peninsula
Lawyers
- General Advocate Corp
- Large Legal Firms
- Brown Decision Quest
College and University Professors
- SCU
- UCLA
- University of Alberta-Canada
- Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
- UC-San Diego
- Sonoma State
- Stanford University
- Cornell University
- Brown University
Ph.D. Programs
- Harvard
- Santa Barbara
- University of Arizona
- UC Davis
- UC Berkeley
Teachers
- Teacher-all Levels of Education
- Directors/Teachers of Preschool
- Teacher/Counseling
Health Fields
- Physicians
- Psychotherapist
- Social Workers
- Family and Marriage Counseling
Journalists
Self Employed
And The List Just Keeps On Going…..
"Throughout my undergraduate career in Sociology at SCU, I have been blessed and more than grateful to have been exposed to many successful professors and mentors. With a lifelong passion for social change and social justice, I am currently enrolled at USC's Bovard College masters program for Criminal Justice. With hopes of one day becoming a juvenile probation officer, I look forward to learning more about the specific ways in which I can help improve our criminal justice system."
—Elvena Gevargiz ‘21
“Throughout my career in hospitality management, I have been able to relate to my Sociology Degree by developing my own theories and understandings of what it takes to guarantee a successful event for any group. Whether that is listening to those involved with the planning process to fully understand their vision of the event to providing special attention to the individual guests that might need it to even ensuring that my own team is operating cohesively.”
—Jessica Tramp ‘16 (Director of Catering, Bon Appetit Management Co. at Santa Clara University)
“Aside from the core theory and methodologies, I have learned widely applicable skills in quantitative and qualitative research projects, report writing, and data analysis. I have used my sociological education in my current job as a vocational skills trainer for adults with disabilities, in the form of creating original skill assessments, analysis and the creation of curriculum. The Sociology Department at Santa Clara provided unwavering support for any academic and career decisions I made.”
—Emma Hmelar ‘19
“I deeply enjoyed my time as an undergraduate in the Sociology Department as it was both rigorous and rewarding to be able to learn from a strong team of dedicated, passionate professors. The years I spent in their classrooms, engaged by their lectures, readings, discussions, would eventually shape my life in ways beyond career choices.”
—Lisa P. Martinez, Garden Educator, Bronco Urban Gardens at Santa Clara University