What Can You Do With a Major in Sociology & a Minor in Politics?

Sociology is the study of human behavior. Sociology students study human interaction, culture and social institutions. This liberal arts major allows students to form interests and specialize in a specific field. A minor in another discipline, like political science, can help sociology students focus their career goals and study sociology in the context of political and governmental institutions.

Sociology majors with political science minors often find law school to be a natural fit. Understanding human behavior and interaction is a valuable tool in the legal profession; it provides a foundation for formulating a defense, presenting a case for prosecution and deciding cases. Questioning why people behave as they do often leads sociology majors into criminology, an easy transition for political science minors who study criminal justice. Sociology majors with political science minors can thrive in law school to become attorneys and judges, to name a few opportunities.

A political science minor has a direct foray into politics. Running for public office is always an option, but many people find a rewarding career in consulting and other jobs in politics. Careers like political analyst, advisor, legislative assistant and campaign coordinator all call upon the skills of a sociologist. Sociology majors learn the intricacies of class and socioeconomic status, which can aid elected officials and candidates with campaigning and constituent relations. Sociology majors with a specialization in politics study things like why people vote and how they make voting decisions.

Sociology majors often use their study of human interaction in the context of youth behavior. This can lead to a career in education and other youth-related services like social work and counseling. The addition of a political science minor can lead to teaching social studies, government, civics and political science at any level. The understanding a sociology major gains about social stratification, social psychology, criminology and family relations makes them well-equipped to pursue training in social work and counseling, and the knowledge of politics gives them a leg up in learning the legal complexities of both fields.

The social sciences are intricately interwoven with journalism in many ways. Sociologists can foray into media analysis, criticism and actual journalism, particularly with the specialized knowledge of politics. Sociology majors can relate to mass communication theory, which describes how people relate to media and how media affect audiences, because it is closely related to human interaction. Sociological studies increasingly focus on the Internet and social networking, another interest shared with journalists and media theorists. A political background is valuable to producing and analyzing news as well.