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The Department of Sociology of the College of Arts and Sciences serves the university and students from the DC area, the United States, and throughout the world as a center for the advanced study of social institutions, global affairs, and social justice. Its programs offer in-depth training in sociological theory and emphasize research methodology at the BA and MA levels, through a BA/MA program (allowing students to complete a BA and MA in 5 years), and two graduate certificates: one in Public Sociology and another in Social Research.

AU Program Ranked in Top 20 

The American University Sociology Master's Program was ranked , scoring especially high for "Best Practicum Experience.&±çłÜ´ÇłŮ;Ěý

Sociologist Jobs Growing by 5% in 2020s

US Department of Labor projects steady growth in the 2020s with DC salaries of $88K above the national median. 

Beyond the Curriculum

Our programs prepare students for a variety of careers in social advocacy, research, teaching, human services, and policy-making institutions in both the public and private sectors in Washington and beyond.

American University's location provides unparalleled access to government, research institutions, data and archival sources, advocacy organizations, and leaders involved in social change. Because AU attracts many international students, the capacity to think through issues beyond national borders is often present with every year's new cohort; at the same time, faculty and students alike frame global politics, economics, and social and cultural issues at a local level, and often use global and local frames to understand social phenomena.

Beyond the experience of being in DC, sociology majors and minors-a majority in fact-take a semester to participate in the program. Many students find that a SOCY major is easily completed as a double major. The Department now offers a choice among three courses (SOCY 100, 110, and 150) as gateways to the sociology major and minor programs. Our relationships with Critical Race, Gender & Culture Studies, the Center for Israel Studies, and our Center on Health, Risk, and Society make our department a vibrant one within the AU community.

Center on Health, Risk, and Society

The Center on Health, Risk and Society (CHRS), based in the Department of Sociology at American University, is an interdisciplinary community of scholars conducting research on the social dimensions of health and health-related risks, especially on their roots in social inequality, and on structural interventions aimed at addressing them.

Mission Statement

"Our common purpose is education and research for social justice in an increasingly global social system. We expect to create sociological knowledge and apply professional research skills to inform effective policies and programs for social change. We intend to empower ourselves, faculty and students, with the knowledge, skills, and commitment necessary to participate in building equitable, humane, and sustainable social institutions. We consider one source of our strength to be the multicultural diversity of our department, and we seek every opportunity to expand that strength."