An Online Sociology Bachelor's Degree Completion Program

The online Sociology Bachelor of Arts program is a flexible liberal arts degree. In this bachelor's completion program, you will develop transferable job skills that are valuable for a wide range of professions in virtually any industry. You'll also engage in personally interesting curriculum that will enrich your ability to succeed in any job or organization.

You'll Develop Applicable Skills in...

  • Effective communication, critical analysis, writing and research
  • Analysis of quantitative and qualitative data
  • Application of social context and cultural issues to problem solving at the group, organizational and societal level

The Benefit of a Bachelor's Degree

Why finish your degree? Besides the knowledge and skills you'll gain, you will also open the door to better employment opportunities and earnings. Based on final 2022 earnings data, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that – compared to those who have only completed some college credit – those with a bachelor's degree...

  • Earned 53% more money each week ($1,432 compared to $935).
  • Had a lower unemployment rate (2.2% compared to 3.5%).

Visit the full Bureau of Labor Statistics article to view the full interactive charts for earnings and unemployment data by education level.

Chart of 2022 median weekly earnings by level of education, from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Full chart data in table form is available at the link in the previous paragraph.

Career Options

This online degree completion program is designed for those who have some college credit and want to attain a degree with transferable skills that will prove useful in a variety of professions and industries. Graduates will be prepared for a variety of positions in market analysis, research, policy development, human resources, politics, journalism, law, education, social work, non-profit organizations, counseling and health care administration.

For those who will pursue careers directly within Sociology, the median salary for Sociologists in the United States in 2022 was $91,938 (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via Lightcast).

A Liberal Arts Program Designed for Adult Learners

This online bachelor's degree completion program is designed for busy adults of any age who need to fit their college completion into busy lives, no matter where they live.

  • Open Entry: You can begin the program any term (Fall, Spring or Summer) and even start in the middle of a term because of our 6 and 8-week course options.
  • Fast Progress That Won't Overwhelm You: The program is designed to allow for 12 credits to be taken each term while only taking 2 courses at one time (you can take more credits each term if your situation allows).
  • Quality Brought to You Online: This Sociology Bachelor of Arts degree is the same as our on-campus program.
  • Transferable Skills: A broad liberal arts degree is highly valued by employers because it prepares you with communication and research skills that can be applied to any industry, providing you with more career options.

Three graduates of the online Sociology degree completion program discuss why they chose the program, their student experiences and new careers.

Checkmark over books icon to highlight the program details tabs below

Fully Online Degree Completion

The Sociology online program coursework is designed to take two years for those who have no other relevant Sociology coursework. With our innovative course scheduling, you can earn 12 credits per term while only taking two courses at a time (take more or less credits if you choose).

Online Course Tutorial

If you do not have recent experience taking classes online, you will have the chance to complete our online course tutorial. This tutorial will help you learn our Canvas course platform, and prepare you to succeed in your online courses!

Flexible Enrollment Each Term

Fall and Spring Semesters
  • You will have up to five 16-week courses available to choose from each term...
  • Plus three sequential 6-week courses offered (beginning one week before, and ending one week after, the traditional semester).

Here is an example fall and spring schedule if you take one semester-length course and all three 6-week courses. You can take 12 credits each term and only be responsible for two courses at a time.
The fall and spring semesters are 16-weeks long. One course is offered as a full-semester course and then three courses are offered sequentially for 6-weeks each, lasting 18 weeks total, with the first starting one week before the semester and the last ending one week after the semester ends.

Summer Sessions

Multiple courses are offered in the summer term in the two 6-weeks sessions. If you take two 3-credit hour courses each session you will earn 12 credits in the summer term.


Coursework Requirements

Sociology Major (46 Credit Hours)

For an example of upcoming courses, visit the Current Students page for this program.

For full Sociology major coursework details, including concentration options, see the official program listing in the UNC Undergraduate Catalog. Please review both the Program Overview and Degree Requirements tabs.

Additional Credits Required for UNC Graduation

  • 120 total credit hours are required for graduation from this UNC program. For full program requirement details, see the official program listing in the UNC Undergraduate Catalog.
  • Many of these credits, including those for your major, may come from the courses you transfer as you apply. See the Eligibility & Transfer Credit tab for details about transferring your previous college credit.
Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Coursework

UNC's Liberal Arts Curriculum provides students with a grounding in the liberal arts that is infused with critical and creative inquiry, and which also satisfies the six general education areas required for undergraduate degree programs at all public higher education institutions in the state of Colorado.

Many of these courses will potentially be fulfilled from your transferred credit.

View the current LAC requirements and policies. Course requirements by category (with links to list of eligible courses)  are available at the bottom of the page.

Please note additional LAC stipulations for this program: certain courses are recommended for this program for some of the LAC categories; they will fulfill both LAC and major requirements. You can see the list of these courses in the Liberal Arts Curriculum section of the Degree Requirements.

Waiver of Liberal Arts Curriculum Requirements

Individuals with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or a Bachelor’s degree (regardless of date of completion) from a regionally accredited institution will have their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements waived. See the Undergraduate Catalog for more information about LAC waiver and transfer evaluation policies.

Note: the Sociology department requires SOC 100 even if LAC requirements are waived by UNC.

Elective Credits

The remainder of your 120 total credit hours will be comprised of elective credits you take at UNC or elsewhere. You may be interested in adding in electives (or a minor) from our online Communication Studies or Psychology degree completion programs. A wide range of other online courses are available as well.

Taking LAC or Elective Courses Online

Some options if you need this additional coursework:

  • The UNC Course Search – use the "Go to schedule of classes" button (many LAC course offerings are during Summer sessions; UNC does not currently have online LAC courses in the following subjects: Math, and Science with lab).
  • You can also search for online courses at Colorado Community Colleges Online or peruse options at any community college, particularly one near you (tuition is often lower for local residents).

— Jump Back "Up" to the Program Information Tabs 

What Our Students Say...

I really enjoyed the Sociology coursework. I also appreciated the quick feedback from instructors and connecting with the other students online.

– Nancy Carol, Graduate

Photo of Nancy Carol, Sociology BA graduate

With work, a husband and three children, when I saw that  the program was offered online, I jumped. I loved the program.

– Dala Niesent, Graduate

Photo of Dala Niesent, Sociology BA graduate

Get Started/Apply

Additional Resources