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 2017 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 51% more money each week ($1,173 compared to $774).
Had a lower unemployment rate (2.5% compared to 4%).

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

Career Options

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 effective hourly earning for Sociologists in 2017 was $38.29 (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via Emsi Inc.).

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.

I'm Ready to Apply

SNAPSHOT

Credits Required:

46 in Sociology
120 total (including transfer credit) for graduation

Time to Completion:
About 2 years, varies by student

Tuition:
$403/credit hour

Delivery Option & Start Term:
Online program: start any term

Get Started/Apply

APPLICATION INFO

Request Information

Meet with Admissions Coach

Program Coordinator

Sandra Harmon
sandra.harmon@unco.edu
970-351-2307

The Sociology online program coursework is designed to take two years for those who have no other relevant Sociology coursework beyond the introductory course. 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).

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.

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!

Required Major Coursework (46 Credit Hours)

To see the upcoming courses, visit this program's Current Students page.
See an example 2-year degree plan worksheet.

Take All of the Following (25+ Credit Hours)

SOC 100 Principles of Sociology (3)
SOC 231 Introduction to Sociological Practice (3)
SOC 351 Classical Social Theory (3)
SOC 352 Contemporary Social Theory (3)
SOC 361 Methods of Sociological Research I (3)
SOC 362 Methods of Sociological Research II (3)
SOC 364 Methods of Sociological Research II Lab (1)
SOC 400 Senior Seminar (3-9)
Additional SOC LAC course (see Liberal Arts Curriculum section below)

Required Concentration (12+ hours)

Concentrations available:

Social Psychology, Family, & the Life Course
Inequality & Institutions
Deviance & Social Control

View the Sociology Online Bachelor Completion Program Curriculum Guide for available courses for each concentration option.

Elective Major Coursework

The remainder of the 46 credits may be made up of elective Sociology options within the same concentration area, other concentrations, etc.

Sociology Coursework Minimums

At least 50% of the courses taken to complete the major must be upper division (300-400 level).
A 2.0 GPA within the Sociology major is required.

Additional Credits Required for UNC Graduation

120 total credit hours are required for graduation from this UNC program. For full 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 required specific LAC stipulations for this program:

SCI 291 (eligible for LAW 2 hours) is recommended but not required.
LAB 3 hours must include SOC 100.
Additional SOC LAC: the Sociology major requires that you take one additional LAC-qualifying course with a SOC prefix.

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 courses are available as well.

Taking LAC or Elective Courses Online

If you are missing any of this 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).
The Colorado Department of Higher Education lists public Colorado universities that offer distance learning courses.
You can also search for online courses at Colorado Community Colleges Online.

This online degree completion program is designed for those who have some college credit and want to attain a liberal arts degree (120 total credit hours) with transferable skills that will prove useful in a variety of professions and industries.

Admission Requirements

You must meet the UNC undergraduate admission requirements for the academic year for which you are applying. See the UNC Catalog for current admission requirements.
A strong candidate for transfer admission to UNC will have at least a 2.4 cumulative GPA from all schools attended and students with lower than a 2.4 GPA will be considered on an individual basis.
It is recommended but not required that you have 60 hours of transferable college credit or an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree.
The Course of Study tab lists the required LAC courses and required Sociology coursework. The more completed coursework you are able to transfer toward these requirements, the less coursework you will need in this completion program.

Eligibility by State

At this time, UNC can serve online education to students from every state, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. We are not currently accepting students to our online programs who reside in the CNMIs.

Because some states may have additional requirements or limitations for certain programs, please check the following page to verify your eligibility. Note: if your state is showing "limited authorization" it means you are likely eligible with additional documentation, but please contact lisa.grimes@unco.edu for details.

Current State Authorizations for This Program

International Student Eligibility

International students residing outside of the United States are eligible to apply to our online programs. Applicants for online programs must demonstrate English proficiency, or enroll in the UNC Intensive English Program, in order to be considered.

Students in completely online UNC programs are not required to come to the United States. You will not need a student visa or receive any immigration documentation, and do not need to provide financial documentation.

Please visit the International Students Admission Requirements page for details about English proficiency requirements and applying as an international student.

Transferring Credit

Students are considered transfer students if they have completed any college-level coursework after completing high school. As part of your UNC application, you will need to submit official transcripts from all institutions attended.

Please visit the Transfer of Credits pages on the UNC Office of the Registrar website for information about:

How many credits can transfer
Requirements of credits transferred, such as your earned grade and institutional accreditation
The transfer evaluation process
Transferology – this service allows you to view our published course equivalencies for your previous courses. This can be done for free before you apply to UNC.
For those students who have taken or are taking supporting courses at a Colorado public two-year institution, see the Transfer Articulation Guides.

Tuition

This is an Extended Campus program, which means:

A flat per-credit tuition rate for all students (in-state or out-of-state)
There are no student fees – they are incorporated into our flat tuition rate
Certain courses may carry specific course fees for additional services and materials

Program tuition for the 2022-23 academic year (which runs Fall, Spring, and Summer terms) is $403 per credit hour. Tuition for the 2023-24 academic year will be determined mid-June 2023.

Financial Aid

Students who cannot pay for tuition alone are encouraged to apply for federal financial aid. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA priority filing date for each academic year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle which begins each August) is March 1, although the form is now available by October 1 of the previous year and requests tax information from the year prior. For example, the FAFSA form for aid for the 2023-24 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2022, and is based off of 2021 tax return information.

Late submissions of the FAFSA are still accepted throughout the school year but you may not be considered for the maximum amount of aid. If the March priority deadline has passed for the upcoming/current school year, we encourage you to apply for FAFSA consideration as soon as you enroll for your first courses. Depending on the time of year, you may be able to submit an application for the current academic year and an early/priority application for the following academic year.

Bachelor's students must be enrolled in in a minimum of 6 credits per academic term for financial aid eligibility. Full time enrollment is based on 12 credits per term.

To apply for federal financial aid assistance

Fill out the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

For more specific help, contact the Office of Financial Aid: ofa@unco.edu, 970-351-4862 or via the UNC Financial Aid website.

Students can also find helpful information such as the Guide to Federal Student Aid at https://studentaid.gov/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.

Student Health Insurance

The University of Northern Colorado offers a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to all degree-seeking students who enroll in courses on our main UNC Campus, an Extended Campus Center, or Online.

Degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled in 9 or more credit hours will automatically receive this benefit each term. SHIP premiums will appear on your semester bill. If you have comparable insurance coverage, and do not want to be charged for SHIP coverage, you must opt out of this plan each Fall via an online waiver process.

Please visit the UNC Student Health Insurance pages for more information about the insurance plan.

— 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