Careers
Sociology prepares graduates to work in a number of different fields. Sociology students graduate with excellent critical thinking abilities, skill at reasoned analysis and development of arguments, and capacity for clear, concise written and oral communication. Statistics and methods courses provide background in both qualitative and quantitative research, and the study of sociology promotes an understanding of social organizations and institutions, knowledge of social inequality, and a concern for social justice that can be extremely useful in any occupation.
Within the Sociology department, students have many opportunities to acquire information about and seek advice on career directions. In particular,
All students who declare Sociology as their primary major are assigned an advisor from among the tenured or tenure-track Sociology faculty.
Students can stop by the main office (McGuinn 426) to get a free copy of the ASA’s publication, “21st Century Careers with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology.”
There are two additional resources for students who are thinking about jobs in Sociology:
- The American Sociological Association maintains extensive online career resources for undergraduate students, and publishes the Guide to Graduate Departments in Sociology. (The department has several Graduate Guides available for students to examine.)
- The Boston College Career Center is always available to advise Sociology majors and minors. The Center offers regular workshops, networking sessions, and employer fairs for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and alumni at all stages of the career development process. Start with their useful “First Destinations” data on what Boston College students do with an education in Sociology immediately after graduation, and then visit their drop-in office hours!
Our Graduates
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Amanda Hamilton
Amanda Hamilton '13
Director, Business & Legal Affairs, FOX Entertainment
Hamilton is an in-house lawyer for FOX Entertainment, where she spends most of her time negotiating deals and drafting agreements for scripted television. Studying Sociology prepared her well for law school and a career as an attorney. As a Sociology major, she learned how to read difficult texts and see issues from many different angles, which is something she does at work every day. She weighs the goals of different internal stakeholders within her company, as well as empathizes with the people on the other side of the deal she is negotiating, in order to reach mutually beneficial agreements.
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Leah Bacon
Leah Bacon '18
Senior Policy Associate, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)
During her time at BC, Leah found a passion for understanding all facets of our country's judicial and legal systems. She was inspired to study in Rwanda, East Africa and Israel/Palestine to learn peace-building, conflict resolution, and restorative justice tactics that could be applicable to the reform efforts in the U.S. She has continued her passion for advocating for individuals with justice involvement in her professional career through extensive research publications, and, currently, through direct policy and advocacy advancement with CEO - the largest reentry workforce provider in the country.
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Caitlyn Passaretti
Caitlyn Passaretti '16
Policy and Advocacy Associate, Citizens’ Committee for Children (CCC)
CCC is a 76-year-old independent, multi-issue child advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that every New York child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe. As the Policy and Advocacy Associate, Caitlyn manages the Child Welfare and Youth Justice portfolios, where she works with her team and other organizations to analyze the budget and advocate for specific legislation that will support our aims - which are to keep children healthy, safe, educated, and housed. In her role, it is essential to utilize a trauma-informed, anti-racist, and intersectional approach.
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Saya Hillman
Saya Hillman '00
Founding owner, Mac ‘n Cheese Productions, Chicago
Chicago native Saya Hillman spent her first four years after BC working at nonprofits in her hometown—as a program manager at an organization using the arts to teach reading to low-income students and as an assistant producer for a documentary film company. Preferring to be her own boss, Hillman founded Mac ‘n Cheese Productions, making videos for nonprofits and teaching digital media skills to low-income schoolchildren.