Undergraduate Advising

Advising support

Email: Available with the Undergraduate Advisors year-round and the Peer Advisor in fall, winter and spring. Please allow one to three business days for an email response.

Email socypeer@ucsc.edu to reach the Peer Advisor. Peer Advisors are current students who are trained to assist with major and minor questions, creating academic plans, general department policies and processes, and referrals to campus resources. They can also share their own experiences in the department!

Email socyadvising@ucsc.edu to reach the Undergraduate Advisors for all things related to sociology, including: signatures on forms, petitions, and academic plans; questions about your sociology transfer credits; updates to the Degree Progress Report (DPR); declaration appeals; degree progress and graduation; course substitutions; post-grad; experiential learning opportunities; and anything related to your sociology record. 

Drop-in Advising: Available in-person and on Zoom with the Undergraduate Advisors year-round and the Peer Advisor in fall, winter, and spring. Review our advising calendar below or here to find the drop-in time blocks. Click on the event to review who you are meeting with and whether it is in-person or on Zoom. Add this calendar to your personal Google Calendar >>

In-person drop-in advising hours are located in the Sociology Department, Rachel Carson College Academic Building, 2nd floor, Rm 226

Advising Appointments: Schedule a Zoom or in-person appointment with the Undergraduate Advisors through Navigate Slug Success. Appointments are available year-round, in 30-minute blocks, and must be made at least 24 hours in advance. For assistance using Navigate Slug Success, please refer to these guides: How to Schedule an Appointment and How to Cancel an Appointment.

---

Meet your advising team

Faculty advising

Sociology faculty members are valuable resources for discussing ideas and concepts, applying sociology to your future life and career plans, and writing recommendation letters. Faculty hold office hours weekly during the academic quarters and are available to discuss coursework, research opportunities, graduate school, and future courses. Take advantage of office hours to meet faculty and get to know them. View our list of faculty advisors and learn more about the importance and process of selecting a faculty advisor.

---

Major and minor requirements, sample academic plans, and worksheets

Please note that the Latin American and Latino Studies/Sociology Combined B.A. is administered by the Latin American and Latino Studies Department and their advising team. See their Undergraduate Advising page for information about major declaration, academic planning, and more. Students can also refer to the major checklist.

---

Declaring a Sociology major or Digital Justice Studies (DJS) minor 

Petition to declare a major as soon as you complete major qualification requirements, or reach your declaration deadline quarter, whichever comes first. Students who enter UCSC as frosh or sophomores must be formally declared in a major before enrolling in their third year (or equivalent). Junior transfer students must be declared in a major by the deadline in their second term at UCSC. Each quarter has a declaration deadline by which the major must be declared. Students who have reached their declaration deadline quarter, but have not completed the major qualification requirements, must submit a petition to declare. The department will respond to their petition with one of the following options: approval of declaration, denial of declaration, or provide conditions of declaration that must be resolved within at most one quarter. Please review the courses required for major qualification to begin qualifying for the selected major.

• Double major or major/minor: Students who are pursuing a double major or minor must have an Academic Planning Form (APF) on file, and signed by the first major advisor, prior to declaring their second program. If the sociology major is your second major, or if you are declaring the DJS minor, please work with your first major advisor to create or update your academic plan. Students must declare a major before they are eligible to declare a minor. In addition, students should become familiar with the Policy on Double Counting of Program Requirements. 

• Declaration appeals: Students who do not meet major qualification grade requirements but are interested in pursuing sociology must submit an appeal.

Declaring the Sociology B.A.

Declaring the Sociology B.A. with DJS Intensive Concentration

Declaring the DJS Minor

---

Academic planning

An Academic Planning Form (APF) can be a useful tool as students consider what their time will look like at UCSC. It is recommended for single majors and required for double majors, combined majors, and majors/minors. Students pursuing a DJS minor must first have a major plan on file. Work with your major advisor, then contact socyadvising@ucsc.edu to create a DJS minor plan.

How to complete your academic plan

• Option #1: Meet with a sociology peer advisor: Peer advisors can review SOCY requirements and begin an Academic Planning Form, then share it with an undergraduate advisor for review and final approval. Students will receive an email from socyadvising@ucsc.edu once the plan is approved and on file. Peer advisors are not able to access your records in MyUCSC. Be prepared to share your screen (Zoom) or log in to your account on one of our computer stations (in person) if there is a need to review your record.
• Option #2: Submit a request for an academic plan: Complete the Sociology Request for an Academic Plan online form. Plans are created by a sociology peer advisor and then shared with the undergraduate advisor for final review and approval. Expect an email from socyadvising@ucsc.edu within 5-7 days of submitting the request. This process may take longer if you submit a request during holidays and campus closures such as the Winter Holiday or Spring Break.
• Option #3: Meet with the sociology undergraduate advisor: For plans that may be more complicated, or if you are adding sociology as a second major, schedule an appointment with the sociology undergraduate advisor through Navigate Slug Success. Appointments must be made at least 24 hours in advance. 
• Option #4: Create your own plan and share it with an undergraduate advisor: Find the appropriate sample plan for your selected major, and make a copy to your drive. Fill out the top of the form with personal information and update the SOCY courses taken or in progress, including all substitutions and electives. Adjust the remaining SOCY requirements. Share the plan with socyadvising@ucsc.edu, who will review the plan you provided and create a version that will be placed on file (accessible by all campus advisors). Expect a follow-up email from an undergraduate advisor. 

---

Elective course substitutions

Elective course substitutions are any electives applied to the sociology program that are not numbered SOCY 110-189 at UCSC. Courses must be upper-division, are generally 5 units (though some exceptions may apply, such as courses from abroad), and have sociological content. Courses may be from other UCSC departments, other UCs or four-year institutions, Global Learning, 5-unit individual study courses with sociology professors, UCDC, or UC Center Sacramento.

The number of course substitutions a student is allowed depends on the major or minor the student is pursuing:

Many courses at UCSC and beyond have already been reviewed and approved. Use the list of approved courses posted under the major/minor you are pursuing. If an approved course is not reflected on your Degree Progress Report (DPR) in MyUCSC, email us at socyadvising@ucsc.edu.

If an upper-division elective you wish to apply to sociology is already being used towards another major or minor, then the double counting policy must be applied. Students may not apply an upper-division course to two different programs unless they are eligible, per the policy, and both department advisors must approve the double counting. Please check in with your department advisor to verify whether you are allowed to double-count in your program.

For the Latin American and Latino Studies/Sociology Combined B.A., three electives taken through a Global Learning Program with approval from both departments may be used as course substitutions. No other substitutions are allowed.

---

Individual studies

Students may elect to pursue an individual study to supplement their experience at UCSC. In an individual study (also referred to as an independent study), the student works directly with a faculty member to pursue a subject of interest to the student. Review the types of individual studies available and the enrollment process. All students must file a Petition for Undergraduate Individual Studies Courses form in order to enroll each quarter.

---

Sociology Pass/No Pass grading policy

Students must take the major qualification courses as a letter grade. Depending on the major selected, these courses must be taken as a letter grade: SOCY 1, SOCY 10, SOCY 15, and SOCY 30A. Students must take these courses as letter grades and meet the grade requirement in the major selected. Beyond these major qualification courses, the sociology department has no other restrictions on P/NP grading. All other requirements in the major must be passed with a C or better OR Pass grade. Students should note, however, that UCSC has limits on P/NP. Please review UCSC’s policy.

---

Comprehensive senior exit requirement

Every major at UCSC includes a senior exit requirement (also known as the comprehensive requirement) designed to integrate the knowledge and skills learned throughout the curriculum. Students in majors administered by the Sociology Department must complete one of the three comprehensive requirement options outlined below. 

SOCY 196S Senior Seminar

Students who select this option must pass (C or better or Pass grade) one SOCY 196S seminar course in the fall, winter, or spring of their senior year. Seminars focus on advanced topics in sociology and often emphasize skills like close textual analysis, critical and analytical thinking, active learning, field research, advanced research methods, or advanced theory. Enrollment is by application and permission code. View the SOCY Archive of Senior Seminars.

The senior seminar application for Fall quarter is now closed. For enrollment inquiries, please contact the professors. Winter senior seminar application will be available around week 5.

How to sign up for the senior seminar option

• Step 1: Review the senior seminar topics, descriptions, and prerequisites.
• Step 2: Submit the senior seminar application. To be considered for the first round of seminar permission codes, students must apply by the priority deadline. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis afterward, but seats may be limited. Graduating seniors are given priority. Once the quarter begins, applications close, and all enrollment inquiries must be sent directly to the instructor.
• Step 3: Expect an email update from socyadvising@ucsc.edu. Students who apply by the priority deadline will have their applications reviewed and responded to within a week. Applications received after the priority deadline will be reviewed and responded to on a rolling basis, typically within 4-5 business days. 

SOCY graduate level courses

Sociology majors may be invited or approved to join a sociology graduate-level course. A five-unit sociology graduate course, numbered between SOCY 200-290, can be used to satisfy the comprehensive senior exit requirement. In many cases, this option is for students who excelled in an upper-division undergraduate course with the same instructor. Admission into a graduate-level course must be discussed with the course instructor. Students may reach out to the instructor and include the following information:

• Whether you have previously taken a course with the instructor
• Relevant courses you have taken
• Why you are interested in the topic
• Why it would be beneficial for you to take this graduate course
• Readiness for a graduate level course – include a statement of your interest, willingness, or ability to do graduate level work on the order of reading 4-5 scholarly articles a week and providing written commentary
• Recommended: include/attach a writing sample, especially if you have not taken a course with the professor in the past
• Any other relevant information you may want to provide

If an instructor approves, they will provide you with a permission code for enrollment. Alternatively, they may have their own waitlist and will let you know if they will be able to admit you later.

Senior thesis

A senior thesis is a large, independent research project that students may choose to complete in order to fulfill the comprehensive requirement in the major. The thesis should be a project that can be feasibly completed in 7-10 months. If considering writing a senior thesis or starting the process, review the following resources:

• Sociology Department Guide to Writing a Senior Thesis
• Sociology Senior Thesis Information Session (Slides)
• Sociology Senior Thesis Information Session (Zoom Recording)

---

Honors in the major

Honors will be listed on a student’s diploma and official transcripts once graduation is processed. Comprehensive honors will also be listed on a student’s official transcripts. See the topics below for information on how to earn honors. 

Major GPA calculation

For information on GPA requirements for honors and highest honors, see the course catalog. The sociology major GPA includes all major requirements taken at UCSC or through a UCSC sponsored program. Transferred courses are not included in the major GPA. If additional sociology electives were taken over the minimum requirements, the Degree Progress Report (DPR) will not list these extra courses, and they will not be included in the major GPA, but students may request to change the electives listed in their DPR (such as selecting the higher grades) through the undergraduate advising office (socyadvising@ucsc.edu). 

The sociology major GPA is calculated automatically in a student’s DPR under the Major GPA section. Students should check if the correct courses are being applied to the major, especially in cases of a double major or major/minor. Any questions or discrepancies should be sent to the undergraduate advising office (socyadvising@ucsc.edu). Review and final verification of major GPA is completed through the Sociology Advisors upon graduation.

Comprehensive honors – senior thesis

Comprehensive honors are awarded to students who perform exceptionally well on their senior thesis, if that option was chosen to satisfy the comprehensive requirement. To receive honors, the student’s thesis must be reviewed by both the thesis faculty advisor and a second faculty member (a second reader). Both faculty members must recommend honors. The undergraduate advisor coordinates with thesis faculty sponsors for each student to determine whether the student is being awarded honors on their thesis. 

Combined LALS/Sociology B.A. honors process

Major and thesis honors are determined separately and granted only when both departments concur. Each department calculates GPAs for their own requirements, based on their own GPA criteria. For LALS GPA criteria, see their catalog. Honors on the thesis can be granted if both department thesis faculty advisors agree to award honors on the student’s senior thesis.

---

Graduation

In preparation for graduation, students should review their Degree Progress Report (DPR) in MyUCSC, as well as their Academic Planning Form (APF) in Google Drive, if one is available. If there are discrepancies or updates needed, please inform the undergraduate advisor (socyadvising@ucsc.edu). In addition, students must apply for graduation in their final quarter. For most students, this can be done via MyUCSC. See the office of registrar’s website for more information about graduation requirements, and the Academic Calendar for important deadlines. 

If students are interested in participating in the spring commencement, they must also complete the steps outlined on the commencement website. The Sociology Department does not have a separate commencement.

---

Career and graduate school resources

Whether you’re planning for graduate school or looking for a job after graduation, it’s important to begin researching your options early in your undergraduate career. Here are some resources to get you started. In addition, be sure to review the UCSC Career Center resources and events.