Future Students

Sean has found numerous ways to pursue his goals and grow personally during his time at Penn State, from his classes to the organizations he’s involved with to the content he creates. Sean is majoring in Sociology and double minoring in Spanish and Deafness and Hearing Studies.

• Internships:
• Office of Attorney General
• Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
• State College Police Department
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
• Penn State Justice and Safety Institute
• Walt Disney Corporation
• The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
• Northeastern Law School Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project
• U.S. Department of Justice
• Google
• Teach for America
• Dauphin County DA
• Education Abroad

• Destinations:
• Netherlands
• Curaçao
• Ireland
• Austria
• Spain

Majoring in Sociology offers a unique opportunity to understand the hidden forces that shape human behavior and social groups, from families to entire nations. It helps you explore how social environments—like family, schools, and communities—affect individuals’ lives. By studying sociology at Penn State, which is ranked seventh in the world, you’ll learn to view complex social situations through a fresh, critical lens, making the invisible workings of society visible and empowering you to think deeply about the world around you. This major opens doors to careers in research, policy, education, and more, where understanding people and society is key.

Lenneya’s interest in true crime—her love for the law and her interest in people and their stories—has helped the Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar define her undergraduate path in criminology and sociology.

Jamie, a 2024 Paterno Fellow, Schreyer Scholar, and Chaiken Scholar alumna, was a first-generation college student who majored in Sociology and Film Production and hopes to create social commentary films about the Asian American diaspora.

Azziyah interned with the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium and said her sociology courses helped her work well with the other interns. Azziyah double majored in Sociology and Security and Risk Analysis and minored in Information Sciences and Technology.

• Continuing Education:
• Medical school
• Law school
• Graduate school to study public health, counseling, education, social work, or human resources

• Alumni Industries
• Legal defense, aid, and alternative justice
• Public service
• Security/intelligence
• Government and politics
• Law enforcement

There are two student organizations specific to students majoring in Sociology. Sociology Club focuses on community service projects and career development events for sociology students. Students can also apply to join Alpha Kappa Delta International Honor Society of Sociology.