McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Sociology
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

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Semester One (15-17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3-4
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3-4
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3
	UNIV 101	The Student in the University or Carolina Core Requirement4 (PR/CC)	3

Semester Two (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW, CC-INF)	3	C		C or better in ENGL 101
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3-4
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3
	SOCY 101	Introductory Sociology (CC-GSS)	3	C

Semester Three (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		SOCY Elective (300-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Foreign language3 or Carolina Core Requirement4 (CR/CC)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4
		Social Science (CR)	3
		History5 (CR)	3

Semester Four (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	SOCY 391	Sociological Research Methods (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective7 (CC/PR)	3-4
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective7 (CC/PR)	3

Semester Five (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	SOCY 392	Elementary Statistics for Sociologists (MR)	3	C
		SOCY Elective (300-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective7 (PR)	3

Semester Six (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	SOCY 393	Sociological Theory (MR)	3	C
		SOCY Elective (300-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Elective7 (PR)	3

Semester Seven (15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		SOCY Elective (500-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		SOCY Elective (300-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Cognate or Minor Course6 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective7 (PR)	3
		Elective7 (PR)	3

Semester Eight (13 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	SOCY 561	Real World Research Experience (MR/CC-INT)	3	C		C or better in SOCY 101, 391, & 392
		SOCY Elective (500-level or above) (MR)	3	C
		Minor Course6 or Elective7 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Minor Course6 or Elective7 (PR)	3	C (minor)
		Elective7 (PR)	1

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College and Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	30	46-58	32-44	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
4. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
5. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
6. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of, but related to the major. In place of a cognate, a student may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of courses concentrated in one area that follow a structured sequence. A second major eliminates the minor/cognate requirement.
7. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.

Program Notes

• Courses identified as “critical” must be completed in the student’s first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• Graduation “with Distinction” is an optional program of study, in which students actively engage in significant research, scholarship, and/or performance activities in collaboration with a faculty mentor within a chosen major. Graduation with Distinction for this program of study requires: 1) cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher and GPA of 3.50 or higher in the major; 2) successful completion of requirements for the Sociology major; 3) research proposal approved by faculty committee; 4) successful completion of 3-6 hours SOCY 599, including written and oral presentation of research project. Students who successfully complete these requirements will be awarded their degree with “Distinction in Sociology” upon graduation. A student seeking to graduate with “Distinction in Sociology” must select a faculty member to chair the committee that guides and evaluates the research project. At least two other faculty members will be appointed by the committee chair to serve as members of the committee. A written sponsorship agreement signed by the committee chair must be filed with the departmental chair. The student must successfully defend a research proposal and final paper to the committee. Ideally, the project should be finished within two semesters. Research projects must conform to the University’s policy on the treatment of human subjects. Proposals must additionally be subjected to the scrutiny of the Department of Sociology ethics committee.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement