future of sociology

8/12/2019 Future of Sociology

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Points to Remember

The majority of undergraduate majors do not go on tograduate school in sociology. We must do a better job of counseling them, because they are the breadand butter of the discipline.

The market is improving for new PhDs, but sociology

would have a lower unemployment rate if they weretrained non-academic jobs.

It looks as if cultural studies is the intellectual futureof the discipline replacing family and theory, althoughcriminal justice is where jobs are.

There are small increases in minorities in thesociology pipeline, but they appear to get stuck onthe way to the top. MFP helps.

The Future of Sociology: Minorities, Programs, and JobsSlide 2


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Individual andInstitutional

Aspects



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Sociology Degrees Awarded by Degree Level,1966 2010*

(number of degrees )

Source: Nat ional Center for Educ at ion Sta t is t ics . 2012. The Higher Educat ion General Inform ation Survey(HEGIS) and th e Integrated Postsecon dary Edu cat ion Data System (IPEDS). Washingto n, DC: Department ofEducat ion . Retr ieved: Febru ary 15, 2012 ( h t tps : / /webcaspar.nsf .gov ).

* Data for PhDs earned b etween 2008 and 2010 are taken from the Nat ional Science Foun dat ion 's Su rvey ofDoctoral Recipients (h t ts : / /webcaspar.nsf .gov ) .lide 4

15,203

22,062

30,848

35,915

31,858

27,992

23,073

19,181

14,347

12,16513,085

15,993

19,644

24,15825,296

28,556 29,000

9811,816 2,236 1,451 1,157 986 1,213

1,675 1,774 2,031 1,453

244 534 586 738 592 527 510 446 549 531 535 598 573 6380

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10

Bachelors

Masters

Doctorates*
https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/https://webcaspar.nsf.gov/


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Top Five Reasons For Majoring in Sociology,by Type of School 2005)

(Percent Responding Very Important; Weighted)

Source: Bachelors and B eyond Surv ey, 2005

Slide 5


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6

Relationship Between Type of Program andMasters Programs Likelihood of Closing, 2011

Source: ASA Su rvey of Graduate Program Directors , 2011Slide 7


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Recommendation for Improving GraduateSchool Curricula by Non-Academic Sociologists

(Percentage of Respon dents)

Source : Beyond the Ivo ry Tower : Su rvey fo r the Fo rd Fou nda t ion o f Non -Academic PhDs in Soc io logy, 2005lide 9


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Significant Differences in the Reasons ForMajoring in Sociology by Race and Ethnicity 2005)

(Percent Responding Very Important; Weighted)

Source: Bachelors and B eyond Surv ey, 2005Slide 6


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Sociology Degrees Awarded byRace/Ethnicity, 1995 - 2009

Percentage of Bachelors Degrees Awarded

Source: U.S. Department of Edu cat ion, Nat ional Center for Educat ion Sta t is t ics (NCES), In tegrated

Postseco ndary Educat ion Data System (IPEDS) Comp let ions ,1966-2009 (Washing ton, DC: NCES, 2010) . Retr ievedf r o m https: / /webcaspar.nsf .gov (Novem ber 4, 2010).Slide 11

4.3% 5.0% 5.2% 5.2% 5.9% 6.7% 6.8%

14.0%15.6% 16.0% 16.5% 15.6% 16.2% 16.5%

6.8% 7.7%9.0% 9.0% 9.8% 10.1%

11.8%

70.4%67.3%

64.5%62.5% 61.7%

59.4%57.0%

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Asian or Pacific Islander

Black, Non-Hispanic

Hispanic

White, Non-Hispanic


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11Source: U.S. Departmen t of Edu cat ion, Nat ional Center fo r Educat ion Sta t is t ics (NCES), In tegrated

Postseco ndary Educat ion Data System (IPEDS) Complet ion s ,1966-2009 (Washington , DC: NCES, 2010). Retr ievedf r o m https: / /webcaspar.nsf .gov (Novem ber 4, 2010).

Sociology Degrees Awarded byRace/Ethnicity, 1995 - 2009Percentage of Masters Degrees Awarded

Slide 12

4.1% 3.9% 3.2% 4.4% 5.2% 4.5% 4.3% 4.2%

12.8%14.1%

16.9%14.6% 14.8%

12.7% 12.6%

4.7% 3.9%5.4% 7.2%

6.8% 8.0% 6.7%8.8%

65.1% 64.5%61.6% 60.4% 59.2%

57.5% 58.2%55.9%

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Asian or Pacific Islander

Black, Non-Hispanic

Hispanic

White, Non-Hispanic


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What Do We Do?Sociologists in the Work Force



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Assistant and Open Rank Faculty PositionsAdvertised Through the American

Sociological Association, 2008 2011*

Source: ASA Job Bank Sur vey, 2008 - 2011

* Exc ludes fo re ign pos i t ions and depa r tmen t s .Slide 8

499

378324

258

427338

503

405

Total Positions Advertised Total Advertising Departments

2008

2009

2010

2011


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More Sociology Bachelors Recipientsare in the Labor Market:

Future Plans as Reported in 2005 versus 2007

Slide 15Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Bachelors in Sociology? A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave II, 2007


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Occupation Example %

Social Services, Counselors, Psychologists Oversee AIDS outreach team 26.5

Administrative Support Scheduler for a state representative 15.8

Management Handle employment and labor relations 14.4

Marketing Planning and developing marketing strategies 10.1

Services Crime scene technician 8.3

Teachers, librariansProvide reference, research, and databasesearching

8.1

Social Science, Researchers Research climate change policies 5.7

Other professionals Website design 6.8

Other N/A 4.4

Types of Occupations of SociologyBachelors Degree Recipients (2007)

Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Bachelors in Sociology? A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave II, 2007 Slide 16


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What Do They Study in Graduate School?( in percents)

Professional Degree Fields 34.8

Social work/human services 18.3

Law, pre-law, or legal studies 8.4

Health professional and related sciences 8.1

Sociology 13.0

Other Degree Fields 24.6

Education 6.4

Psychology 5.0

Business 3.1

Criminology 2.7

Library Science 1.9

Political Science 1.6

Visual and performing arts 1.6

Languages, linguistics, literature, and letters 1.5

Area and Ethnic Studies 0.4

Urban and religious services 0.4

Other/Joint Programs 27.6

TOTAL 100.0

Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a BachelorsDegree in Socio logy? Wave IIIlide 17


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Types of Job Activities Differ BetweenTerminal Masters Graduates and Current

Students

( in percents)

Primary work act iv i t iesTerminalMastersGraduate

CurrentTerminalMastersStudent

Total

Accounting and finance 3.5 2.7 3.2

Applied or basic research 30.4 12.8 20.2Computer programming 4.1 7.2 5.3

Employee relations 4.7 0.0 2.8

Managing or supervising 3.5 12.6 7.1

Professional services 6.4 12.6 8.9

Sales and marketing 10.5 9.0 9.9

Teaching 15.8 14.4 15.2

Working with diverse groups 9.4 5.4 7.8

Other 11.7 16.2 13.5

TOTAL 100.0 100.0 100.0

(N) 171 111 282

Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Masters in Sociology? Wave III. lide 18


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Job Satisfaction



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Sociology Bachelors Degree RecipientsPathways to Job Satisfaction

Race

EducatedParents Type of

School

Skills

Resume

Interview

Closenessto

Sociology

Job

Satisfaction

On-the-JobActivities

Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Bachelors in Sociology? A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave II, 2007 Slide 23


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Factors Related to Job Satisfaction forMasters Graduates

Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Masters in Sociology? Wave III.

* Based on a regress ion mo del . Black text indicates var iables in the mod el that are not s ignif icant a t the 0 .05level.

Slide 24


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PhD Job and Family Satisfaction, 2006

(in percents)

Source: ASA Research and Development Department, PhD+10: A Follow-Up Sur veyon Career and Family Transi t ions Out of the Academi c Sector , 2007.Slide 25


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IntellectualActivities



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Total ASA Membership byRace/Ethnicity in 2001 and 2010*

( in percents)

Racial and Ethnic Categories 2001 2010

African American 4.9 6.0

Asian or Pacific Islander 5.1 5.4

Hispanic 3.4 4.3

White 68.3 64.0

Did Not Report Race/Ethnicity 15.1 17.2

TOTAL 100.0 100.0

(N) 12,365 13,708

Source: ASA Membership Database

*Excludes Native American and Other categories.Slide 28


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African Americans inthe Sociology Pipeline



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The Survival of African Americans in theSociology Career Pipeline

(es t imated num ber of s tudents / facul ty)

3,900

2,480

1,150

270

403020

Enrolled in graduate school

Enrolled in graduate sociology programs

Awarded Sociology M.A.s

Awarded sociology PhDs

Become assistant professors

Become full professors

In the sociology baccalaureatepool

Slide 31 Source: ASA Department of Research and Development, Race and Ethnicity in the Sociology Pipeline , 2007


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Points to Remember

The majority of undergraduate majors do not go on tograduate school in sociology. We must do a better job of counseling them, because they are the breadand butter of the discipline.

The market is improving for new PhDs, but sociology

would have a lower unemployment rate if they weretrained non-academic jobs.

It looks as if cultural studies is the intellectual futureof the discipline replacing family and theory, althoughcriminal justice is where jobs are.

There are small increases in minorities in thesociology pipeline, but they appear to get stuck onthe way to the top. MFP helps.



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Visit the ASA Research Department on the web.

http://www.asanet.org/research/index.cfm

Slid 34
http://www.asanet.org/research/index.cfmhttp://www.asanet.org/research/index.cfmhttp://www.asanet.org/research/index.cfm

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