Explore UAB

Female student wearing a green shirt with Blaze on it, sitting under tree with a laptop.

Welcome to the Department of Sociology!

The Department of Sociology features faculty who are either teaching specialists or leaders in research in a research-intensive environment. For example, Dr. Baker co-directs the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) Core in the Heersink School of Medicine, Dr. Miller is the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual and Gender Health at UAB, and Dr. Warner is co-Editor-in-Chief of the demography journal Population Research and Policy Review. Additionally, our faculty have affiliations with a number of centers around UAB, including the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education (COERE), the UAB Center for Study of Community Health, and the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), and have received funding from multiple agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Our alumni are in a range of fields and positions, including academic and government researchers, faculty members, and leaders within non-profits, community positions, and industry careers.

Please explore our website — learn more about our programs, our students, and our faculty. If you have any questions or would like more information about how we can help you accomplish your goals, please contact us!

Undergraduate

We offer a BA in Sociology (with a concentration in social psychology) and a BS in Medical Sociology. The department also has minor programs in Sociology, Social Psychology, and Medical Sociology. Our undergraduates can participate in the honors program and be selected for Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the national honorary sociology society. Our Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program allows exceptional students to take courses toward the completion of an undergraduate degree and master’s degree. 

Graduate

We offer a PhD in Medical Sociology, the only PhD program in sociology in the state of Alabama. We also have an MA in Sociology (online) that focuses on applying sociology to help real world problems and includes a community project. Our students can take advantage of opportunities to be teaching assistants or research assistants on faculty projects, grants, or in various research centers on campus.