Sociology
Sociology (B.A.)
Would you like to understand society and analyze the world around you? Are you interested in social phenomena such as power, gender relations or globalization? Then the degree program in sociology is just right for you! Sociology deals with the complex social structures and developments of our modern societies.
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 6
- Start of degree program
- Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 250-600
- Subject group
- Economic and Social Sciences, Law
- Special ways to study
- 1-subject Bachelor, 2-subject Bachelor, Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- No Admissions Restrictions
- Keywords
- Society, Sociology
What is the degree program about?
Are school grades objective assessments? Which patterns emerge when we are looking for a partner? How is digitalization changing communication and the world of work? Why are our social background, gender or migrant background still important factors for our position in society? How do social movements such as Fridays for Future come about? How are social relationships within families changing? How does valid knowledge originate? What is the significance of greeting someone?
These problems and others of a similar nature are examined during this degree program using a variety of methods and theories from the field of sociology. As a scientific discipline, sociology is faced with a special challenge: It is itself part of what it observes.
In societies that have radically changed in appearance during the last 200 years, knowledge of sociology helps us to identify what has actually changed, what has stayed the same and where new “make up” has simply been applied. Sociology observes which social forms, patterns and strategies develop in order to mediate between the constant social expectations placed on agents and their goals. In doing so, it differentiates between the following levels of society: social interactions (micro level), institutional or organizational embedding of these interactions (meso level) and the structures of society as a whole, even extending to global structures (macro level).
Sociology degree programs provide in-depth specialist academic training. The focus of these degree programs is on the analysis of the social realities of modern societies in historical and international comparisons. This also includes the critical reflection of the conditions and opportunities for action in society.
The tools for this include current theoretical approaches from the area of sociology (including the history of their development) and the typical quantitative and qualitative methods of social research. On this basis, our degree programs offer a wide range of choices for students in the specialist areas of labor and organization, education and biography, culture and communication and comparative social analysis. This allows our students to select their own individual specializations.
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Sociology is offered as a single-subject Bachelor’s degree program comprising 140 ECTS credits including the Bachelor’s thesis (10 ECTS credits), 10 ECTS credits from another subject, and 30 ECTS credits for modules that teach additional professional skills.
5 ECTS credits from this are for the module “Academic English”. 10 ECTS credits are awarded for a compulsory internship in a professional field (2 month full-time internship) The remaining 15 ECTS credits are freely selectable, whereby students are advised to select modules from those offered by the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology that provide professional qualifications and thus help students shape their own professional profiles.
Sociology can be studied as a modular two-subject Bachelor’s degree program in combination with another subject from the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology.
If sociology is chosen as the first subject, 80 ECTS credits and the Bachelor’s thesis are taken in Sociology. 20 ECTS credits must be taken as key qualifications and 10 of these ECTS credits must be taken as an internship lasting two months in a professional field. If sociology is taken as the second subject, 70 ECTS credits must be taken in sociology. Compared with sociology taken as a first subject, students do not select any internal electives when taking sociology as a second subject.
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Our Bachelor’s degree programs in sociology offer a wide range of choices for students in the specialist areas of labor and organization, education and biography, culture and communication and comparative social analysis. In addition, we also regularly offer modules in theory and methods, allowing students to select their own specializations.
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If you intend to study a for a degree in sociology, you ought to be prepared to read a lot and deal with demanding texts, which may require significant effort to read and discuss.
For lectures in methods of empirical social research you are required to have knowledge of statistics. A good understanding of mathematics is therefore beneficial. It is true that most of the calculations are done by computers, but an understanding of the procedures is required when interpreting results.
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Sociologists work in education, in human resources departments in companies, in market research, in consulting companies, in the media sector, in cultural organizations, in public service, in politics or in universities and research. Our alumni are sought-after specialists in these fields of the knowledge-intensive job market.
The research-oriented approach enables graduates of the Master’s degree program to carry out empirical research in accordance with academic standards or to adapt research results and make them usable for practical purposes – a qualification that is required and expected far beyond the area of university research into social sciences in an increasing number of extramural areas of work.
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Here are two further pieces of information to avoid common misunderstanding:
Sociology is about social research, social theory and the analysis of social relationships. This distinguishes it from other approaches such as social work or social education.
Sociological topics are analytical or theoretical in nature. They are not primarily application-oriented or practical, but rather convey academic knowledge and the corresponding skills.
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Possible combinations without overlaps
- Archaeological Sciences
- Book Studies
- Business and Economics
- Chinese Studies
- Cultural History of Christianity
- Education
- English and American Studies
- German studies
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- Indo-European and Indo-Iranian Studies
- Islamic Religious Studies
- Italian Studies
- Japanese Studies
- Latin Philology
- Oriental Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Scandinavian Studies (BA)
- Theater and Media Studies
With these subject combinations, there are generally no overlaps in the timetable.
Possible overlaps in the timetable
- Art History
- Computational Linguistics
- Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
- French Studies
- Geography: Cultural Geography as a two subject Bachelor's degree program
- Greek Philology
- Medieval Latin and Neo-Latin
If you combine these subjects, individual courses may overlap in your timetable. For this reason, you can only combine the following subjects with your chosen subject after a consultation. Students are responsible for ensuring that the combination can be studied and that the deadlines set out in Section 11 of the ABMStPOPhil are met. When enrolling, proof of a corresponding consultation with the Central Student Advisory Service or the Student Service Center (Faculty of Humanities, Social Studies, and Theology) must be submitted.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- No Admissions Restrictions
- Application deadline winter semester
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30.09.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 (written 2 / oral 1) or equivalent
- General language skills
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Nachweis ausreichender Kenntnisse in mindestens 2 Fremdsprachen (darunter Englisch) bis zum Ende des 4. Semesters
- Details and notes
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The application deadline for the winter semester for international applicants is July 15th.
In addition to the general qualification for university entrance (Abitur), there are other access options for studying at FAU.
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.