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Sociology

Alumni Survey

The following are highlights of the results for the BYU Alumni Questionnaire for the 2013 cohort as of 2016.

Courtesy of the BYU Institutional Assessment and Analysis Unit

Demographics:

  • Of the respondents, 30% are single/never married and 70% are married.
  • 57% have no children, 37% have one to two children, 3% have three to four children, and 3% have five to six.

BYU and Sociology experience:

  • 55% rated their overall BYU experience as excellent, 42% as good, and 3% as fair.
  • 97% agree that their quality of life has improved because of their BYU education.
  • If respondents had to redo their college experience, 43% either probably or definitely would major in Sociology again, 27% remain uncertain, and 30% either probably or definitely would not major in Sociology again.

Upon graduation:

  • 25% finished a Bachelor’s degree and did not plan for further schooling, 38% finished a Bachelor’s degree and planned on attending graduate school, 22% finished a Bachelor’s degree and were enrolled in graduate school, 9% finished a graduate degree and did not plan for any further education, and 6% finished a graduate degree and planned another.

Graduate school:

  • 100% state that their educational experiences at BYU prepared them effectively for graduate school.
  • 33% of Sociology graduate students reported finishing a graduate degree and their intent to pursue another.

First job:

  • 29% accepted their first job offer before graduation, 36% reported that it took less than one month to obtain their first full-time job, 29% stated it took between one and three months, and 7% said it took four to six months.
  • When asked what was the most instrumental resource for acquiring their job, 21% stated friends and relatives, 21% stated internet and newspaper advertisements, 14% stated internships, 14% stated networking, 7% said the BYU Sponsored Career Fair, 7% stated a faculty member, 7% stated other BYU resources, and 7% declared other.

Current job:

  • 16% are employed full time within the Sociology major, 31% are employed full time outside of the Sociology major, 3% are employed part time, 22% are homemakers/stay-at-home parents, 25% are full time students, and 3% are unemployed.
  • 100% state that their educational experiences at BYU helped them prepare for their current job either fairly or quite well.

2016-2017 BYU Senior Survey

Courtesy of the BYU Institutional Assessment and Analysis Unit

Demographics:

  • Of the respondents, 72% were female and 28% were male.
  • 58% are single/never married, 40% are married, and 2% are other.
  • 92% have no children and 8% have one child.

BYU and Sociology experience:

  • The top three reasons listed for choosing Sociology are as follows:

    • Genuine interest or passion for the subject (66%)
    • Good fit with skills and aptitude (40%)
    • Developing a greater capacity to do good for others (36%)
  • If respondents had to redo their college experience, 62% either probably or definitely would graduate with the same major, 16% remained uncertain, and 22% either probably or definitely would not graduate with the same major.
  • Concerning their overall educational experiences at BYU, 37% described it as excellent, 50% as good, 12% as fair, and 2% as poor.

Upon graduation:

  • 73% had accepted a full-time job offer and 91% of the job offers were located within the United States.

    • Of the job offers located within the United States, 67% are within the state of Utah.

  • The top three suggestions respondents had for BYU are as follows:

    • Encourage more diversity, tolerance, and openness on-campus (64%)
    • Improve advising regarding career selection and preparation (43%)
    • Improve advising regarding major selection and other academic issues (34%)

Graduate school:

  • 11% were accepted by two graduate schools, 44% were accepted into one graduate school, and 44% were not accepted into any schools.
  • 40% stated they would be entering into an academic degree program (arts, sciences, humanities) and 60% stated they would be entering a professional degree program (medical/pre-med, dental, law, engineering).

Anticipated Primary Occupation:

  • Within the first year after graduation, 34% anticipate being employed full-time within the Sociology field, 32% anticipate being employed full time outside of the Sociology field, 8% anticipate being homemakers/stay-at-home parents, 17% anticipate remaining a student (pursuing a graduate or professional degree), 6% anticipate working at another job (internship, self-employed), 2% don’t know, and 2% anticipate other.