What is the differents in a sociology degree and social work degree?
I have a choice between two universities. One University has a sociology program and the other one has a sociology and human services program. I know people major in sociology who wants to go into social work. I am just wondering If a company chooses one over the other one. I am thinking the person with a Human Service degree would get a job before the person with the degree in sociology because it’s more about social work/human services job. Sociology is a broader field. I need advice please.
Hey, I’m working on my social work degree. It’s different in the fact that with the social work what you are getting a BSW and you can basically use it anywhere in the human services arena. With a BSW you usually don’t have to declare a minor either, which is really good because you end up doing a TON of volunteering and internships with places like domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters if there are any in the area, etc. If you go for sociology then you get the general stuff and have to deal with declaring a minor as well. Having a a bachelors in sociology isn’t going to guarantee you a job in a social work setting. It’s all up to what you want to do. The BSW virtually guarantees you a better job, but I’m warning you social work is a thankless field. Good luck!
Sociology is the study of large groups of people — like doing research with primates, or geographics for marketing, or jury selections.
Social Work is helping individuals with mental health and daily living issues.
Very different fields. Social Work is much more diverse, jobs are many. But you must do internship and more than likely clinical supervision, depending on where you live.
Sociology work would be research oriented or big business oriented, but frankly, I cannot think of too many jobs in sociology. Maybe someone else can.
Although sociology and social work are related fields, they differ in that the objective of the sociology program is to provide students with skills necessary to understand problems inherent in societal relationships and subsequently attempt to solve them. The objective of social work is to prepare students for careers in social and human services.
In other words, sociology is an academic discipline focuses on preparing students for inquiry into and research of various social issues, and social work is a professional activity that seeks to intervene in “the relationships between people and their environment in order to improve the quality of life for individuals, families, communities, or organizations”
You would be much better off going to a university with a BA in social work if you want to be a social worker. The BSW is the most respected BA degree in the human services because it is accredited and has a good internship. A degree in sociology will give you a good understanding of social problems. A degree in human services at a BA level is uncommon (usually seen more at an AA level). You might really want to look at another university. DA
Although you have many good answers here, I have found that it really depends what you want to do after you get the degree. I got a degree in Sociology. I have found that when looking for jobs I am qualified for the same jobs as those with Social Work degrees. They all fall under the broader category of social services or human services. However one main difference I noted was what classes you take. Social Work teaches, for example, classes about the welfare system. Although you may talk about the welfare system in a Sociology course, it is more about how the welfare system affects society as a whole rather than how the welfare system works exactly. In this case you may be more of a shoe in for a job with the state dealing with welfare applicants. You’d have a better knowledge of it specifically.
They are both great, fascinating fields. Maybe try going to careerbuilder.com and enter each as a search term. Then read the job descriptions and decide which best suits you. But really it’s probably more about the person than about what Bachelor’s degree they hold. Especially when they’re so related. They will pick the person they like best, the person that has the best background, skills, and qualities. Just do well in your classes no matter what you choose to give yourself the best future.