Department of Sociology



Our students are prepared to be leaders in today’s complex and changing world. They develop the knowledge and analytical skills they will need for successful careers and informed citizenship.

Our classes are purposely small; most have no more than 40 students. You’ll learn from some of the top professors in the field — professors who will know you by name. Student organizations will give you a chance to get to know your peers and be actively involved in co-curricular activities.

You can have internship opportunities in private industry or with social services agencies, nonprofit organizations and the criminal justice system. There are also ample undergraduate research opportunities, with students working together with faculty on original research projects.

Enroll in the sociology program at NIU and you’ll learn to master critical thinking, oral and written communication, as well as sociological data collection and analysis.

Let us help you develop your sociological imagination!

Sociology Statement on Inequality

Times of crisis make inequalities painfully visible. Over the last year, we have seen the ravages of COVID-19 on communities of color, high-visibility deaths of black Americans at the hands of police, a rise in white supremacist ideology and activities, increased attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, and the continued demonization of immigrants in the United States. The January 2021 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol was a stark reminder of the unequal policing practices that have been the source of pain, suffering and mobilization throughout communities of color for scores of decades.

The Department of Sociology is committed to continuing to shine a light, through our scholarship and teaching, on inequality. We will continue to support our BIPOC and LGBTQ student populations in our major, minor and certificate programs, as well as work to increase the diversity amongst the faculty and staff in our department.

We know all too well that institutions and organizations are racialized and incredibly slow to change. One of our founding fathers of sociology, W.E.B. DuBois, wrote that the color line was the problem of the 20th century, and the events of the past year serve as pertinent reminders that inequalities continue to be the problems of the 21st century. We will be allies to students and colleagues looking to understand and change these inequalities both on our campus and beyond.

Contact Us

Department of Sociology
Zulauf Hall 815
815-753-0365
askSociology@niu.edu