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The Sociology Department offers an Undergraduate Traineeship in Social Research Analysis.  Its purpose is to master basic skills in gathering and analyzing data.  Students completing the letter can expect to obtain entry level jobs in environments where research is conducted.  The letter also provides a strong foundation for students wishing to pursue a Master’s Degree in fields like survey research, public health, program evaluation, market research, public policy and public administration.

Recipients need not be Sociology majors but formal application is made at the Sociology Undergraduate Office, Thompson 712.  In selecting courses, students should consult the Chief Undergraduate Adviser, Christin Glodek, by making an appointment at http://www.umass.edu/sociol/.

Students take three required courses, one approved elective course and 6 credits of graded internship.  To receive the letter, a cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required over the 18 credits.

Core Courses
Sociol 212 Statistics (an introductory statistics course in another department may be substituted for Sociol 212)

Sociol 213 Data Collection and Analysis

Sociol 314 Field Research Methods

Elective Course
To be certain of receiving credit, students must consult the Program Co-ordinator when choosing their elective.  Possibilities include advanced courses in research methods in the Sociology Department as well as in other departments.  Potentially acceptable choices include

Sociol 313 Survey Design and Analysis

Psych 241 Methods of Inquiry in Psychology

Honors 495K Research Gets Real: Principles and Practices of Community Engaged Research

Legal 450 Legal Research and Writing

Marketing 412 Marketing Research

Poli Sci 394RI Political Polling and Survey Research 

Res-Econ 313 Quantitative Methods in Applied Economics

Geo-Sci 352 Computer Mapping

PubHlth 324 Epidemiology in Public Health

Comm 355 Behavioral Research in Communication

Internship
To be certain of receiving credit, students’ internships must be approved by the Chief Undergraduate Adviser, Christin Glodek, cglodek@soc.umass.edu.  In ordinary circumstances, students will enroll in two three-credit internships spread across two consecutive semesters, under the same sponsor.  The Program Co-ordinator can help students locate sponsors.  Possible sponsors include faculty members in the Sociology Department, faculty and professional staff registered with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (1001 DuBois Library), or agencies registered with the Field Experience Office (Goodell 511).   Internships appear as Sociol 398 on students' records.