The Program

Demographers study the types of human population processes that play a key role in the fields of education, international development, environmental impact analysis, marketing, urban planning, healthcare, public safety, government, actuarial science, and academia. (Find specifics on the career application of population studies.) Using empirical, evidence-based data, demographers shape government policy and contribute ideas to the betterment of society. The Department of Sociology’s Certificate in Population Studies prepares undergraduate students for careers requiring demographic skills or for entering graduate programs in related areas.

In just the last few years our world has experienced a number of major demographic milestones. The global population reached its 7 billionth mark, triple the size of what it was just a century ago. For the first time in human history, more people are now living in cities than in rural areas. And, although the HIV/AIDs epidemic remains a significant mortality threat, it reached its peak and has begun to decline. Almost half of the global population living in every region of the world now has below-replacement fertility. Thus, the world’s growth rate is slowing and very soon the elderly will outnumber young children in the world. The 2013 United Nations Human Development Report showed that health, education, and income gains have accelerated over recent years for many developing countries. Nevertheless, global poverty and disease remain pressing issues and environmental concerns stemming from rising global consumption continue to mount. Skills that can understand these complex human processes are needed now more than ever.

Please note that the Population Studies certificate is not offered through UWW Sociology Online.

Contact: Sociology Advising Office
Office: 1008 Thompson Hall
Phone: (413) 545-4059
Website: https://www.umass.edu/sociology/undergraduate/current/certificates/population-studies
Email: advising@soc.umass.edu

Requirements

Students must take 18 credits:

1. Soc 261 Population Studies (or SOC 232 at Smith College)
2. One (1) of the following substantive courses:

   Soc 222 The Family
   Soc 223 Work and Society
   Soc 244 Sociology of Immigration
   Soc 252 S-Intro to Human Rights
   Soc 287 Sexuality and Society
   Soc 316 Environment and Society
   Soc 353 Sociology of Medicine
   Soc 360 Urban Sociology
   Soc 361 Demography Of Minority Groups
   Soc 385 Gender & the Family
   Soc 388 Gender & Globalization
   Soc 389 Sexuality by the Numbers

3. Soc 212 Statistics

   A statistics course in another department or college, such as Psych 240, PUBHLTH 391B, ResourceEcon 212, etc. may be substituted.

4. One (1) of the following methods courses:

   Soc 213 Data Collection & Analysis
   Soc 313 Survey Design and Analysis
   Comm 355 Behavioral Research in Communication
   Geo-Sci 352 Computer Mapping
   PoliSci 328 Research Methods for Political and Social Sciences
   Psych 241 Methods of Inquiry in Psychology
   PubHlth 224 Epidemiology in Public Health
   Res-Econ 313 Quantitative Methods in Applied Economics

   Methods courses from the surrounding four colleges may be substituted with prior approval from the Sociology Director of Undergraduate Advising.

5. Two (2) elective courses:

   Global Development
   Comm 297A Intro Global Communication
   Econ 366 Economic Development
   Econ 367 Post Independence African Development
   Econ 397D Latin American Economic Development
   Geograph 102 Diversity, Globalization, and Sustainability
   Geograph 360 Economic Geography
   Geograph 364 Geography of Development
   Geograph 450 Indigenous Peoples and Conservation
   PoliSci 290P Power, Privilege, and Inequality on a Global Scale
   Res-econ 263 Natural Resource Economics
   Res-econ 397E Special Topics - Economic Development

   Urbanization
   Educ 357 Intro to Urban Education
   Geograph 370 Urban Geography
   Geo-Sci 372 Urban Issues
   PoliSci 214 Urban Government and Politics

   Immigration
   Anthro 218 Anthropology of Transnational Migration
   BLST 294 / EUST 294 Black Europe (at Amherst College)
   Econ 335 Economics of Immigration
   His 297E Immigration and Migration in the US 1877-Present
   His 297U History of Refugees, Borders, and Migration
   Labor 204 Labor & The Global Economy

   Global Environment
   Anth 208 Human Ecology
   Econ 308 Political Economy of the Environment
   Envirsci 213 Introduction to Environmental Policy
   Envirsci 214 Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Global Change
   Geo-Sci 250 Natural Disasters
   Geo-Sci 364 Geography Of Development
   PoliSci 382 Environmental Policy
   PoliSci 397S Special Topics: Environment and Sustainability
   REGIONPL 587 People and the Environment
   ResEcon 262 Environmental Economics

   Health
   Anthro 233 Kinship and Social Organization
   Anthro 273 People and Pathogens: An Introduction to Disease Ecology
   Comm 319 - Health Communication
   Econ 340 Economics of Health
   PubHealth 200 Introduction to Public Health
   PubHealth 203 Intro to Environmental Health Sciences
   PubHealth 224 Epidemiology in Public Health
   PubHlth 301 Principles of Community Health Education
   PubHlth 323 Public Health Communications
   PubHlth 390E Understanding Health Disparities
   PubHealth 397A ST- Intro to Global Health
   WGSS 205 Feminist Health Politics

   There are many additional courses available as part of the Five College consortium that may count for this certificate - other courses (UMass and Five College) may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Undergraduate Advising.