Even if you already know that you should look at the reputation of an online school and its accreditation before enrolling, you may also want to know what other qualities make for a good online sociology program. Sociology programs let you learn about how economic factors affect different people and why people act in certain ways. Though a sociology degree can prepare you for working in the criminal justice field or as a social worker, you need to know what qualities to look for to choose the best program.
Related Resource:
Best Top 10 Online Sociology Degree Programs
Overall Curriculum
One of the first things you need to look at is the overall curriculum of the program. It should include general education requirements like courses in math, life sciences and English. Many schools will actually ask you to complete these courses during your first two years. During this time, you will additionally take introductory sociology courses before enrolling in advanced sociology classes. You’ll also want to take a look at some of the classes you can take later. A good program will include a broad overview of sociology courses like social networks, sociology of religion, race and ethnicity and sociology research.
Professors
Would you enroll in a college that let teaching assistants and those with just a bachelor’s degree and little experience teach higher level classes? Unless you do your research, you may enroll in a sociology program with professors like this leading your classes. Look on the college’s website to learn more about the teachers running the program and their years of experience in the field. You want to take classes from people with master’s and doctoral degrees who conducted field research and performed experiments out in the field.
Design of the Site
Some of the qualities of a good online sociology program that you might not think about include the look and design of the university’s website. A reputable college will give you the chance to log into its online system and see how it runs and operates before your first class. Pay special attention to the amount of time it takes for each page to load. If it takes a few minutes to navigate through the site, doing homework might take more time than you expect. Look at how you can interact with the professor and other students too. Good online programs offer internal email options as well as a class discussion board.
General Statistics
U.S. News & World Report recommends that students look at the statistics of an online college before enrolling. Make sure that you research the number of students who default on their loans. Students often default on their loans because they have a hard time finding a job, which may indicate that the program doesn’t properly train students for work in their fields. You’ll also want to look at job placement and graduation rates. The graduation rate tells you how many students actually completed the program, while the placement rate tells you how many students found work in their respective fields.
Studying sociology can help you learn more about human behavior and society as a whole, which lets you more effectively help those in need. When you look at the qualities of a good online sociology program like its overall statistics and professors, you can pick one of the best programs.
