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In the George Washington University Department of Sociology, students become part of a community of scholars who analyze the social world through coursework and research. Both undergraduate and graduate degree programs explore sociology’s many applications to the world around us, with options including sociological theory, criminal justice and our in-house Human Services and Social Justice Program. Our seminar-style courses are small and intensive, which allows students and faculty to get to know each other well and work together to develop skills in social scientific research.

At this moment of profound social change amidst wide-ranging challenges to social justice, the need is great for sociological and criminological research focused on the problems of our time. The Department of Sociology equips students with the practical, critical and theoretical tools needed to make real contributions in careers as researchers, professors, child care workers, nonprofit leaders, criminal investigators, rehabilitation counselors and much more.

Surrounded by the rich social laboratory of Washington, D.C., sociology students enjoy professional opportunities at institutions like the Department of Justice, the Supreme Court, the White House and a variety of social justice nonprofits. 
 

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MA Sociology and MA Criminology Info Session: September 16

Join us online for an information session discussing the field of sociology and the GW Master of Arts in Sociology and Master of Arts in Criminology programs.

Register to Attend

Departmental Focus Areas

Social Inequality

Gender

Race

Immigration

Criminal Justice

Urban Sociology

Human Services
& Social Justice

Faculty by Research Area

News from Sociology

Alumna Jonquel Jones Wins WNBA All-Star Game MVP

July 28, 2026

Alumna Jonquel Jones, B.A. ’19 (criminal justice), HON '25, earned the WNBA All-Star Game MVP, registering 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

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