Courses for your Sociology degree

First-year courses

As an Arts student, you’ll choose your major at the end of first year. You’re encouraged to explore a second major in first year to discover potential new interests.

In your Arts First courses, instead of going to a lecture hall, you and your classmates will work together to respond to an intriguing challenge. With only 25 students in each of the two first-year courses, you might address topics such as The Science of Happiness, Are We Erasing History?, Games and Culture, and Writing About Poems and Songs.

You can choose to study Sociology through Honours Arts or Honours Arts and Business.

Honours Arts

September to December

SOC 101 – Introduction to Sociology
Arts First requirement 1
Prospective major #2
Two electives

January to April

Choose one or two courses from
- SOC 222 – Juvenile Delinquency
- SOC 263 – Organized Crime
- SOC 270 – International Migration
Arts First requirement 2
Prospective major #2
One or two electives

This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability.

Honours Arts and Business

September to December

ARBUS 101 – Introduction to Business in North America
ECON 101 – Introduction to Microeconomics
Arts First Requirement 1
SOC 101 – Introduction to Sociology
Prospective major #2

January to April

ARBUS 102 – Accounting Information for Managers
ARBUS 202 – Professional and Business Ethics
Arts First Requirement 2
Prospective major #2

Plus one course from

SOC 222 – Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 263 – Organized Crime
SOC 270 – International Migration

This is a sample schedule. Courses or when a course is offered may change depending on availability.

After first year

40% of the classes you’ll take will be Sociology courses. You can then choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas at Waterloo, such as law, psychology, and social sciences.

Sample upper-year courses

SOC 207 – Sociology of Education
SOC 223 – Deviance: Perspectives and Processes
SOC 418 – Social Theory and Popular Culture
SOC 451 – Global Development

Advisors are here to help

With so much flexibility, you might have a lot of questions. We're here to help! If you're applying for admission, contact our Faculty of Arts recruitment team.

Once you're a Waterloo student, you'll have access to academic advisors who can help you