Considering a Master’s Degree in Sociology?

In early 2009, the ASA’s Research Department invited more than 1,400 Master’s candidates to participate in a two-part longitudinal study designed to answer the question: What becomes of the Master’s graduate? Do they go on to obtain PhD’s? Will they immediately enter the labor market, and if so, in what types of jobs? how are these outcomes related to the sociological skills and concepts learned at this level, the planned learning experiences in which they participated, the social capital they developed, and the job placement programs that existed?

Initial analysis from the first phase of the study, What Can I Do with a Master’s in Sociology?, points to the importance of including career training and advising in sociology programs. Respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with program characteristics such as the quality of teaching, having the ability to see faculty outside of class, interacting with their fellow students, and having access to technology. They are significantly less satisfied with the quality of career counseling. Dissatisfaction with career counseling is especially frustrating for the 43 % of respondents who do not intend to pursue a PhD in sociology. The first research brief in this study, Paying Attention to the Master’s Degree in Sociology, discusses the experiences among master’s students and their different reasons for entering, and expectations of, a master’s program.

Click here to post a comment.

Note: do not include your name if you wish to remain anonymous.

New Study on the Academic Job Market

The new research brief, Down Market? Findings From the 2008 ASA Job Bank Study presents findings from an in-depth follow-up to our 2006 study on jobs  in academic sociology advertised through the ASA Job Bank, Too Many or Too Few PhDs? Employment Opportunities in Academic Sociology. Going a step further year, departments were surveyed to determine how many advertised positions were filled and how many were canceled or suspended. Our findings show that job seekers searching for assistant sociology professor positions in AY 2008/09 were faced with a difficult job market, though it wasn’t as bad as we expected.

Join the discussion! Post your comments.

Note: Do not provide your name if you wish for your comments to remain anonymous.

The Labor Market in Academic Sociology

Inside Higher Ed today reports on the preliminary findings from our latest job bank survey in the article Jobs Filled and Unfilled. As a more extensive follow-up to our 2008 study of the job market, we surveyed departments that advertised assistant and open rank positions for academic year 2009-2010 to determine how many jobs were filled, and how many were canceled or suspended. The final research brief will soon be available on our homepage.

ASA on Twitter

Check out the ASA on Twitter (maintained by our Press Department). Look for updates from the Annual Meeting in San Francisco, August 8 – 11.

Items in the News/Question of the Week

In the News:

In her July 2 Inside Higher Ed article Sociology Turns Up Assessment, Stephanie Lee discusses findings from our latest research brief, What’s Happening in Your Department with Assessment? and interviews ASA Research Director, Roberta Spalter-Roth.

---

Question of the week:

How has your department been affected by efforts at assessment of student outcomes? Click here to join the discussion.

*When responding, please note that comments are publicly visible. Do use your name in the comment fields if you wish to remain anonymous.

Using Assessment in Sociology Departments

New Department Survey Brief! Click here to download What’s Happening in Your Department With Assessment?

SUMMARY: The institutionalization of student outcomes assessment remains a contentious issue within the academy. In spite of disagreement among faculty members, department chairs, and higher education administrators as to its value for student learning, most faculty members agree that the demand for assessment is not going to disappear from the academic landscape at least in the foreseeable future. The third research brief based on the ASA’s Department Survey, outlines the context for the assessment of student learning in sociology from the perspective of various stakeholders, reports the types of assessment conducted by sociology departments, and the use of assessment for curricular change.

Click here to join the discussion.

***Published comments are publicly visible. Please do not include your full name if you wish to remain anonymous.

Discussing Findings from the Bachelors and Beyond Survey and Its Potential to Influence Sociology Curricula

Based on a workshop led by Roberta-Spalter Roth, Director of the ASA Research Department, and Mary Senter of Central Michigan University, this podcast discusses the implications of the Bachelors and Beyond survey, now in its 3^rd wave. This podcast presents findings from the survey and introduces ideas about how these data can influence curricular change.

Spalter-Roth discuss students’ motivations for majoring in sociology, the skills they learned, the kinds of jobs they entered after graduation, and the factors contributing to obtaining a job that used the skills and concepts learned as a sociology major. Senter emphasizes ways in which these data can inform sociology curriculum, providing examples of how faculty can better prepare students by calling attention to the skills students are learning throughout their undergraduate coursework, and by advising them towards courses and out-of-classroom activities that will prepare them for their future goals. These data may also be used as national benchmarks for assessment purposes.

Note: Each podcast will play in conjunction with a powerpoint presentation. The slides will advance automatically with the recording.

PODCAST I (14 min, 47 sec) – What Can I Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology? by Roberta Spalter-Roth, American Sociological Association

PODCAST II (9 min, 1 sec) – Curricular, Departmental and Pedagogical Implications by Mary Senter, Central Michigan University

[Click here] to share your ideas, comments or add any of your suggestions. ***Published comments are visible to all. Please do not use your name if you do not want it to appear in the comments section of the blog.

Sociology Faculty Salaries, AY 2008-2009

Now available to the public: Sociology Faculty Salaries, AY 2008-09

While inflation outpaced faculty salaries, sociology still fared better than other social sciences according to data from the 2009 National Faculty Salary Survey conducted by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (www.cupahr.org).

Download (PDF) and comment on the new research brief.

What Are They Doings With a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology?

We have added a new page to the ASA website on the Bachelor’s and Beyond Survey. Visit http://www.asanet.org/cs/root/leftnav/research_and_stats/bacc_survey to learn more about the longitudinal study of sociology BAs from the class of 2005, view findings, and download briefs and questionnaires.

Question of the Week: Preparing Idealists and Careerists for Careers

---

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #1

We would like to know how you do (or would) prepare Idealists and Careerists for future careers?  Click here to join the discussion.

---

In the Phase I of the Bachelor’s and Beyond survey, we asked seniors from the class of 2005 why they chose to major in sociology (multiple responses were permitted). 70% reported selecting sociology because they enjoyed their first course. 32% of were identified as Idealists and strongly felt that sociology would help prepare them to change society, or better understand the relationships between social forces and individuals. 18.8% were classified as Careerists who chose the major because they thought it would help prepare them for the job they wanted or for a graduate or professional degree.

Click on the figure to enlarge.

From Pathways to Job Satisfaction: What Happened to the Class of 2005.

Idealists and Careerists differ in what they expect from their sociology degree. Idealists want to be prepared to change society and better understand their lives. Careerists, on the other hand, want to be prepared for a job or further schooling.

Related reading: Idealists vs. Careerists: Graduate School Choices of Sociology Majors