Sociology at ISU began in 1880 when A.S. Welch taught one of the first courses in the United States with sociological content. Since the early days of the department we have been guided by a vision to create and disseminate knowledge that advances the well being of all people, especially the people of Iowa. To this end the Department seeks to: prepare students to lead fulfilling careers and lives through critical thinking and analysis of pressing issues; conduct exemplary basic and applied sociological and interdisciplinary scholarship; and communicate knowledge via high quality professional venues and through excellence in service, teaching and outreach.
We offer 44 undergraduate courses, leading to the B.A./B.S. in Sociology or a Criminal Justice Major or an interdisciplinary program in Agricultural and Rural Policy Studies. Currently the Department has over 400 undergraduate majors. The fifty plus graduate students in the program are working towards either a M.S. or Ph.D. in sociology or rural sociology. We work very hard to ensure that our graduate students receive teaching and research experiences to become leading sociologists in their workplace.