Letter from our Department Head

Welcome to UIC Sociology!

We are a diverse department that cares deeply about putting academic research to work in the service of community needs (called public sociology). We study inequalities, institutions, and identities in the Chicago region and beyond. Our research strategies range from analyzing “big data,” to conducting interviews, to studying historical documents, and everything in between.

Undergraduate students experience a vibrant community in the Sociology Department.  We offer classes on urgent social justice issues, extensive research and internship opportunities, mentoring and support from faculty and graduate students, exciting activities through the Sociology Club, a capstone class that includes an internship with a local community partner, and robust support for success in the major and beyond. Our alumni are thriving in a wide range of careers, including community organizing, social work, public health, education and business.

Our PhD program provides rigorous training in sociological theory, research methods, and critical pedagogy.  Our students focus their studies in six broad areas: race, ethnicity and migration; gender and sexualities; organizations and the economy; politics, globalization, and social change; urban and spatial inequality; and health, science and knowledge.  A PhD from UIC Sociology prepares students for careers in research, teaching, industry, and much more.

UIC faculty have earned a global reputation for politically-impactful, community-engaged public sociology.  Our groundbreaking research has been supported by prestigious grants, recognized with major national awards, and honored by multiple Distinguished Professor and Researcher of the Year Awards from UIC.  Our faculty have been celebrated with distinguished mentoring and teaching awards.

We welcome you to join our diverse, dynamic community committed to using research, teaching, and learning to build a more just and equitable world.

• Claire Decoteau, Interim Head and Professor of Sociology

UIC SOCIOLOGY: Ranked as one of the top 50 Sociology Departments in the World.

 -Shanghai Global Ranking of Departments, 2020