Georgia State Online is pleased to announce a new Bachelor’s in Sociology Completion Program, which will allow students who have accumulated two years of credits toward a sociology bachelor’s degree to complete the final two years online.
Deirdre Oakley, director of the program, taught courses through the COVID-19 pandemic and noticed that student preference has changed when it comes to the method of teaching. She’s pleased the program will allow students to find the best fit for their schedules, whether they are currently enrolled or taking a break.
“There are students at GSU that want to take a combination of online classes and face-to-face courses,” Oakley said. “There are a few who maybe left school earlier and, with their job and families, really can’t afford to take time off of work to take face-to-face courses and finish a degree. I’m excited about this program because it will give both of these types of students an option.”
Students will complete 30 hours of courses within the major and 18 hours of courses appropriate to the major. Every class needed to earn a bachelor’s degree will be available online, giving flexibility to the busy student or working professional. Applications are being accepted for the fall, summer and spring semesters.
The online program will explore the study of society, including identities, cultures and institutions, along with the power dynamics that animate societal structures and social interactions. Georgia State Online offers Gerontology, Health & Life Course, Gender & Sexuality and Race & Urban Studies as areas of specialty.
Georgia State Online is committed to giving students real-world experiences while completing their degrees, and this program is no exception. The program will bring in professionals who work in and write about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to work with its podcast, giving students résumé opportunities and a solid background to those entering DEI fields.
The program will be “by and large” asynchronous, allowing students to complete assigned work at their own pace, Oakley said. She is working with Georgia State’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Online Education (CETLOE) to give students interactive tools and technologies and more interaction with other students and instructors.
Past decisions to create online courses have given the program a solid foundation.
“There is a wide variety of courses that are already offered online in sociology,” Oakley said. “That’s kind of the interesting thing about this program – we started five years ago creating online versions of both elective and required courses.”
The new program will be available for all students, not just ones that have completed two years of credits, Oakley said. With a new program, she and other faculty members want to give opportunities to all students.
‘We don’t really know yet who exactly is going to be the demographic or demographics for this program,” she said. “Anybody can take it. A new student could decide to be a BA online student.”
“We’re coming out of the pandemic where people were forced to take classes online, so I’m excited to see who shows up.”