Crisis of discipline: The decline of sociology as an undergraduate major in the U.S., 2003-2022

• In Event: 21020 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 6: Higher Education Outcomes

Abstract

Given that claims that sociology is in “crisis” have been made at least since Gouldner’s renowned 1970 monograph, it is understandably difficult to take a new claim of this sort seriously. However, if the robustness of an academic discipline is indicated by the interest taken in it by current undergraduates, sociology is in trouble. After a rebound in the 1990s, sociology completions increased more slowly than overall bachelor’s degrees from 2004-2012. Since 2012, they have fallen 20% in absolute terms, despite rising overall completions through 2021. Given that most sociology PhDs primarily teach undergraduates, this downward trend portends poorly for future hiring, and therefore eventually even for elite doctoral programs. I investigate this matter using IPEDS data. First, I flesh out this decline descriptively, documenting among which student groups and which sorts of colleges this decline is concentrated. Second, I examine correlates of changes in sociology completions across colleges, assessing evidence for several hypotheses. Finally, I place the decline in sociology enrollments within a broader analysis of changes in the empirical undergraduate curriculum through a latent class growth analysis of a set of undergraduate fields over the 2003-2022 period. Findings can inform efforts to revitalize our discipline to renew its relevance to contemporary undergraduates.

Author

• David B. Monaghan, Shippensburg University