Welcome to the Department of Sociology's website. Whether you are one of our undergraduate majors looking for information on advising or a potential graduate student investigating the Master of Public Policy program, this site should offer answers to many of your questions.
We have been offering sociology at Oregon State University since 1912. Currently, the department has 12 full-time faculty members, close to 200 undergraduate majors and minors, and 40 graduate students participating in the Master of Public Policy and the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies programs. We offer a wide variety of courses that are organized broadly in the following areas: deviance and social control, environmental and natural resources, international development, social interaction and group relations, social systems and social change, and social policy.
Our Master of Public Policy program is now in its fifth year, with recent graduates holding positions such as public administration analyst, economic analyst, environmental consultant, and Congressional Black Caucus Fellow. This degree program is housed jointly in the departments of Sociology, Political Science, and Economics. The MPP prepares our students for careers in the public, non-profit, and international sectors and offers training for "in-service" students (already employed) desiring professional growth and advancement.
Our department has undergone a dramatic change in the past several years with many retirements and many new hires, including, most recently, Roger Hammer. His work in rural sociology, demography, migration, and housing supports our department's investment in the university's efforts to understand and assist rural communities (Sustainable Rural Communities Initiative). Information on all of our faculty can be found on our Faculty and Staff page, and you can see highlights of faculty research on our Research page.
Again, thanks for visiting our department site. If you want any additional information, feel free to contact us at mcross@oregonstate.edu.
Sally K. Gallagher
Professor and Chair