Department of Sociology and Criminology Scholarships

College students gravitate to the study of sociology as it asks big questions such as:

• Why do jobs vanish from one area and appear somewhere else?
• What social influences enable prejudice?
• What alternatives to the nuclear family exist, and how prevalent are they?
• How has an increased number of elderly people impacted life in the U. S.?
• Is this still a country where hardworking people can get ahead? How are intimate relationships around the world different?
• Why does a person join a social movement and advocate for social change?

Specifically, our Sociology students are drawn to our degrees because of their interest in Social Inequality & Change, Community Development work in consideration of the Environment, Work with Families or on issues of gender or sexuality. 

Our Criminology students aspire toward occupations within the Criminal Justice System as:

• Victim advocates
• Law enforcement officers
• Officers of the courts or corrections
• Service providers to at-risk juveniles or interventions for community members who struggle with addiction

In fact, both Sociology and Criminology students plan to work with governmental agencies, nonprofit administrations, and private organizations.  Finally, while our Diversity and Community Studies majors are most oriented toward advocacy and social change, many of those who major in our programs engage in discussions of the benefit of reforming systems to better realize justice and equality.  

As this is what we do, perhaps it is no surprise that approximately 40% of students in our programs are first generation college students and 25% are Under Represented Minorities.  In the current context of higher education, our department recognizes the broad need of financial support for students, especially those whose future work represents first responders, agents of justice, and essential community and social service providers. 

Currently, we seek community support for scholarship development in the following areas:

• Priority given to Criminology, Sociology, or Diversity and Community Studies majors
• Preference to Under Represented Minority students and/or First Generation Students.
• Specific preference given to URM students who engage in community partnerships with Criminal Justice agencies or Local Government Officials in the area of advocacy and social change.
• Specific preference given to students who are interning or have successfully completed an internship experience.
• Specific preference given to students to support global learning.