Occupation · SOC 19-3041
Sociologists
Study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. May study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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Annual openings
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per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
705 mapped
Core skills
Active ListeningSpeakingWritingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive LearningLearning StrategiesSocial Perceptiveness
Knowledge areas
Sociology and AnthropologyEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingMathematicsHistory and Archeology
Technology & tools
Document management softwareWeb page creation and editing softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareCustomer relationship management CRM software
Representative tasks
Analyze and interpret data to increase the understanding of human social behavior.Prepare publications and reports containing research findings.Collect data about the attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in groups, using observation, interviews, and review of documents.Develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews.Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging.Teach sociology.Present research findings at professional meetings.Explain sociological research to the general public.Develop problem intervention procedures, using techniques such as interviews, consultations, role playing, and participant observation of group interactions.Consult with and advise individuals such as administrators, social workers, and legislators regarding social issues and policies, as well as the implications of research findings.Direct work of statistical clerks, statisticians, and others who compile and evaluate research data.Collaborate with research workers in other disciplines.Write grants to obtain funding for research projects.Develop approaches to the solution of groups' problems, based on research findings in sociology and related disciplines.Observe group interactions and role affiliations to collect data, identify problems, evaluate progress, and determine the need for additional change.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Sociological data — collect through structured observation and document review under faculty or senior researcher supervision in an academic or applied research setting.Survey instruments and interview protocols — administer to study participants following established procedures within a supervised research project.Quantitative and qualitative datasets — organize and prepare for analysis using analytical software under the guidance of a principal investigator.Research literature — review and synthesize to identify relevant theories and prior findings in preparation for an assigned study.Descriptive statistics and basic coding schemes — apply to summarize data patterns within a structured sociological research context.Draft sections of research reports — write clearly and accurately under direction, adhering to disciplinary conventions and publication standards.Sociological concepts such as group relations, inequality, and social norms — explain to undergraduate students or community stakeholders with faculty oversight.Geographic information system and word processing software — use to organize, map, and present preliminary research data in a university or think-tank environment.IRB and ethical research protocols — follow consistently when collecting data involving human subjects in social science research contexts.Conference presentations of research findings — prepare supporting materials and assist senior researchers in delivering results at professional meetings.
developing
Social behavior datasets — analyze and interpret independently to draw evidence-based conclusions about group dynamics, poverty, or aging within an applied research role.Questionnaire and interview study designs — develop and implement with limited oversight, selecting appropriate methods for the research question at hand.Mixed-methods research projects — conduct with reduced supervision, adapting data collection strategies when field conditions deviate from the original plan.Journal articles and technical reports — prepare and revise to publication-ready standard, incorporating peer and editorial feedback in a research organization or university context.Sociological theory and empirical findings — teach in undergraduate courses, designing lesson plans and assessments that meet departmental learning objectives.Inferential statistical models and thematic coding — apply routinely to test hypotheses about societal issues such as crime trends or intergroup conflict.Research findings — present at professional conferences, fielding questions from disciplinary peers and synthesizing implications for ongoing scholarly debate.Stakeholder interviews and focus groups — facilitate with emerging autonomy to gather attitudinal and behavioral data in community-based or policy research environments.Analytical software platforms — use proficiently to manage, clean, and model large social science datasets produced by longitudinal or cross-sectional studies.Sociological research methods and findings — explain accessibly to general public audiences through media engagement, policy briefs, or community forums.
proficient
Complex sociological research programs — design, implement, and evaluate end-to-end, spanning theory development through dissemination in academic or policy research institutions.Multi-method data collection strategies — develop and validate across diverse populations, ensuring rigor and cultural responsiveness in national or cross-national study contexts.Non-routine analytical challenges — resolve autonomously by selecting and combining advanced quantitative and qualitative techniques to illuminate nuanced social phenomena.Peer-reviewed publications and high-impact reports — produce independently, contributing original theoretical and empirical insights to scholarly and policy conversations.Graduate-level sociology courses and seminars — teach with full curricular autonomy, mentoring students in research design, data analysis, and professional writing.Societal issues such as structural inequality, crime, and demographic change — investigate through original theoretically grounded research that advances disciplinary knowledge.Cross-disciplinary research teams — coordinate as lead investigator, integrating perspectives from psychology, law, economics, and related fields to address complex social questions.External funding proposals — develop and submit to competitive grant agencies, articulating research significance and methodological soundness to review panels.Systems-level analyses of social institutions — conduct by evaluating organizational structures, policies, and cultural norms using a combination of historical and contemporary data.Public and policy audiences — engage proactively to translate sociological evidence into actionable recommendations on issues such as poverty alleviation or aging policy.
advanced
Institutional research agendas — set and champion at the departmental or organizational level, aligning sociological inquiry with societal needs and funding landscapes.Emerging methodological innovations — introduce and diffuse across research communities, establishing new standards for data collection, analysis, or theory building in the discipline.Doctoral students and early-career researchers — mentor systematically, shaping their intellectual development, professional identities, and long-term career trajectories.National or international research collaborations — lead as principal investigator or consortium director, managing multi-site teams and sustaining complex long-term study programs.Disciplinary theory — advance through synthesis of empirical programs, producing foundational scholarship that reframes understanding of crime, stratification, or group relations.Academic and policy institutions — advise at senior levels, leveraging sociological expertise to inform legislation, organizational reform, or resource allocation decisions.Peer review and editorial processes — guide as journal editor or grant panel chair, shaping the quality and direction of knowledge production across the sociological field.Organizational culture and intellectual climate — cultivate within a department or research center, modeling integrity, curiosity, and tolerance for ambiguity as core scholarly values.Cross-sector partnerships with government, NGOs, and industry — establish and steward to translate sociological research into scalable social interventions and evidence-based programs.Public discourse on pressing societal issues — shape through authoritative expert commentary, policy testimony, and high-visibility communication that bridges scholarship and civic life.
Also known as
65 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
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