Findings From ASA Surveys of
Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD
Recipients: Implications for
Departments in a Jobless Recovery
Roberta Spalter-Roth
Director of Research
American Sociological Association
Overview


Purpose: Results from studies about sociologists’
participation in the non-academic job market.
List of surveys used

“What Can I Do with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Sociology?”


“What Can I do with a Master’s Degree in Sociology?”


3 year longitudinal survey starting in 2005
3 year longitudinal survey starting in 2006
“Beyond the Ivory Tower: Professionalism, Skills
Match in Sociology” (non-academic PhD survey)

One-time survey, 2006
Figure 1. Senior Majors' Overall Satisfaction with Outcomes of Sociology Programs by Type of School Attended: 2005
(Percent Very Satisfied; Weighted Data)
77.7
Overall Satisfaction with
Experiences
68.2
69.0
70.9
67.1
68.5
Access to necessary technology
82.4
Ease in seeing faculty outside of
class
64.2
63.4
75.7
Quality of teaching
62.6
60.9
70.9
Getting courses needed to
graduate
51.5
60.0
68.9
Interaction with fellow majors
58.7
52.8
55.4
Undergraduate advising
46.1
46.9
17.6
19.3
Career advising
Baccalaureate & Others
13.4
Masters
12.8
12.8
Graduate school advising
Doctoral
8.7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Bachelors in Sociology? A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology
Wave I, 2005.
Students are particularly satisfied with the quality of teaching, their ability to see faculty
outside of class, the availability of technology, the availability of courses they need to
graduate, and the interaction with fellow majors. Students at baccalaureate schools are
the most satisfied with these aspects of their major (about 80 percent).
Figure 2. Senior Majors' Participation in Broad Categories of Activities: 2005
(in percents)
68.5%
30.2%
On-the-Job
Training/Networking
Scholarly
Socialization
28.8%
Mentoring Activities
Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I do With a Bachelor's in Sociology? A
National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave I, 2 005 and Wave II , 2007.
Majors who intend to go into the workforce directly after graduation are most likely to
participate in activities outside the classroom that expose them to the workforce. Majors
who go on to graduate school participate in sociology clubs or are mentored by faculty
through working on research projects, as well as other scholarly activities.
Figure 3. Top Seven Skills Listed by Graduating Senior Majors on their Resumes by Type of School: 2005
(Percent Listing Skill on Their Resume; Weighted Data)
40.5
Use statistical software (SPSS,
SAS, STATA)
44.7
39.1
40.5
41.7
Write a report understandable
by non-sociologists
35.2
37.8
37.2
Interpret the results of data
gathering
33.0
35.1
37.4
33.6
Develop evidence-based
arguments
38.5
37.5
Use computer resources to
develop reference list
30.5
Baccalaurate & Others
25.7
Evaluate different research
methods
34.4
Masters
28.5
Doctoral
23.0
Identify ethical issues in
research
32.3
25.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Source: ASA, Research and Development Department, What Can I Do With a Bachelors in Sociology? A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave I,
2005.
The highest percentage of responding senior majors report that they will list their ability to use
statistical packages in the social sciences on their resumes (with 4 out of 10 strongly agreeing
that they will list this skill), yet, this is the same skill that these majors were least likely to
strongly agree that they learned. These results suggest a mismatch between vocational skills
used in job searches and the conceptual and methodological skills learned as part of the
sociology curriculum.
Figure 4. More Sociology Bachelor's Recipients are in the Labor Market
Plans for Future in 2005 versus Status in 2007
70%
60.3%
60%
50%
42.1%
40%
2005
26.9%
2007
22.0%
22.2%
30%
13.1%
20%
8.8%
4.7%
10%
0%
Job Only
Grad School Only
Both
Neither
Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I do With a Bachelor's in Sociology? A National Survey of
Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave I, 2005, and Wave II , 2007.
During their senior year, nearly a quarter of students planned on attending graduate
school after graduation, yet only 13.1% ended up doing so as of 2007. A large majority of
students reported working while not enrolled in a graduate program 2 years after
graduation.
Table 1. Types of Occupations of Sociology Bachelor's Degree
Recipients: 2007
Occupation
Example
%
Social Services, Counselors,
Psychologists
Oversee AIDS outreach team
26.5%
Administrative support
Scheduler for State Representative
15.8%
Management
Handle employment and labor
relations
14.4%
Marketing
Planning and developing marketing
strategies
10.1%
Services
Crime scene technician
8.3%
Teachers, Librarians
Provide reference, research, and
database searching
8.1%
Social Science, Researchers
Research climate change policies
5.7%
Others Professionals
Website design
6.8%
Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I do With a Bachelor's in Sociology? A
Other
4.4%
National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave II, 2007.
Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I do With a Bachelor's in Sociology? A
National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave II, 2007.
Two-years after graduation, about one-quarter of former majors employed full-time are in
social service and counseling occupations, most in non-profit organizations dealing with a
variety of social problems they explored as part of the major.
Figure 5. Sociology Bachelor's Degree Recipients' Pathways to Job Satisfaction
Skills
Resume
Educated
parents
Type of
School
Interview
Race
On-the-job
activities
Closeness to
Sociology
Job
Satisfaction
Source: ASA Research and Development Department, What Can I do With a Bachelor's in Sociology? A National Survey of Seniors Majoring in Sociology Wave
I, 2005 and Wave II , 2007.
Those who communicated their sociological skill set to potential employers in interviews
and/or on resumes were more likely to use them on the job, which led to increased
satisfaction in jobs that were closely related to sociology.
Table 2. Comparison of Characteristics of Master's Programs*
Departments Offering
a Professional,
Applied, or Clinical
Track
Departments Without
a Professional,
Applied, or Clinical
Track
Master's thesis required
56.6%
58.3%
Non-thesis option
70.4%
68.8%
Internship required
33.3%
4.1%
Has an external advisory
board
9.8%
2.0%
Faculty members have
non-academic professional
experience
33.3%
24.5%
Majority of candidates
received their BAs from the
same department
40.4%
20.4%
Offers online master's
courses
26.9%
2.0%
Master's Program
Characteristics
* Includes freestanding master’s programs only.
Source: ASA 2009 Survey of Graduate Directors
There are significant differences between applied and traditional master’s
programs. The greatest differences are that applied programs are significantly
more likely to offer an internship program and to offer on-line courses.
Figure 6. Satisfaction with Activities Varies by Future Degree Plans for Master's Students
(Percentage of Respondents Selecting "Very Satisfied")
50.0
Seeing faculty out of class
43.6
Ease of getting core courses
42.1
47.9
45.0
43.1
42.6
46.1
Interacting with fellow students
Availability of technology
Quality of teaching
33.7
Quality of advising
31.6
Overall satisfaction
31.4
28.3
38.7
36.8
14.2
12.2
Quality of career preparation*
Do not expect a PhD
Expect PhD
*statistically significant, chi square (p < 0.05)
Source: ASA Research Development Department, What Can I Do With a Master's Degree in Sociology? 2009
The study of master’s students show less overall satisfaction with their programs than
baccalaureate students (less than 13% compared to more than 2/3). Along with
baccalaureate students, master’s students are similarly not satisfied with career preparation.
Figure 7. Skills Used by Sociology Master's Recipients Most Often on the Job
(in percents)
71.0
Work with people
Organize
information
66.8
63.6
Computer skills
61.3
Write a report
56.2
Interpret findings
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Source: ASA Research Development Department, What Can I Do With a Master's Degree in Sociology? 2009
Even though 2/3 of jobs require technical skills including computer, organizational, and
report-writing skills, master’s graduates report that “people skills” are the most widely
used skills in their jobs.
Figure 8. What Do Working Sociology Master's Grads Wished They Had Learned?
(in percents)
57.6
Grant writing
32.3
Career counseling
29.0
Internships
18.9
Field specialization
Graphics packages
17.1
Stat packages
16.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Source: ASA Research Development Department, What Can I Do With a Master's Degree in Sociology? 2009
The majority of master’s graduates wished they had learned grant-writing skills.
70
Table 3. Where Are They? Master's Degree
Recipients: 2009
Working Full-Time Jobs
40%
Research Assistants, Associates, Directors
Program Coordination & Management
Case Work & Counseling
Attending Graduate School
60.0%
Source: ASA Research Development Department, What Can I Do With a
Master's Degree in Sociology? 2009
The majority of master’s graduates were attending graduate school during the 2009 short
follow-up survey. The 40% who were working in full time jobs clustered into 3 types of
occupations: Research, Program Coordination and Case Work/Counseling.
Figure 9. PhD Sociologists Working in Non-Academic Employment Sectors
(Percentage of Total Non-Educational Labor Force)
36%
33%
32%
28%
26%
18%
14%
13%
Private-For Profit
Private Not-for-Profit
NSF (1997-2003)
Government
Self-Employed & Other Sector
ASA Survey
Source: American Sociological Association, Research and Development Department, Beyond the Ivory Tower: A Survey of Non-Academic PhD's in Sociology
(Washington, DC: ASA, 2006); National Science Foundation, Science Resource Statistics, Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United
States (Arlington, VA: NSF, 1999-2006), retreived December 15, 2006 (http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/pubseri.cfm?seri_id=13#1993).
The largest group (36%) of PhD sociologists are in applied, research, and policy positions in
the private, not for profit sector and another 32% are working in the government sector.
Figure 10. Topical Area Characteristics of Non-Academic PhD Sociologists
(Percentage of Respondents)
30.0
Health
14.2
Education
Statistics
10.0
Demography and Migration
10.0
6.5
Law, Criminal Justice, Military/Homeland Security
Environment
5.2
Psychology
4.8
Social Policy, Human Rights, Public Affairs
4.8
Marketing
4.5
Other Topic Areas
2.9
Substance Abuse
2.9
Economics and Community Development
2.3
Life Course
1.9
Source: American Sociological Association, Research and Development Department, Beyond the Ivory Tower: A Survey of Non-Academic PhD's in
Sociology (Washington, DC: ASA, 2006).
Applied and public sociology PhD sociologists work on a wide variety of topics, with close
to 1/3 working on health issues.
Figure 11. Skills Match between Graduate Training and Current Job for PhD
Sociologists Working in Applied and Research Settings
(Percentage of Respondents)
W ELL M AT CHED JOB SK I LLS & GRADUAT E T RAI NI NG
Quantitative & Survey Research Tools
78.0
63.0
54.4
46.3
34.7
42.6
31.9
18.0
11.2
10.9
5.2
4.0
Research Design
Survey Methods
Undertrained
Statistical Analysis
Well Matched Job Skills and Training
PC Programming &
Stats Software
Overtrained
NOTE:
Under Trained: Im portant s kills for current job but les s than adequate training in graduate s chool.
Well Matched Job Skills and Training: Im portant for current job and adequate graduate training.
Over Trained: Les s im portant s kill for current job although adequate graduate training.
Source: Am erican Sociological As s ociation, Res earch and Developm ent Departm ent, Beyond The Ivory Tower: A
Survey for the Ford Foundation of Non-Academ ic PhD’s in Sociology: First Results (Was hington, DC: ASA, 2005, p.4).
Applied and public sociology PhD sociologists think that the best training they received
was in research design and statistical analysis.
Figure 12. Skills Match between Graduate Training and Current Job for PhD
Sociologists Working in Applied and Research Settings
(Percentage of Researchers Responding)
LESS W ELL M AT CHED JOB SK I LLS & GRADUAT E T RAI NI NG
Applied Research Administration & Communications
60.6
59.7
51.9
49.1
26.4
24.5
26.7
25.1
14.3
Policy Analysis
Under Trained
26.0
22.1
Visual Presentation
13.5
Grant Writing
Well Matched Job Skills and Training
Program Evaluation
Over Trained
NOTE:
Under Trained: Im portant s kills for current job but les s than adequate training in graduate s chool.
Well Matched Job Skills and Training: Im portant for current job and adequate graduate training.
Over Trained: Les s im portant s kill for current job although adequate graduate training.
Source: Am erican Sociological As s ociation, Res earch and Developm ent Departm ent, Beyond The Ivory Tower: A
Survey for the Ford Foundation of Non-Academ ic PhD’s in Sociology: First Results (Was hington, DC: ASA, 2005, p.4).
Applied and public sociology PhDs think that more training is needed in preparing visual
presentations, grant writing and program evaluation.
Figure 13. PhD Respondent Recommendations for Improving Graduate School Curriculum
(Percentage of Respondents)
18.3
Information about non-academic careers and reduce snobbery
Various methods of applied or evaluation research (biostatistics, experimental design,
advanced modeling, demographic methods, ethnography)
16.4
15.1
Mentoring and netw orking (outside of academy) Internships, w orking w ith clients
12.3
Communications: Writing for lay public, data presentation
9.6
Project and business management
Interdisciplinary courses and collaborations
7.3
Policy orientation (legislative process, policy analysis and development)
7.3
5.9
Grant w riting
Sectoral and topical issues (e.g., health, education, housing, transportation, global
trade)
4.1
Theoretical grounding
1.8
Organizational dynamics
1.8
Source: American Sociological Association, Research and Development Department, Beyond The Ivory Tower: A Survey for the Ford Foundation of NonAcademic PhD’s in Sociology: First Results (Washington, DC: ASA, 2005, p.4).
Applied and public PhD sociologists want more career information and less snobbery.
Suggestions for a
“Jobless Recovery”


Understand that a large majority of baccalaureate and
master’s graduates go into the paid labor market rather
than to graduate school. The majority of those who go on
to graduate school do not go on in sociology.
Departments need to learn how to guide students to focus
on careers that use their sociological skills without
becoming career counselors. ASA’s Launching Majors into
Satisfying Careers http://enoah.net/asa/asashoponlineservice/ProductDetails.aspx?pr
oductID=ASAOE630R10 has many suggestions, as does
information on the ASA career page.

Set up external advisory boards, internships, alumni
sessions, and other ways for students to network with nonacademics.
Suggestions (cont.)

Include grant-writing, graphics, and evaluation skills either in your
department or via on-line courses or other departments.

Ensure students learn research and computer skills and list these
on their resumes.

Emphasize health care as a subject area via courses on medical
sociology, internship programs, or pairing with a professional
program.

Show data presented here to careers departments so they have a
better idea of what sociologists do.

Emphasize how sociology teaches about race, class, gender and
working with diverse groups.

Encourage PhD students to think about non-academic careers.