Sociology Vs. Social Work: What Bachelor’s Degree Is Better for You?

What is Sociology

Sociology is one of the most popular courses in the field of social sciences which focuses on the study of the structure, developments, and functioning of human society.

In doing so, it involves the study of community or societal issues also known as social problems or challenges.

In order words, sociology can also be better explained as the study of society as a whole, with patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture of the day-to-day interactions of people.

While studying human society as a social science discipline, it also takes careful consideration of their interactions and the processes that preserve and change society as a whole.

What is Social Work

Social work is basically a profession that is concerned and deals with helping and supporting people of various gender, groups, and community who have different challenges and problems.

It could also be studied academically as a course in the social sciences department of an institution. Social workers can act as counselors, mediators, clinical Heath workers, and also in the hospital to care for special people as they work with individuals, special groups of people, and communities as well.

Their work span over a variety of things and they are always in demand but in general, they support people either as a community or individually to overcome their social problems and to live comfortably in their environments.

Key Difference Between a Degree in Sociology and a Degree in Social Work

• Sociology can be said to be the theory aspect of social science which specializes in the study of social behaviors and interactions of different people, gender, groups, and or societies. Sociologists carry out research and then analyze them within different social concepts such as class, gender, and various patterns of human behavior.
• Sociology pursues different research opportunities that examine the social behavior, challenges, and issues of different people or groups in society.
• Social work deals with the physical work of sociology as it helps to connect individuals or communities of special people with the resources they need to solve their problems. Social workers empower different people who need help such as the vulnerable, oppressed, abused children, the aged, and impoverished persons to cope with issues that affect their overall daily life and also proffer solutions to them.
• Social workers work and focus on creating physical problem-solving techniques to conquer various social issues affecting people in their immediate environments.

Top 10 Universities to Gain a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology

1. University of Cambridge
2. London School of Economics and Political Science
3. University of Chicago
4. Harvard University
5. University of Oxford
6. Stanford University
7. Yale University
8. Princeton University
9. University of California–Berkeley
10. University of California–Los Angeles

Top 10 Universities to Gain a Bachelor’s Degree in Social work

1. New York University
2. Fordham University
3. University of Wisconsin
4. University of Washington
5. Syracuse University
6. Rutgers University
7. University of Georgia
8.  University of Chicago
9. Michigan State University
10.  Columbia University

What Jobs Can One Get With a Bachelor’s Degree In Sociology?

1. Lawyer:

Lawyers also study sociology in their career paths because they deal with humans and how to defend them in court. Before one can be a practicing lawyer or judge, one will have to understand the human mind and how to interact with them and so sociology becomes very important in this field.

2. Counseling and therapy:

Sociologists can also work as counselors either in schools, hospitals, or private practice. Counselors study the human mind and on how to relate with people of different needs thereby creating how to solve individual problems.

3. Education:

Sociologists can also be in the educational sector to impart knowledge to people of different grades. They can work in universities, colleges, and various institutes of learning.

4. Community work:

Some community workers are also sociologists because they deal with people and help to solve their social problems. They also help to render services to the aged, children, and other underprivileged persons in society.

5. Public service:

Sociologists can work in public offices of service such as the police, soldiers, and other enforcement officers. They can also work in various parts of the states where justice needs to be served in different situations.

What Jobs Can One Get With a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work

#1. Clinical social workers:

They help individuals who have mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders and are hospitalized. They help to assess the individuals’ mental health, diagnose mental disorders, develop treatment plans, and assist in taking care of these disorders. Clinical social workers work mainly in mental hospitals, community mental health centers, private practices, etc.

#2. Child welfare social work:

These workers help to care for and manage children who suffer from child abuse or neglect. These child welfare social workers investigate to determine if a child can remain in the home where he or she is been abused or to take the child to a safer place either temporarily or permanently. A child welfare social worker may also get involved in child adoptions and follow up with the aftermaths of the adoption processes.

#3. Medical or Public Health Social Worker:

Works in facilities such as hospitals, wellness centers, emergency rooms, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, home care agencies, assisted-living facilities, and hospices. These health social workers help to ensure the patients are cared for properly and they liaise with medical personnel.

#4. Education:

Some professional social workers go to teach the profession in colleges and universities, and most social workers work in clinics, schools, hospitals, and government agencies, as well as private practices and different organizations. Direct-service social workers work with individuals to help with life challenges, access community, and public resources, and cope with life challenges such as adopting a child, a medical diagnosis, addiction, or disability.

Clinical social workers focus on developing individual, group, or family counseling in order to improve their clients’ mental and emotional health and develop individual or family coping strategies for such challenges.

#5. Public service:

Some social workers work in public services to render help to those who need them like the aged, prisoners, the abused, drug addicts, and so on. These social workers help these groups of people to find their lives back and help them to live normal and healthy lives. They help them to also embrace society and to find love and happiness in their former lives.

Sociology Vs. Social Work Which Degree is Best

Sociology degrees are focused generally on understanding human life and it’s interaction with the environment, looking at distinctive groups and cultures. In other words, Sociology is known as the theoretical aspect you will need to study and eventually apply as a social worker.

While Social Work deals with discovering and understanding new methods that can influence human behavior and interactions and help people overcome their problems.

In other words, sociology and social work degrees are both important and unique careers in their own various ways because they work intermittently with each other for the good of people and to make lives comfortable for people to live in their society. They both deal with human reasoning and as such as considered both important. Sociology and social work degrees can also be used in exchange for each other.

How Does Sociology Relate to Social Work

Sociology is mainly the study of how humans interact with each other and how their environment works. Sociology is also a form of studying human behavior patterns in relation to their environment and society.

Sociologists study the human society and social behavior through research of groups, cultures, and also institutions. They engage in detailed research projects, often using statistical and other methods from the social sciences including interviews, surveys and observations in the field.

Social Work is helping a portion or groups of marginalized people in a society and working to help them. Social Workers use sociology and psychology and other social sciences to understand and to solve problems.

It deals with similar issues to sociology, they are either direct-service workers who provide immediate help to people with solving their daily personal and social problems, or clinical social workers, who could function as psychologists. They help their clients cope with mental and behavioral issues.

Can I Become a Social Worker With a Sociology Degree?

Sociology and social work are similar but the major difference is that social work deals with the physical aspect of dealing with human problems and proffering solutions to the betterment of people while sociology deals with the theory aspect of human lives and how they relate with their environments.

A sociology degree can be used to become a social worker because you have already learned the theory of how people relate in their environments it just to put these theories into practice as a social worker. Although, academically there are variations in the courses offered at the university one can still become a social worker with a sociology degree.

In conclusion, pursuing a career in sociology is a very rewarding career that helps human lives by researching and analyzing data obtained in society. These sociologists help to study human society and various social behavior through their research of both individuals, groups, and as well as cultures. They make use of statistical methods such as surveys.

While on the other hand, becoming a social worker requires good communication skills, commitment, creative thinking, and also a great ability to interact with people.

Sociology and social works are great career paths that are interrelated and both work to enhance the healthy living of human lives in relation to their environments. Social workers are always in great demand as they are needed in hospitals, health centers, homes for the old, etc.

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