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Research Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) facilitates participation by BU undergraduates in faculty-mentored research. UROP can provide financial support to Sociology undergraduates for summer research fellowships, academic year stipends, research supplies, and travel for research or to professional meetings.

The UROP research experience generally involves mentoring of a student project by a faculty member working in his or her area of expertise. Students conduct research either on individual research projects or as part of a larger team.  This provides an excellent opportunity to experience sociological research first-hand.

Independent Work For Distinction In Sociology

Students who pursue a special course of independent work in sociology during their senior year may graduate with distinction in the concentration.

Students who qualify begin by discussing the independent project with their advisors before the end of the junior year.  Applications are filed by May 15 to begin in the fall, November 15 to begin in the spring.  During the senior year, the student works independently on a project under the supervision of a faculty advisor, culminating in the presentation of a thesis to a committee of the faculty, along with a public oral examination.

Recent theses have included

‘Interconnection After Displacement: Sociological Study of the Tibetan Community in Boston’

'Feminist Theory on Eating Disorders as Applied to African-American and Asian-American Women'

'Practices and Impact of Multinationals: The Case of Mexico'

'Combating Child Abuse'

'Drug Regulation in the United States During the 20th Century: An Examination of Moral Panics, Moral Entrepreneurship, and Punitive Legislation'

To qualify to undertake a Work for Distinction, students must have at least a 3.00 GPA overall and a 3.30 in Sociology, as well as the ability to work independently and the intellectual maturity and self-discipline necessary to complete the project.

Work for Distinction counts as two 4-credit classes, and successful completion with a grade of B+ or better enables the student to be recommended to graduate with distinction in the major or minor concentration.  In order to graduate summa cum laude students must successfully complete Work for Distinction.