Undergraduate Options
Rural Sociology offers a rural sociology minor and participates in the general agriculture major, environmental studies certificate and the minor in youth services.
Rural Sociology Minor
Rural sociology offers a minor of 15 credit hours, which allows students to gain a broad knowledge base from which to develop insights and understanding of the social world.
Please contact the department's undergraduate adviser chair, Mary Grigsby, if you would like additional information or wish to plan your coursework for earning a minor.
To officially declare a minor, you must complete the CAFNR Designated Minor Form (PDF).
Emphasis Areas
The minor in rural sociology offers three emphasis areas:
The agriculture, food and environment emphasis prepares students for work in nongovernmental, private and governmental organizations at the local, state, national and international levels where knowledge of environmental, agricultural and food systems is desired.
The rural studies emphasis prepares pre-medical and pre-veterinary students, and others who are planning to work in rural communities with an understanding of the culture, economies, and issues found in rural America, and prepares them to live, work and make a contribution to community life in a rural community.
The sociology-community studies emphasis equips students with knowledge of community-change processes and program-evaluation skills for work in policy organizations.
Area of Concentration in General Agriculture Major
The general agriculture major offers students in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) the flexibility of developing a program of study that covers a wide range of areas. Students select a primary concentration area from programs offered throughout the college. Secondary concentration areas broaden students' horizons, enabling them to be proficient in many different areas.
The general agriculture program's flexibility allows students transferring from other colleges and universities to complete the educational requirements and acquire their degrees efficiently. Students may design their program so rural sociology is their primary area of study or may designate rural sociology as a secondary area of expertise they wish to develop.
Interdisciplinary Certificate in Environmental Studies
The environmental studies certificate complements a given major with 18 hours of interdisciplinary coursework focused on environmental topics. The certificate is available to all majors at MU, but because of the variety of majors offered and the certificate's goal of creating a complementary educational experience, students are required to select courses for the certificate in consultation with the Office of Environmental Studies.
Courses with environmental content are not necessarily approved for a particular student's certificate program. Advising by Environmental Studies will complement, but not replace, advising in the student's degree program.
Minor in Youth Services
The minor in youth services focuses on understanding how young people in the American Society develop.
Bachelor of Arts in International Studies
The Bachelor of Arts special-degree program in international studies is a multidisciplinary program offered through the College of Arts and Science in cooperation with CAFNR and the College of Business and Public Administration. The degree offers a broad course of liberal-arts studies with a strong intercultural and international focus.
Designed to accommodate pre-professional interests and to provide a sound foundation for more advanced study at the graduate level, the degree might be especially attractive for students planning to pursue careers in college teaching, international business, trade, diplomacy, international law, agribusiness, agricultural development, technical assistance, humanitarian relief or similar fields.
A number of the program options in international studies include rural sociology courses, among them the environmental studies emphasis area (PDF) and the peace studies emphasis area (PDF).
