Department of Sociology

Sociology is an empirically oriented social science that studies social phenomena in their historical and synchronous dimensions. The aim of the Curriculum is to theoretically equip students in the fields of sociology, as well as to enable them to use the empirical methods of sociological research. Studies in Sociology are geared towards the development of autonomous and methodologically reflective sociological thinking for the scientific analysis of social problems, while great emphasis is placed on developing students’ ability to reflect on the effects of their activity on social reality. The studies also aim at theoretically and methodologically based education to acquire knowledge about social structure, social interaction and social institutions.

The content of the studies in the Department of Sociology is structured in a way so as to ensure a general sociological knowledge, as well as more specialized knowledge in individual subjects of sociology and other related social sciences. This ensures that the Undergraduate Programme is pluralistic in nature and covers the main sub-branches of Sociology. 

The scientific figure, the targeting and the broader academic orientation of the curriculum of the Department of Sociology monitors the strategic planning of the University of Crete, as defined at the time of the establishment of the University and is updated regularly. An integral part of the strategic planning of the University of Crete is the constant qualitative upgrading of undergraduate studies and the promotion of their distinct identity versus others in the country. The implementation of the education programs of the University of Crete is characterized by: (a) a continuous content renewal of the courses content according to developments in research, (b) modernized teaching methods, (c) learning optimal utilization of Information and Communication Technologies. The Department of Sociology supports the special character of the University of Crete and its comparative advantage in the provision of high quality studies.

Career prospects

The main aim of the Undergraduate Program is to train scientists with critical sociological knowledge, with qualifications that make them competitive in the domestic and international academic and working environment, and ensure broad employment prospects for them in various professional fields directly or indirectly related to the subject of their studies. The New Curriculum (2018-19) was designed and revised based on this central educational orientation of the Undergraduate Program. 

The main advantage of graduates of the Department of Sociology when entering the job market lies in their scientific training that provides them with the appropriate tools (knowledge and skills) in order to approach modern social problems with theoretical competence and to formulate research projects for their scientifically documented imprinting and treatment. Graduate sociologists are equipped with specific knowledge that allows them to study changes in social structure, in a comparative dimension, and to interpret the perceptions and practices adopted by different social groups and categories of individuals. In this sense, the graduates of the Department are the most suitable scientists for the formulation of research programs concerning modern social problems and for drawing conclusions about the required policies aimed at addressing them. For this reason, our Curriculum gives special emphasis to courses concerning the knowledge and use of qualitative and quantitative methods of sociological research, aiming to equip our students with all the necessary knowledge for the organization of research projects and data processing, using the most modern computational means and tools. 

Graduates of the Department of Sociology may be employed as teachers in Secondary Education, Local Government Organizations, the wider public and private sectors, in subjects relating, among others, to research, planning and applications of social inclusion and anti-discrimination policies, local, regional and national development programmes, community interventions in crisis situations, analysis of social problems and the implementation of related programmes, human resources management and the operation of formal or informal organizations and networks. In addition, graduates of the Department of Sociology are able to take up jobs related to the scientific organization and operation of various social institutions and services.