Accreditation of Sociology Programs: A Bridge to a Broader Audience

The reported original research is a replication of an article published in 2001. Sociologists who work primarily in applied and in academic settings are asked to rank skills that are conventionally taught in graduate sociology programs. Comparisons are made between the rankings of skills by those sociologists working primarily in applied settings to the rankings of those working in academic settings. The analysis of data looks at which skills are ranked most and least important and skills used most and least often. Suggestions are offered on how graduate sociology programs promoting an applied focus can teach skills viewed as important by those practicing sociology outside the academy.Keywords discipline, education, applied, graduate training, sociological practitioners "What can I do with a sociology degree?" (Hawdon and Mobley 2001:1) "What jobs am I qualified to fill?" "Do employers even know what sociology is?" These are common questions asked by sociology majors, often just weeks before they graduate and enter the "real world." The question "what can you do with a sociology degree?" is one that sociology majors commonly field from family and friends. Even graduate students in sociology wonder whether the degree they are seeking will land them employment. In this article, we focus on whether there is a difference in sociological skills perceived as important by those working inside and outside academic settings.The lead author directs a graduate sociology program that emphasizes applied sociology and has been accredited by The Commission on the Accreditation of Programs in Applied and Clinical Sociology (CAPACS) since 2004. The second author graduated from that program.First, what are the types of jobs graduates with a master's degree in sociology with an applied focus fill?Graduates of our program have entered a wide range of occupations, including nonprofit organization administration, child services investigation, clinical casework, human resources, and doctoral study. As part of our accreditation by CAPACS, we contact our alumni and ask them how well their education prepared them for the real world.One of our graduates comments on how education has impacted his job performance. Kenny, executive director of a children's home, plays a pivotal role in the management and supervision of the facility. Kenny stated that statistics and family studies courses have been extremely useful (1) in his work and impacted progress in his career. He frequently uses research skills that he learned in graduate school and conducts program evaluation on a regular basis. In his remarks, he noted the value of research, statistics, and family studies courses, which are taught with an applied focus in our graduate program. We require our students to complete two courses in sociological practice, logging 240 hours of practical experience, to provide an opportunity to practice sociology with supervision both in the field and on campus.Kenny's preparation for his career raises the question of whether students in graduate so...

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Skills Are Important? A Replication

Ballard

Daniel

2015

“…In particular, clinical sociologists engage in “rights-based” interventions that improve the social life of individuals and collectivities (Fritz 2008). In short, certification and accreditation “become the bridge between academia and the broader labor market” (Perlstadt 1998:204).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building a Community of Sociological Practice: Certifying Practitioners and Accrediting Programs

Lehnerer

Perlstadt

2017

Self Cite

Unlike psychology and economics, the discipline of sociology in the United States has not encouraged the training and practice of sociologists outside academia and scientific research enterprises. Certification and program accreditation attempt to return the discipline of sociology to its practice-oriented origins and build a professional community of practitioners. Individual practitioners may be certified as more than adequately trained and experienced, while teaching programs may be accredited as having the faculty, facilities, and curriculum necessary for a well-rounded education. This essay traces the growth of certification of sociologists by the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology and the accreditation of training programs by the Commission on the Accreditation of Programs in Applied and Clinical Sociology in the United States.

“…Across the world, and increasingly in the United States, sociologists pursue employment and career opportunities outside academia in interdisciplinary fields that are regulated by the State, including but not limited to behavioral health care, social service administration, criminal justice, forensic counseling, and public policy research (Fleischer 1997, 1998, 1999; cf. Fritz 2012; Perlstadt 1998). Since the mid-1980s, State legislatures in the United States have enacted laws sponsored by professional and occupational associations to regulate the entry of psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, and others into these interdisciplinary fields, and restrict the entry of unregulated professionals, including sociologists.…”

Section: Accreditationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, in the United States, sociologists completed higher education and training programs accredited by psychologists, social workers, and others, and often joined their ranks to meet state-sanctioned definitions of “title and practice,” “educational qualifications,” and “examination requirements” to find suitable work as qualified applied and clinical scientists and interventionists (Fleischer 1998; cf. Perlstadt 1998). By the mid-1990s, over two-thirds of North American sociology graduates at all degree levels were entering the nonacademic workplace and professional marketplace.…”

Section: Accreditation In the Social And Behavioral Sciences And Creamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Entry on “Accreditation” for Dictionnaire de sociologie clinique

Fleischer

Winston

2018

This reprint presents a brief history and overview of the Commission on the Accreditation of Programs in Applied and Clinical Sociology (CAPACS), specifically in the context of global higher education accreditation; the increasing demand to accredit disciplinary and professional programs in the social and behavioral sciences as a process of external quality review; and the oversight of higher education accreditation commissions. Particular attention focuses on the creation of CAPACS in 1995 (originally known as the Commission on Applied and Clinical Sociology or CACS), as a joint initiative of the Society for Applied Sociology (SAS) and the Sociological Practice Association (SPA), which merged in 2006, to form the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology (AACS); CAPACS accreditation standards; and the benefits of CAPACS Program accreditation in the discipline of Sociology and the profession of sociological practice. Reprint of “Accréditation,” in Vandevelde-Rougale Agnés & Pascal Fugier (eds.), Dictionnaire de sociologie clinique, Toulouse, ERES, to be published in 2018.