Psychology vs Sociology: What’s the Difference between the Majors?
Psychology vs Sociology: What’s the Difference between the Majors?
Psychology vs Sociology: What’s the Difference between the Majors?
When you think of psychology and sociology, it’s easy to imagine that the focus is on, well, people and behavior. One major (sociology) takes more of a macro view, focused on societies and cultures. The other—psychology—takes a micro approach. “Psychology is looking at the individual person rather than society,” says Dinah Sher Gongora (CAS’24), who is majoring in psychology. “And then some more biology, neuroscience. Very STEM-heavy subjects.”
In the latest installment of our video series Compare Mode, which pairs two Terriers from similar majors and asks them to talk about what makes their respective programs unique, Gongora and her video cohost, sociology major Sofia Marin (CGS’22, CAS’24), talk about how their majors differ from each other, the kinds of courses each takes, the academic demands each program requires, and the internship possibilities available in each field.
The two students have a bit of familiarity with each other’s world. Gongora had originally planned to study sociology at BU, while Marin thought she’d major in psychology. Both switched gears as they dug further into their studies.
“I became more politically involved and realized that I was really interested in looking at how institutions affect things on a macro level,” Marin says. “And there were such niche topics that I could take, and the course load really just interested me.”
“I realized I was really interested in research,” Gongora says. “Because I wanted to work with people, and I wanted to look very micro at the person, psychology was a great way to go about that.”
Have a suggestion for majors that you’d like compared? Let us know in the Comment section below.
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