Career Communities

As a social and behavioral sciences major, you are building the skills that employers value, and you have lots of options.  Career Communities can help you explore those options, and help you determine which ones you might want to pursue.

Each career community offers an excellent opportunity for students to expand their thinking about what’s out there in the world, and also to narrow their thinking about which career paths they would like to explore.

Click the Explore Career Communities drop-down to start exploring.

Each career community contains curated content focused on careers in that industry, and students will find blog posts and articles, job and internship postings, market insights, potential classes you can take, and examples of alumni who are working in the field.  Because there are a variety of paths to take to your destination, and career exploration is an ongoing exercise, students are welcome and encouraged to explore as many career communities as they would like.  Click the Explore Career Communities drop-down on the photo above to get started. Once you have decided which career communities you are most interested in, we encourage you to click the Follow This Community button on each community’s page, so you’ll make sure to receive the latest updates on events, jobs and internships, and more, in your weekly SBS Pathways email.

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Relevant SBS Courses

Your major does not necessarily have to be in direct line with your career! Sociology majors can work in the business sector. Economics majors can work in government. Poli Sci majors can work on Wall Street. Many SBS departments offer courses relevant to various career paths. Here is a very small sampling of courses relevant to this industry from across the majors. Please speak with your academic advisor to explore all available courses, and remember that you need not constrain yourself to courses within your major. Study what is interesting to you!

191 STPEC 2 – Pioneer Valley Political Activism & Community Organizing

191 STPEC 2 – Pioneer Valley Political Activism & Community Organizing: In this seminar, you will attend four meetings with local…
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COMM 287 – Advertising as Social Communication

COMM 287 – Advertising as Social Communication: This course looks at advertising from the viewpoint of social theory (that is, of how we…
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ANTHRO 106 – Culture Through Film

ANTHRO 106 – Culture Through Film: Exploration of different societies and cultures, and of the field of cultural anthropology through the…
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JOURNAL 235 – Introduction to Public Relations

This course addresses the principles and practices of public relations and strategic communication in the public, private, for-profit and no-profit…
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POLISCI 121: World Politics

POLISCI 121: World Politics: Introduction to the principles and practices of international relations in the political, military, economic, and environmental realms.…
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ANTHRO 104 – Culture, Society and People

ANTHRO 104 – Culture, Society and People: The nature of culture and its role in creating forms of social, economic,…
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STPEC 291 CE – Capitalism & the Environment

STPEC 291 CE – Capitalism & the Environment: Explore the ecological crisis through the lens of both social/environmental theory and political…
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SOCIOL 224 – Social Class & Inequality

SOCIOL 224 – Social Class & Inequality: The nature of social classes in society from the viewpoint of differences in economic…
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ECON 397 – Education and Economics

ECON 397 – Education and Economics: This course will examine contemporary issues in U.S. education through the use of economic theory…
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COMM 494Cl – Communication, Ecology & Sustainability

COMM 494Cl – Communication, Ecology & Sustainability: As forms of communication contribute to the growing integration of the planet, the planet…
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SOCIOL 220 – Sociology of American Culture

SOCIOL 220 – Sociology of American Culture: The elements and dynamics of culture everywhere; special reference to Americana. Topics include culture…
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RESECON 324 – Small Business Finance

RESECON 324 – Small Business Finance: Theory and application of Entrepreneurial Finance and basic financial management for a small firm. Emphasis…
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LEGAL 375 – Human Rights and Wrongs

LEGAL 375 – Human Rights and Wrongs: Introduction to humanitarian law. Topics include theory and history of international human rights law,…
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SOCIOL 386 – Complex Organizations

SOCIOL 386 – Complex Organizations: The significance of large, complex organizations like schools, hospitals, businesses, religions and government.  How such organizations…
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COMM 352 – Group Dynamics

COMM 352 – Group Dynamics: The dynamics of decision-making groups. Topics include: leadership, networks, conformity, problem solving, mediation, and conflict resolution.
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COMM 387 – Media, PR, and Propaganda

COMM 387 – Media, PR, and Propaganda: The historical roots of the PR industry in government propaganda efforts; the contemporary influence of…
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SOCIOL 322 – Sociology of Education

SOCIOL 322 – Sociology of Education: Sociological perspectives on educational issues; social class differences in school achievement, the crisis in educational…
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LANDARCH 494I – Landscape Planning and the Cultural Landscape

LANDARCH 494I – Landscape Planning and the Cultural Landscape: Landscape planning crosses scales from regional to site specific, taking a real…
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ANTHRO 380 – Grassroots Community Organizing

ANTHRO 380 – Grassroots Community Organizing: This course examines how marginalized communities organize to combat racial, economic, and political injustices. Student…
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COMM 310: Social Influence and Persuasion

COMM 310: Social Influence and Persuasion: This course examines theories and key research findings in the field of persuasion and…
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Featured Alumni

Sybelle Etienne’21 – Managerial Economics

Alumni
  • MA, Boston
  • Grants and Fiscal Compliance Associate Massachusetts Service Alliance
Meet Sybelle >

Sana Shah’18, Managerial Economics

Alumni
  • Washington, DC
  • Financial Systems Analyst Federal Reserve Board
Meet Sana >

Casey Lyons’19 Communication

Alumni
  • Boston, MA
  • Marketing Coordinator The Boston Globe Companies
Meet Casey >

Melissa James’10 Journalism, Legal Studies

Alumni
  • Boston, MA
  • Founder & CEO The Tech-Connection
Meet Melissa >

Caitlyn Arnold’17, Sociology

Alumni
  • Beverly, MA
  • Admissions Manager The School for Field Studies

Audrey Ortega’13, Sustainable Community Development

Alumni
  • Chelsea, MA
  • High School Biology Teacher Chelsea High School
Meet Audrey >

Annaly Monteiro-Serena’19, Legal Studies

Alumni
  • Boston, MA
  • AmeriCorps Legal Advocate Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services
Meet Annaly >

Michelle Aghiarian’13 Anthropology & Sociology

Alumni
  • UX Designer Veracode
Meet Michelle >

Eli Simon’23, Managerial Economics

Alumni
  • Needham, Massachusetts
  • Customer Success Associate CustomGPT
Meet Eli >

Sam Curnyn’23, Resource Economics

Alumni
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Planning Analyst - Global Graduate Program Avangrid Renewables
Meet Sam >

Luviana Mclean’23, Landscape Architecture

Alumni
  • New Haven, CT
  • Landscape Designer Stantec
Meet Luviana >

Wilson Darbin’20, Sustainable Community Development

Alumni
  • Springfield, MA
  • Project Manager City of Springfield Office of Planning and Economic Development
Meet Wilson >
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Explore Outcomes

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

  • First Destination
  • Top Employers
  • Starting Salary
  • Job Titles
  • Employment Locations
  • Top Universities
  • Degree Types
  • Fields of Study

First Destination

SBS graduates pursue a range of plans after graduation, including employment, continuing education, and volunteering/service, among others.  This graph depicts what recent SBS graduates tell us they are doing within six months after graduation.

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts

Richard Pisciotta’18

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • New York, NY
  • Publicis Health Media
Learn more from Richard >

Vinayak Rao’15

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Facebook
Learn more from Vinayak >

Cristina Sunkel

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • Washington, DC
  • Independent Consultant
Learn more from Cristina >
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Student Success Stories

SBS in DC Shermarie Hyppolite: “In my days at the office, I saw my future…”

SBS in Boston Student Spotlight: UMass SBS Economics major Megan Harvey’23

SBS in Boston Student Spotlight: UMass SBS Political Science major Ava Jolie Femia’24

My SBS in DC Experience: Abby Keagle

Why apply to SBS in DC: What I learned

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Featured Resources

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Featured Articles

20+ Top Fintech Companies of 2023

It’s Career Fair Season – are you ready?

graph showing recruiting timelines of various sectors

Fall Employer Recruiting Starts This Month

Hedge Fund vs. Private Equity: What’s the Difference?

What Is Professional Development (and Why Does It Matter)?

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