Transfer students enrolling at Lehman

have some special things to consider in

planning out their sociology major. My

voice may sound like a robot speaking.

Yes it is true ... we are using

technology to create this and keep it up

to date.

The sociology major includes 11 courses.

Five are required, and six are elective.

Of the six, three must be at the 300

level.  You will also elect to do one of

the three concentrations that determine

what 300 level options you have.

Many, but not all, transfer students have

taken one or more sociology course at

their previous colleges. To help make

plans for your major it is important that

you understand how many sociology courses

are transferring in to Lehman.  Review

your transcript and Degree Works. Only

sociology courses count for the sociology

major, not those in psychology, social

work, human services or other fields.

Only one 100 level class (which must be

an introduction to sociology course) may

be counted for the sociology major.  No

more than three 100 and 200 level classes

total will be counted toward your major.

If you are transferring from a four year

college and completed upper level

sociology courses there, make sure you

talk to a sociology advisor about how

they are counted at Lehman. This will

be done automatically but make sure to

ask if you have questions. Transferring

in upper level courses or required

courses will change the recommendations

in this video.  No more than half of the

major (19 credits) can be transferred in.

Once your major is declared in CUNYfirst,

check Degree Works to make sure it agrees

with your understanding of what you have

been given credit for.

The most important thing to know is that

each transfer student has a unique

situation in terms of transferred

courses, college requirements, and career

goals.  For example, students with an A A

S degree may have different general

education requirements than those with an

A A degree. Students who transfer

without a degree may also have different

general education requirements.  Because

of this you need to plan carefully.  Make

sure to keep a folder with all documents

(if possible scan or take a photo of your

documents) and take notes when you meet

with advisors.  The next slides go

through some common scenarios. If none of

them match your situation, talk to a

sociology advisor.

The most common scenario for transfer

students is to enter with 60 credits and

one sociology course, usually

introduction to sociology.  That leaves

you with 10 sociology courses to take at

Lehman.  You will also need two LEH

courses and to complete any other general

education requirements.

We recommend that full time students in

this scenario, if possible, take

Sociology 300 and Sociology 301 in their

first semester at Leighman. If you are

part time or need to do other courses,

consider prioritizing sociology 300.  In

addition, unless you need to fulfill

general education requirements or have

other requirements, also take a sociology

elective, usually at the 200 level (or

sociology 166 if you have not taken it

and wish to). There are a number of

sociology courses that can be used to

fulfill general education requirements.

If you are entering with an A A S degree,

try to take a sociology elective that

will count for general education courses

you need.  So far that is 11 credits.  To

be a full time student you need 12

credits, but to be on schedule of 30

credits per year, you may want to take 15

credits.  You can take one of your

required LEH courses which is 3

additional credits. Another option is to

take a course in a minor which is also

likely to be 3 credits.  Sociology also

often offers a number of 1 credit courses

under the Sociology 281 or Sociology 181

number.  You may also take one of those

courses for the extra credit although

they do not count as a 3 credit elective.

Don't worry if you can't take three

sociology courses in your first semester.

Just remember that in order to graduate

within two or even three years you will

need to take multiple sociology courses

in the same semester.

Your second semester depends on your

goals, but you are strongly encouraged to

continue to make progress on your

sociology required courses (Sociology

302, 303, and 345), college requirements

such as an LEH class or a course in

your minor.  However, taking three

required sociology courses at once can be

a lot, especially if you add a fourth

course. Remember that all required

courses are 4 credits, so three together

would be 12 credits. Our experience

suggests that being successful in three

required sociology courses at once is

difficult. We suggest postponing

Sociology 303 until the next semester.

That basic plan will leave any remaining

required classes and the 300 level

electives for your concentration for the

following year.

If you are entering with no sociology

credits you can still graduate on time if

you plan correctly. You will need to

complete all 11 courses in the sociology

major along with your two L E H courses

and any general education courses you

still need.  Finishing in two years will

require careful planning of your courses.

Coming into the sociology major with no

background means that you need to get up

to speed fast. You may not be sure if a

concentration is right for you. If so

consider General Sociology.  If you have

no sociology credits and 60 or more

transfer credits, we recommend that you

complete 3 gateway classes in sociology

in your first semester at Lehman.  If

you have general education requirements

to complete or are working on a minor

reduce these to 2.  Remember that you

will need to earn at least a 2 point 0

average in those classes to move on to

300 level classes in the spring.  You

should also take an LEH course and work

on other general education requirements

you may need to complete. If you want to

take 15 credits you could take both LEH

courses. Remember that you should not

take LEH 351.  If possible, you may

want to take a summer or winter Sociology

course so that you can start required

courses in your first full semester at

Lehman

In your second semester, begin your

required courses with Sociology 300 and

Sociology 301. In addition take one of

the 300 level electives from your

concentration.  Take another LEH course

if needed, complete any other

requirements or work on your minor.  You

may also want to take a 1 credit

sociology or other course to reach 12 or

15 credits.  This will leave three

required courses and two 300 level

sociology electives for the coming year.

If you transfer to Leighman with more

than one sociology course, your plan will

depend on exactly how many sociology

courses you have remaining, how many

other credits you have transferred in and

whether you have transferred in any

required courses.  You also need to make

a realistic plan for how long it will

take you to graduate.

In your first semester under this plan we

recommend that you take sociology 300 and

sociology 301, an LEH course, and a

second LEH course, a course in a

minor or a college elective. Please

consult a sociology advisor if you wish

to take another sociology elective. If

you wish to be at 15 credits consider a 1

credit course in sociology or another

department.

The final advice is for everyone. Don't

panic if you have not followed the exact

advice here. These are general guidelines

only. Your situation is unique and this

video may not match it. Make sure that

you stay in contact with both the

sociology department advisors and the

academic advisors. They will help you

make sure you are on track and help avoid

unexpected issues.  They can also give

you advice about careers, graduate

school, minors and other topics. Thank

you for watching this video.