Home - Department of Sociology and Criminology

Ranked among the nation’s top programs,
Penn State’s Department of Sociology and Criminology offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate education with a broad liberal arts focus, extensive faculty mentorship, and academic rigor in topics like family, religion, crime, and the criminal justice system.

Ranked among the nation’s top programs, Penn State’s Department of Sociology and Criminology offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate education with a broad liberal arts focus and academic rigor in topics like family, religion, crime, and the criminal justice system.

Sociology

Penn State Sociology delivers a well-rounded liberal arts education for undergraduates, featuring courses that explore themes of family, religion, and social identity. Our graduate program is distinguished by its flexible study options and dedicated faculty mentorship.

Criminology

Penn State Criminology offers an in-depth exploration of crime and human behavior. Our graduate curriculum emphasizes theoretical frameworks, research methods, and real-world issues, all while fostering strong faculty mentorship to guide students’ academic journeys.

Award Spotlight

Gary Adler

Associate Professor of Sociology

Honors Program Adviser for Sociology and Criminology

Affiliated Faculty, Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), Rock Ethics Institute (REI), Social Thought Program, and Religious Studies Minor

Gary Adler Jr. was one of four College of the Liberal Arts faculty members who received Fulbright Scholar Awards for the 2023-24 academic year.

Research Spotlight

Jessica Ho

Associate Professor of Sociology and Demography

Co-Funded Faculty, Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)

An American born in 2019 will spend a larger share of their lifetime taking prescription drugs than being married or receiving an education, according to new research by Jessica Ho.

Award Spotlight

Eric Silver

Professor of Sociology and Criminology

Eric Silver’s commitment to seeking diverse viewpoints in the classroom was recently acknowledged by Heterodox Academy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to improving higher education institutions by promoting the virtues of viewpoint diversity, open inquiry, and constructive disagreement. He was one of seven winners of the 2023 Heterodox Academy Open Inquiry Awards.

Award Spotlight

Darrell Steffensmeier

John Kramer Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Criminology

Darrell Steffensmeier received one of his field’s most prestigious honors— the American Society of Criminology’s (ASC) 2023 Edwin H. Sutherland Award.

Award Spotlight

Sarah Brothers

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Public Policy

Affiliated Faculty, Rock Ethics Institute (REI), Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA), Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), Population Research Institute (PRI)

Co-Funded Faculty, Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)

Sarah Brothers received the 2024 College of the Liberal Arts' Roy C Buck Award, which recognizes the best paper accepted or published by an untenured, tenure-track assistant professor in the college within the last year.

Research Spotlight

Sarah Damaske

Roy C. Buck Professor of American Institutions and Sociology, Labor and Employment Relations, and Women's Studies

Associate Director, Population Research Institute (PRI)

Steady employment has long been the assumed standard associated with the American man, especially by the baby boomer generation. New research is pushing back on the archetype and shedding light on the potential consequences of upholding the “breadwinner” ideology in a labor market in which reality is strikingly different.