Sociology Spells Success

Those successful people majored in what?

You may be familiar with some of the names of the individuals listed below; but did you know that they received a B.A. degree with a major in SOCIOLOGY?  In fact, there are many successful and well-known individuals who began their careers as a major in Sociology.*

Politics, Law, Social Advocacy
Michelle Robinson Obama, First Lady of the United States, lawyer, and former Vice-President at the University of Chicago Hospitals
Barbara Mikulski, US Senator from Maryland
Tim Holden, Congressman from Pennsylvania
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, DC
Maxine Waters, Congresswoman from LA
Ronald Reagan (double major in sociology & economics), former U.S. President
Wellington Webb, mayor of Denver; past president of U.S. Conference of Mayors
Brett Schundler, mayor of Jersey City
Rev. Martin Luther King
Emily Balch, a Nobel Peace Prize winner (a social worker and social reformer)
Francis Perkins, former Secretary of Labor
Richard Barajas, Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court
David Van Zandt, lawyer & Director of the American Bar Foundation, and President of New School University in NYC

Entertainment
Saul Bellow, novelist
Regis Philbin, TV host
Dan Aykroyd, actor
Robin Williams, actor/comedian
Paul Shaffer, bandleader, David Letterman Show, and Saturday Night Live
Dinah Shore, singer
Ruth Westheimer, the “sex doctor”

Sports
Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
Bryant Stith, Boston Celtics
Brian Jordan, Atlanta Braves
Joe Theisman, NFL quarterback
Eric Bjornson, Dallas Cowboys
Bobby Taylor, Eagles cornerback
Ahmad Rashad, Sportscaster

*Some of the names listed are taken from “Famous Sociology Majors: ‘You Majored in What?!” published by the American Sociological Association.