Population Studies Certificate
Contact: Gordon F. Sutton, Director
Office: 616 Thompson
Phone: 545-4071
E-mail: sutton@soc.umass.edu
The Faculty
Ralph H. Faulkingham, Alan C. Swedlund, R. Brook Thomas (Anthropology); Peter
Brandon, Surinder K. Mehta, Suzanne Model, Gordon F. Sutton (Sociology); Piper
Gaubatz, (Geosciences); Robert M. Muth (Natural Resource Studies). Other
associated faculty: Nancy R. Folbre, Carol Heim (Economics); Stephen P.
Coelen (Political Science); James A. Hafner, Richard Wilkie (Geosciences); George
Cernada, (Public Health).
The program in Population Studies prepares undergraduate students for jobs
requiring demographic skills or for entering graduate programs in related areas.
The program is not a major in itself. It requires 15 semester hours of coursework,
some of which may satisify other University and major requirements. Applications
of demographic analysis to the problems of human ecology are illustrated in
the preparation of state and local population estimates, support of city and
regional planning, and execution of environmental impact analysis, as well as
in academic study of communities and organizational change.
Successful completion of the program leads to a Certificate in Population Studies
attesting to a special competence in the application of demographic skills to
solution of problems in population-environment relations. The certificate requirements
cover introductory work in population, culture and society, and population and
human ecology; then, preparation in demographic methods leads to a choice of
course work offered by members of the participating faculty, listed above. Work
on the certificate concludes with a seminar in the senior year. The population
methods course (SOCIOL 363) satisfies the Analytic Reasoning requirement (R2)
in the General Education program. Students enrolling in this course are expected
to have a score of 20 on the Mathematics Placement Test (or its equivalent).
In the course of their studies, students are urged to become familiar with a
computing package such as EXCEL, QUATTRO PRO, or STATA, any of which may be
used in their work.
Required Courses
1. Conceptual introduction to demography (SOCIOL 261 Population Studies or
equivalent).
2. Population methods (SOCIOL 363 Techniques of Demographic Analysis), offered
annually in the spring semester.
3. Topical courses. Two courses involving the application of demography to
a special subject matter (for example, SOCIOL 565 Sociology and Ecology of the
Community; ANTH 208 Human Ecology; GEO 370 Urban Geography).
4. Seminar. At least one senior or graduate-level seminar on some topic employing
demography analysis. If none is available, an independent-study course with
a professor qualified in demography may be substituted.
In the cases of requirements 1, 3 and 4, students should seek advice and approval
of their choices from the Program Director.
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