Management and Society Major, B.A.
Management and society is an interdisciplinary major that focuses on the institutional context and inner workings of organizations. The major prepares students for a variety of positions in private or public-sector organizations. Additionally, many students find the curriculum to be excellent preparation for a variety of business-oriented graduate and professional degree programs.
Some students have combined management and society with majors in such academic disciplines as economics, sociology, psychology, public policy, history, and political science.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the management and society program, students should be able to:
- Identify different types of workplace conditions — e.g., the effects of communication, authority structure, levels of worker interdependence, and demographic characteristics of workers — and their consequences on worker morale and productivity
- Trace the history, implementation, and consequences of specific public policies affecting the workforces of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and governmental organizations
- Identify and explain general social, historical, and economic forces that affect job markets and job stability
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must
- earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
- complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
- take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| The major in management and society consists of eight core courses grouped into the following four areas: | ||
| Economics: | ||
| ECON/MNGT 310 | Microeconomics: Theory and Applications (by the end of the junior year) | 3 |
| or ECON 410 |  Intermediate Microeconomics | |
| Employer-employee relations: two courses from the options below: | 6 | |
| Leading and Managing: An Introduction to Organizational Behavior | ||
| Introduction to Interpersonal and Organizational Communication H | ||
or COMM 223 | Small Group Communication | |
or COMM 325 | Introduction to Organizational Communication | |
| Social Relations in the Workplace | ||
| Social Psychology H | ||
or SOCI 112 | Social Interaction | |
| Tests and Measurement | ||
| Labor markets and social context of business: three courses from the options below: | 9 | |
| The Economics of Labor Relations 1 | ||
| The Labor Force | ||
| Public Policy Toward Business 1 | ||
| Formal Organizations and Bureaucracy | ||
| Additional courses: two additional courses from the options below: | 6 | |
| Economic History of the United States 1 | ||
| History of American Business | ||
| The Worker and American Life | ||
| Social Stratification | ||
| Economy and Society | ||
| Additional Requirements | ||
| One of the following math requirements: | 3-4 | |
| Calculus for Business and Social Sciences F | ||
| Calculus of Functions of One Variable I H, F | ||
| Decision Models for Business and Economics | ||
| PSYC 101 | General Psychology F | 3 |
| ECON 101 | Introduction to Economics H, F | 4 |
| HIST 128 | American History since 1865 | 3 |
| SOCI 101 | Sociological Perspectives H | 3 |
| or SOCI 100 | Sociological Perspective Through Documentary Film | |
| One of the following applied statistics courses: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Data Science and Econometrics H | ||
| Statistical Principles of Psychological Research H | ||
| Data Analysis | ||
| Total Hours | 43-44 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
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Double majors in economics and management and society may take ECON 445 instead of ECON 345, and ECON 480 instead of ECON 380.
Some of the core courses are cross-listed.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans can be used as a guide to identify the courses required to complete the major and other requirements needed for degree completion within the expected eight semesters. The actual degree plan may differ depending on the course of study selected (second major, minor, etc.). Students should meet with their academic advisor to create a degree plan that is specific and unique to their interests. The sample plans represented in this catalog are intended for first-year students entering UNC–Chapel Hill in the fall term. Some courses may not be offered every term.
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| First-Year Foundations: | ||
| IDST 101 | College Thriving | 1 |
| ENGL 105 or ENGL 105I | English Composition and Rhetoric or English Composition and Rhetoric (Interdisciplinary) | 3 |
| First-Year Seminar or First-Year Launch 1 | 3 | |
| Triple-I and Data Literacy | 4 | |
| Global Language through level 3 | varies | |
| Major Courses: | ||
| ECON 101 | Introduction to Economics H, F | 4 |
| PSYC 101 | General Psychology F | 3 |
| SOCI 101 or SOCI 100 | Sociological Perspectives H or Sociological Perspective Through Documentary Film | 3 |
| One of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Calculus for Business and Social Sciences F | ||
| Calculus of Functions of One Variable I H, F | ||
| Decision Models for Business and Economics | ||
| Hours | 24-25 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| HIST 128 | American History since 1865 | 3 |
| Employee-Employer Relations course #1 (see course list) 1 | 3 | |
| Employee-Employer Relations course #2 (see course list) 1 | 3 | |
| Labor Markets and Social Context of Business course #1 (see course list) | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| ECON 310 | Microeconomics: Theory and Applications or Microeconomics: Theory and Applications or Intermediate Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 400 | Introduction to Data Science and Econometrics H or Statistical Principles of Psychological Researchor Data Analysis | 3 |
| Labor Markets and Social Context of Business course #2 (see course list) | 3 | |
| Additional course #1 (see course list) | 3 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Labor Markets and Social Context of Business course #3 (see course list) | 3 | |
| Additional course #2 (see course list) | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 54-55 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
Special Opportunities in Management and Society
Honors in Management and Society
A student may, as a result of distinguished work (3.3 grade point average or higher), be awarded a degree with honors or highest honors. This requires completion of a senior honors thesis. Interested students should contact the Sociology director of undergraduate studies and/or assistant director for more information. Honors students should enroll in MNGT 691H and MNGT 692H (or the SOCI equivalent of these courses) during the fall and spring semesters of their senior year. MNGT 692H will fulfill one of the course requirements from the social context of business group listed above. For more information, visit the relevant page on the department's website.
Student Clubs
The Sociology Club is a student-run, student-driven organization that may provide relevant presentations, discussions, guidance, and/or service opportunities in sociology and adjacent fields, including management and society.
Independent Study and Reading
SOCI 396 may be taken for one to three hours of course credit depending on the amount of academic work planned by the student. It is usually taken by juniors and seniors who have completed at least two or three courses in sociology. Students may use independent study to
- Do reading and research in an area in which no course is offered
- Take advanced or more specialized coursework in a specific area of sociology
After an area of study has been selected, the student contacts a faculty member in the department whose interests are in or related to the topic area. If the faculty member agrees to direct the student’s independent study, the student needs final approval by the department’s director of undergraduate studies. It is the student’s and faculty supervisor’s responsibility to determine the amount of reading and/or outside work to be done, the frequency with which the student’s progress will be assessed, and the papers or examinations that will constitute the course requirements. An approved learning contract is necessary, and some written work involving sociological analysis is required to receive credit for SOCI 396. Students must sign up for SOCI 396 before the end of the first week of classes. For more information, visit the relevant page on the department’s website.
Independent Experiential Internship
Students may combine employment and study in the form of an internship program for which they receive one to three academic credits through SOCI 393. The student must assume responsibility for employment arrangements. Students may not receive credit for paid employment. The student contacts a faculty member in the department whose interests are in or related to the area of the internship. If the faculty member agrees to direct the internship, the student needs final approval by the department’s director of undergraduate studies. Credit is not provided for the internship alone; some written work involving sociological analysis is required to receive credit for SOCI 393. Because of the expectation that students doing an internship for academic credit will conduct substantive sociological analysis, it is very important that planning begin early. Students must secure all approvals for the contract before the first day of the internship. For more information, visit the relevant page on the department’s website.
Undergraduate Research
Students interested in working with faculty on their research projects should contact the Office for Undergraduate Research for more information and also speak with the director of undergraduate studies.
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