The UH Hilo Sociology program provides students with broad preparation in the basics of scientific sociology. Both the major and minor options are organized around a core of basic courses in statistics, research methodology, and theory. In addition, the faculty offers topical courses in a variety of subfields including criminology, social problems, social stratification, race and ethnicity, gender, the sociology of disaster, education, family, social psychology, organizations, globalization, island studies, social movements, and politics. Although students are given a lot of freedom in choosing electives, ideally they are able to focus their studies on the subfield that is most relevant to their desired career path.

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or education reform, how families differ and flourish, or problems of peace and war. Because sociology addresses the most challenging issues of our time, it is a rapidly expanding field whose potential is increasingly tapped by those who craft social policies and create social programs