The Department of Sociology at Texas State consists of a student-friendly faculty with wide-ranging specialties. Faculty research interests include gender and the workplace, health, aging, life course, dementia, sexuality, demography, community organization, deviance, criminology, social stratification and inequality, popular culture, social movements, globalization, sustainability, and the environment. Although the department offers a large number of sub-fields for students to consider, increasingly the department is focusing upon graduate programs concentrating on Health, Dementia, and Aging, Sustainability and the Environment. The department offers valuable preparation in research skills including qualitative and quantitative research methods and statistical analysis. Faculty members have published numerous articles, book chapters, and books in their areas of interest. In addition, several faculty members have received national/international recognition from within academic circles and the popular press for their research.<br><br>This interdisciplinary, online degree offers cutting-edge knowledge about dementia and aging studies, including evolving issues related to the care of persons with dementia and other topics related to aging and the life course. <br><br>Housed in the Department of Sociology, this program also includes course work from the Department of Communication Studies, the School of Health Administration, and the School of Social Work.