Photo courtesy of Elinor via Flickr, PDM 1.0.
Students cannot use introductory sociology classes to fulfill general education requirements for the 2026-27 school year.
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By Nicole Droeger Stephens
TAMPA, Fla. — On March 26, the governors of the State University System of Florida (SUS FL) voted to remove sociology as a general education requirement in public universities.
According to a report from the Florida Phoenix, the 2026-27 school year no longer includes freshman and sophomore-level sociology courses as a requirement in Florida universities’ core curriculum. The vote on the decision was not originally on the meeting’s agenda.
The SUS FL account on X posted about State University System chancellor Rodrigues’ views on sociology.
“Sociology’s mission has changed from understanding society to transforming it,” Rodrigues said. “Sociology, as a discipline, is now social and political advocacy dressed in the regalia of academia.”
Tara Newsom, a law professor at St. Petersburg College, believes sociology is a fundamental discipline.
“To make good change, Florida scholars need to understand why society behaves the way it does in order to make life better,” Newsom said.
“Public education is deemed the nursery of democracy. Public universities help students develop a shared understanding of the world and serve as the much-needed space to critically think about societal challenges and innovate with solutions necessary for self-governance.”
Bruce Friesen, associate professor and chair of the sociology department at the University of Tampa, explains the importance of studying the discipline.
“Sociology is the scientific study of society. We dissect societies to see what causes some to be successful and then offer suggestions for how to optimize societal organization for success,” Friesen said.
“It reminds us that societal design matters; that it has real effects on the quality of life and the opportunities of its inhabitants. Sociological research identifies key features of a society that can be changed to improve life and provide equal opportunities for all.”
Friesen said there are limitations involved in the discipline.
“Like most fields of study, sociology has its detractors. Those who live in privileged subgroups aren’t always keen on having structures identified that give them an unfair advantage.”
Friesen clarifies that UTampa is a private school, and the change in legislation for public universities does not affect UTampa’s sociology department. He also points out that SUS FL’s decision does not remove the discipline from public universities.
“It’s impossible to fulfill any baccalaureate requirement in Florida’s public universities by choosing to take Introduction to Sociology. Students can still choose to take the course, but cannot use it to help fulfill a core requirement.”
The move to remove sociology from general education requirements follows the change in Florida’s sociology curriculum from January 2026. Inside Higher Ed reported on Florida’s version of the textbook Introduction to Sociology 3e. The original open-source textbook contained 669 pages, while the state-approved textbook was edited down to 267 pages. The state’s textbook also omitted the sections containing information about media, technology, global inequality and gender ideology.
This decision also follows 2023’s Senate Bill 266, which stated Florida general education courses “may not suppress or distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics, such as critical race theory.”
Though public universities may no longer allow Introduction to Sociology as an avenue to fulfill general education requirements, UTampa offers the class as a choice to fulfill Spartan Studies requirements.