A higher education ranking website called College Factual has listed Brandeis as one of the top 10 schools in the country for undergraduate students seeking an Economics degree or a Sociology degree. The University was ranked sixth for its Sociology major and ninth for Economics. 

“Along with analyzing theories and methods in the classroom, students at Brandeis are able to gain hands-on experience through engagement with community organizations and local social movements,” reads the blurb describing Brandeis in the Sociology list. It also emphasizes the fact that the University offers students the opportunity to become involved with research and cites the statistic that Sociology majors at Brandeis enter the work force with an average starting salary of $45,000.

College Factual claims that Economics is one of the most popular majors at Brandeis. “By providing a broad range of courses—including international economics and finance, macroeconomics, monetary economics and labor economics—Brandeis prepares students to pursue a variety of careers following graduation,” the list reads. The average starting salary is higher for Economics majors than for their Sociology counterparts, clocking in at $54,000. 

Economics department head Prof. George Hall was quick to share the honor of the ranking with his students. 

 “As they say in sports, it’s a team award,” he wrote in an email to the Justice. “While this ranking recognizes the quality of the teaching within economics and throughout the university, it also reflects the intellectual passion of our students and alumni.”

Hall wrote that his department is a “fun” one to work in. “The enthusiasm the faculty and students feel about economics is contagious.”

Prof. David Cunningham, the Sociology department chair, said that he has long been pleased with the accomplishments of the department’s graduates.

He wrote in an email to the Justice, “Our top-ten showing in a ranking that emphasizes former majors’ career salaries, the percentage of current students majoring in Sociology, and the department’s connections to other programs university-wide demonstrates Brandeis Sociology’s vibrancy on campus as well as its viability in terms of strong career prospects after graduation.”

In light of the success of the two departments, Hall called for some friendly competition, writing “I see that Sociology was ranked 6th in the nation, while Economics was ranked 9th. They have set the bar higher than us, so we still have some work to do!”

College Factual is a website started by self-titled “data geeks” and presents data-driven lists and rankings of colleges in order to “challenge the status quo in education to help people make better decisions about college.”