The Department of Sociology started as a sub-unit in the Department of Economics and Social Studies in the late 1950s. It became a full-fledged department at the University of Ibadan in 1964. By the 1970s, the research contribution of the department became more diversified, with a new generation of indigenous and foreign sociologists expanding the scope of Ibadan Sociology. With more than five decades of teaching and research in Sociology, our vision to be an outstanding reference point in the global ranking of university subjects aligns with the University of Ibadan's vision as a world-class institution for academic excellence geared towards meeting societal needs. Currently, the department runs undergraduate and postgraduate programs emphasising the postgraduate program. There are five units of sociology sub-discipline available:

(1) Criminology

(2) Demography and Population Studies

(3) Industrial Sociology

(4) Medical Sociology and Anthropology

(5) Sociology of Development.

Undergraduate Program

Sociology undergraduate majors are exposed to different courses within four years on a full-time or five years at Distance Learning option. First year sociology courses include Principles of Sociology, Peoples and Culture of Nigeria, ICT and Social Order, Introduction to Basic Institution and Introduction to Population Studies. In the second year, students register and must meet the basic requirements for courses such as Elements of Sociology with Methodology, African Social Institutions, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development, Evolution of Culture and Society, and Structure of the Nigerian Society. The third year courses are focused on the five units and are mostly registered within the department. The courses offered are History of Social Thought, Types of Sociological Theory, Perspective in Modern Social Theory, Comparative Social Institution, Statistical Methods in Sociology, Contemporary Social Problems, Urban Sociology, Industrial Sociology, Culture and Personality, Sociology of Mass Communication and public opinion, Comparative Health Delivery System, Survey of Medical Sociology, Population Problems, Methods of Social Research, Social Change and Introduction to Human Resource Management. In the final year, sociology major consolidates on what they have learnt during the undergraduate program and must meet basic requirements for courses including Theory Building and Analysis, Rural Development/ Rural Sociology, Sociology of Development, Social Stratification and Mobility, Sociology of the Family, Sociology of Deviant Behaviour, Political and Economic System, Complex Organization, Crime and Delinquency, Social Psychiatry. In addition to the departmental courses, students are expected to meet basic for the faculty and university within the duration of the undergraduate program. All these courses are fundamental theoretical aspects of Sociology within the department's five sub-units, and students would have learned much about society’s functions and structure, which prepares them for future endeavours.

Postgraduate Programs

At the postgraduate level, students can opt for academic or professional programs after meeting the basic requirements for admission to the University of Ibadan Post Graduate College. The course duration for the Masters level program is a minimum of three semesters and a maximum of five semesters for full-time students. Part-time students are expected to spend a minimum of five semesters and a maximum of seven semesters. Academic programs in Sociology are M.Sc, M.Phil., M.Phil/PhD and PhD. Graduates who registered for academic programs can specialise in any of the following: Demography and Population Studies, Criminology and Penology, Medical Sociology, Sociology of Development, Industrial Sociology, Employment Relations and Human Resources Management, Social Policy and Social Anthropology. Professional programs are Master in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management (ER&HRM), Masters of Project Development and Implementation (MPDI), Master of Social Policy (MSP) and Masters of Research in Public Policy (MRPP).