Schools
School of Social Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences
Student Learning Goals
The interdisciplinary nature of this degree yields both overall learning goals, and discipline specific learning goals.
Overall
- Students will develop substantive knowledge in at least two fields within the Social Sciences.
- Students will communicate effectively in oral presentations and in written projects.
- Students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills, argumentation and skills in research methodology specific to the fields of Social Sciences studied.
Discipline Specific
- Criminal Justice
- Economics
- History
- International Studies
- Journalism and Media
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
Degree Requirements
Students receiving the Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences degree must complete 120 total credit hours including:
- General Education Core (30 cr.)
- Bachelor of Science Distribution Requirement (14-18 cr.)
- Social Sciences Track Requirement (36 cr.)
- Electives as needed to complete 120 total credit hours
- A minimum of 30 credit hours at the 300- or 400-level
- Courses required for the major must be completed with a grade of C- or higher
- Courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise noted
- A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required
Bachelor of Science Distribution Requirement
- MATH-M 122 College Algebra
- Three addtional in life science or physical science courses, with a least one having an associated or integrated lab component. (11-15 credit hours, depending on choice of courses.)
- See list of courses distinguishing between Life and Physical Sciences.
Track Requirement
Multiple tracks are available for the students to assist them in attaining their degree. The
student should determine the appropriate track with the assistance of a Social Science advisor.
Dual Discipline Track (minimum 36 credit hours with grade of C- or better to apply to degree)
- 18 credit hours from two different disciplines in School of Social Sciences or Economics.
- Complete the methods/statistics and capstone course(s) from one of the disciplines chosen, as part of the 18 required; as specified in grid below:
| Dept. | Course Number | Title | Credit Hours | Minimum Grade |
| Criminal Justice | ||||
| CJUS-P | 295 | Criminal Justice Data, Methods, and Resources | 3 | C- |
| CJUS-P | 470 | Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice | 3 | C- |
| Economics | ||||
| ECON-E | 280 | Applied Statistics for Business & Economics I | 3 | C- |
| ECON-E | 281 | Applied Statistics for Business & Economics II | 3 | C- |
| History | ||||
| HIST-H | 236 | The Historian's Craft | 3 | C- |
| HIST-J | 495 | Proseminar for History Majors | 3 | C- |
| International Studies | ||||
| HIST-H | 236 | The Historian's Craft | 3 | C- |
| or | ||||
| POLS-Y | 387 | Research Methods | 3 | C- |
| INTL-I | 400 | International Studies Capstone Seminar | 3 | C- |
| Journalism and Media | ||||
| JOUR-J | 200 | Reporting, Writing, and Editing I | 3 | C- |
| JOUR-J | 362 | Journalism Multimedia Storytelling | 3 | C- |
| or | ||||
| JOUR-J | 429 | Public Relations Campaigns | 3 | C- |
| Political Science | ||||
| POLS-Y | 387 | Research Methods in Political Science | 3 | C- |
| POLS-Y | 490 | Senior Seminar in Political Science | 3 | C- |
| Psychology | ||||
| PSY-P | 341 | Research in Psychology I | 3 | C- |
| PSY--P | 342 | Research in Psychology II | 3 | C- |
| and | ||||
| PSY-B | 452 | Seminar in Psychology | 3 | C- |
| Sociology | ||||
| SOC-S | 380 | Methods of Social Research I | 3 | C- |
| SOC-S | 381 | Methods of Social Research II | 3 | C- |
| and | ||||
| SOC-S | 470 | Senior Seminar | 3 | C- |
Triple Discipline Track (minimum 36 credit hours with grade of C- or better to apply to degree)
- Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours in three different disciplines in the School of Social
Sciences and Economics. - Select one of these disciplines and include in the 12 credit hours the discipline’s methods/statistics and capstone course as specified in the grid above.