Social Science BA

Total Units Required: 120

A student holding a cotton candy poses with a friend during a social event during the first week of the semester.

The Bachelor of Arts in Social Science is designed for students who have a broad interest in the behavioral and social sciences. The Social Science Program includes the disciplines of anthropology, child development, economics, geography and planning, public health and health services administration, history, political science, psychology, sociology, social work, and multicultural and gender studies. The program has two options to best meet the needs of our students: multidisciplinary and specialization studies.

The program core consists of seven required courses and the capstone is also the social science required writing proficiency course. Both options are available online to off-campus students. The online option in specialization studies, however, is limited to seven areas of concentration: anthropology, career and life planning, child development, community organizing for social change, environmental planning, family relations, and gerontology.

The option in multidisciplinary studies. This is a 43-unit major with representative courses from the disciplines within the social sciences and history. Its primary intent is to give students a solid liberal arts grounding in the social sciences. This option also provides a waiver for the single subject matter competency requirement and CSET exam in social science for those pursuing secondary teacher preparation programs.

The option in specialization studies. Students have the flexibility to create a personalized program within the behavioral and social sciences. It is a 43-unit major, which consists of 21 units from a selected area of concentration. There are 20 areas of concentration (AoC) from which to choose. The AoCs include all of the disciplines found within the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, plus history. Areas of concentration also include area studies, and topical concentrations like career and life planning, environmental studies, and family relations.