The online Bachelor of Arts in Social Science is designed for students who have a broad interest in the behavioral and social sciences and for those interested in pursuing a California secondary school teaching credential. The social science BA is an interdisciplinary program with a curriculum from the disciplines and programs of the College of the Behavioral and Social Sciences and the Department of History. The program has two options to best meet the needs of our students: multidisciplinary studies and specialization studies.
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. Additional courses are required by the Chico State School of Education before student teaching can begin. Visit Chico State's School of Education's website for the most up-to-date listing of these requirements, or contact the Education Department of the college where you plan to obtain your teaching credential.
The option in specialization studies. This is a 43-unit program that builds on the social science core requirements to focus on one of our seven areas of concentration offered fully online to distance education students. Areas of concentration offered fully online are anthropology, career and life planning, child development, community organizing for social change, environmental planning, family relations, and gerontology.
Grading Requirement
All courses taken to fulfill program course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as credit/no credit grading only.
Course Requirements for the Major: 43 units
Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree. Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.
SOSC 489 is required for students pursuing the Gerontology Certificate.
See Bachelor's Degree Requirements for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.
General Education Requirements: 48 units
See General Education and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings.
Transfer students accepted into this degree completion program generally will have completed all lower-division General Education Requirements.
Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units
You must complete a minimum of two courses that focus primarily on cultural diversity. At least one course must be in US Diversity (USD) and at least one in Global Cultures (GC). See Diversity Requirements for a full list of courses. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements for more details on the four courses. The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.
SOSC 303W Cultural Concepts: Human Social Evolution (W)
The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (EO 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.
This Social Science BA online degree completion program is designed for students who transfer with lower division requirements completed and want to finish their college requirements and bachelor’s degree in an online format. All lower division General Education can be taken at any California community college and may not be offered online at Chico State. Only 70 units from community colleges will count towards the 120-unit requirement for the BA degree.
Online degree completion students who have completed their General Education and American Ideals/Institutions requirements before transferring to Chico State and who enroll in classes full time can easily finish their BA in social science in two years. Note that some online courses are offered only once a year, so careful planning is crucial. All students must meet with a Social Science advisor each semester for mandatory advising.
