The online Bachelor of Arts in Social Science is for you if you have a broad interest in the behavioral and social sciences or plan to pursue a California secondary school teaching credential. This interdisciplinary program includes courses from disciplines in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and the History Department, giving you a well-rounded foundation in understanding people, societies, and institutions.
You can choose from two options depending on your career goals: multidisciplinary studies is a broad approach if you want to become a teacher, and specialization studies allows you to choose a more focused area within the social sciences. All 43 units within the major are offered fully online through Chico State. Transfer students must complete all lower-division General Education requirements before starting the program.
The option in multidisciplinary studies provides a solid liberal arts foundation in the social sciences through courses in anthropology, economics, geography, political science, and history. This option also provides a waiver for the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) and California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) examinations for those pursuing secondary teacher preparation programs.
Information for prerequisites and other admission requirements to teaching credential programs is available through the School of Education.
The option in specialization studies builds on social science core requirements to focus on one of 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 and organizational leadership, environmental planning, family relations, and gerontology.
Advising Requirement
Advising is mandatory for this program. Consult your department advisor or program coordinator for information.
E-advising Tools
Use the interactive e-advising tools designed to help students graduate within four years. These tools can be accessed through the Student Center in the Portal.
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.
Some courses require a minimum grade to progress in the program. Minimum grade requirements, including those listed on course requisites, are considered graduation requirements.
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 must be taken for three units and 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: 43 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.
American Institutions Course Requirements: 6 units
The American Institutions graduation requirement, as mandated in Title 5, Section 40404, requires that students satisfactorily complete courses in United States history, the US Constitution, and government and American ideals (including California state and local government). At Chico State, HIST 130 meets the US history requirement (US-1), and POLS 155 meets the US Constitution and government requirement (US-2) and the California state and local government requirement (US-3). POLS 155 also fulfills three units of GE Area 4, Social and Behavioral Sciences. See Bachelor’s Degree Requirements for more information.
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. Many courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) requires you to take four Writing (W) courses, two of which are upper-division courses designated for your major. Specifically, you must:
Take one Writing (W) course.
Take one Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) course.
Complete a GE English Composition (1A) course before taking the GW course.
Earn a grade of C- or higher to receive GW credit.
See Writing and Math Requirements for details on additional writing requirements you need to complete for graduation.
Major-Designated Courses
Writing (W) Course
SOSC 303W Cultural Concepts: Human Social Evolution (W)
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.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are clear, measurable statements that describe how students demonstrate mastery of the knowledge, skills, and values of the discipline as appropriate to the degree. Graduates of this program are expected to achieve the following PLOs:
Demonstrate knowledge of the historical emergence, questions asked, and distinctive contributions of the social science disciplines to the analysis of human behavior and social issues.
Locate, analyze, assess, and communicate social science scholarship.
Assess and utilize concepts and theories from among social science disciplines to explore the varieties of social experiences encountered by those of different nations, classes, races, genders, or sexual orientations.
Compare, contrast, and apply research strategies from two or more social science disciplines to the analysis of human experience, a social issue, or to the solution of a real world problem.
Articulate the ethical implications of social science inquiry.
