About Social Science

Interested in a number of subjects or fields? Would you like to pursue a number of your interests by designing your own major?

Social Science is an interdisciplinary contract major offered through the School of Social Science and Human Services. This major provides students with flexibility to pursue interdisciplinary training in the social sciences and to design a program that fits their academic goals and needs. This format also allows students to explore specialized or emerging fields in areas in which traditional majors are not offered.

Within this interdisciplinary Social Science contract major, students may elect a concentration (although it is not required). Concentrations aid students’ intellectual development by focusing their conceptual and methodological study. The concentrations highlight interdisciplinary themes students could pursue. The concentrations offered are:

• Community Mental Health
• Education Studies
• Ethnicity & Race Studies
• Gender & Sexuality Studies
• Labor, Work, & Organizations

Students that opt not to elect a concentration will identify their own individual themes of study.

It is recommended that students consider combining their interdisciplinary social science major with an appropriate minor (e.g., Civic & Community Leadership; Crime & Justice Studies; Psychology; Substance Use Disorders; Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; Africana Studies; Anthropology; Latino/a & Latin American Studies).