Curriculum

The Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences degree requires 45 units total, including the major, concentration, elective certificate, writing and foundational disciplines requirements, and elective courses.

Students complete eight core courses and choose a major concentration in Law and Policy, Health, Science, and Society, or Social Justice. Social Sciences students also select an elective certificate comprised of four courses from outside of the major.

Core and Major Concentrations

Course List

Course	Title
Core Courses
SOC_SCI 211-DL	Human Culture in Global Perspective
POLI_SCI 250-DL	Introduction to Comparative Politics
PSYCH 110-DL	Introduction to Psychology
SOCIOL 201-DL	Social Inequality
SOCIOL 288-DL	Institutions and Society
SOCIOL 303-DL	Analysis and Interpretation of Social Data
SOC_SCI 389-DL	Qualitative Research in Social Sciences
SOC_SCI 398-DL	Social Sciences Capstone
Major Concentrations (choose one)
Law and Policy
POLI_SCI 230-DL	Introduction to Law in the Political Arena
SOC_SCI 320-DL	Social and Public Policy
SOC_SCI 322-DL	Identity and U.S. Policy
SOCIOL 318-DL	Sociology of Law
Health, Science, and Society
BIOL_SCI 312-DL	The Evolutionary Biology of Human Anatomy, Health, and Disease
HLTH_SCI 317-DL	Culturally Responsive Healthcare
PHIL 269-DL	Bioethics
PUB_HLTH 343-DL	Social Determinants of Health
Social Justice
SOC_SCI 330-DL	Human Rights and Social Institutions: A Global Perspective
SOC_SCI 331-DL	Social Justice Movements
SOC_SCI 334-DL	Social Justice, Human Rights, and the Commercial Sector
SOC_SCI 335-DL	Social Entrepreneurship and the Non-profit Sector

Elective Certificates

Elective certificates provide students with the opportunity to build skills in a wide range of areas to meet career objectives and earn a stand-alone credential to demonstrate expertise in the professional arena.

Elective Certificates - choose one

• Artificial Intelligence
• Biology for Health Sciences
• Business Essentials
• Corporate Communication and Branding
• Data Science
• Human Resources
• Leadership
• Programming
• Public Health
• Research and Analytics
• Strategic Communication
• Strategic Management

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree is conferred by the School of Professional Studies. To earn the Bachelor of Science degree, students must complete a total of 45 units*, including a writing requirement, a foundational disciplines requirement, the major core, concentration, and elective certificate requirements, and electives. Minors are not available for the Bachelor of Science degrees.

^{*Each course carries 1 unit of credit unless otherwise noted in academic catalog.}

^{*Undergraduate students must complete at least fourteen courses at the 300-level.}

SPS-Degree Requirements

Courses	Units Earned
Writing Requirement: English 111 and 205	2
Humanities	4
Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning	4
Social Sciences	4
Major Requirements	8
Major Concentration	4
Elective Certificate	4
Electives	15
Total	45

Writing Requirement

The writing requirement ensures that students have the skills necessary to meet the rigorous writing demands of subsequent SPS courses in all majors, degrees, and disciplines. Expository writing courses — ENGLISH 111 Writing Seminar II and ENGLISH 205 Intermediate Composition — provide the tools to meet the demands of advanced academic writing. Completion of ENGLISH 111 Writing Seminar II and ENGLISH 205 Intermediate Composition with a grade of C or higher satisfies the writing requirement in all SPS bachelor’s degree programs.

Writing requirement courses may not be audited or taken on a pass/no credit basis. Performance-Based Admission students are required to complete ENGLISH 111 and ENGLISH 205 as two of their first four courses. See performance-based admission requirements in this catalog in Undergraduate Academic Policies and Procedures.

More information and a list of courses can be found in this catalog under Writing Requirement.

Foundational Disciplines Requirement

Students complete coursework in three foundational disciplines—humanities, scientific inquiry and quantitative reasoning, and social sciences—to obtain broad experience in the liberal arts. Included in the foundational disciplines requirement are two courses that apply perspectives on power, justice, and equity: one course focused within the United States and one course focused globally. A philosophy course on professional ethics is required for one of the four humanities courses.

Students in Bachelor of Science degrees select from online courses (with -DL in the course number) in the humanities, scientific inquiry and quantitative reasoning, and social sciences areas that satisfy the foundational disciplines requirement.

More information and a list of courses can be found in this catalog under Foundational Disciplines.

Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity Requirement

Included in the foundational disciplines requirement are two courses that apply perspectives on power, justice, and equity: one course focused within the United States and one course focused globally. More information and a list of courses can be found in this catalog under Foundational Disciplines.

Professional Ethics Requirement

A philosophy course on professional ethics is required for one of the four humanities foundational disciplines courses: PHIL 264 or PHIL 364. More information and a list of courses can be found in this catalog under Foundational Disciplines.