About Social Science
Study society and human relationships with this bachelor's degree program.
Social science includes a range of disciplines: history, psychology, sociology, culture, geography, anthropology, archeology, economics, communications and political science. Collectively, the social sciences encompass any effort to study society and human relationships.
The unifying principle is a desire to understand the world we live in from a variety of different perspectives. You can begin your exploration with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Social Science at PennWest California.
As a social science major, you’ll develop specific skills that easily translate across many careers. PennWest California’s social science degree program places a strong emphasis on various forms of communication. Through your classwork, you’ll perform in-depth research and analysis: You’ll write papers, prepare case studies and deliver presentations. These are skills that have applications in such fields as communications, marketing, public relations, journalism, advertising and more.
Social scientists are trained to be problem solvers. They examine some of the most complicated issues in our world today and strive to propose solutions. Some of the problems a social science student may be asked to ponder include global climate change, gender inequality, deforestation and human rights violations. The aim is to challenge social science students to examine the world around them and think about how it could be better. Social science students also are trained to understand the idea of diversity. This concept has been gaining more and more attention lately as issues involving race, gender and sexual orientation have dominated headlines. Businesses that are sensitive and respectful of people’s differences will have a wider reach. Social science graduates are ideally suited to help businesses achieve this balance.
Gain a career advantage with PennWest California’s undergraduate program.
PennWest California students may choose to major only in social science or may select a second academic discipline to complete a highly marketable dual major that includes social science and another discipline. Social science majors frequently find that adding a sociology minor adds value to their credentials.
PennWest California students may also add a 12-credit certificate in violence and incidence collaborative evaluation (VICES) to their degree as a stackable credential for those anticipating a career in education. The African American Studies minor, like the VICES certificate, overlaps significantly with social science coursework, making it easy to pursue simultaneously with the social science major.
Students typically complete the social science major in four years of full-time study; this time can be expanded for students pursuing their bachelor’s degree part-time.