Social Sciences Programs

Describing and understanding humanity from a basis of observable evidence and examining human organizational and individual roles within their respective environments is at the heart of the Social Sciences Program.

The Social Sciences Major is a liberal arts major that provides a balance between domestic, regional , and global issues.

The major, when taken as part of an integrated secondary education program, is designed to prepare students for teaching certification in Idaho.

The major program has three emphasis areas:

Associate Degree

An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually taking about two years. A traditional associate degree program consists of three parts: general education requirements, major requirements, and electives. Two earn one of the two associate degrees offered by the Social Sciences Division you have to complete a minimum of 64 credits.

Why study for an Associate Degree?

An associate degree has two main purposes. It can either be earned as a career preparation degree or as the first half of a bachelor's degree.

In the first case, the associate degree might be called a terminal degree or occupational degree, because it is designed to prepare you for immediate employment. In other words, as a career preparation degree, an associate degree stands on its own. Not all jobs require students to have an bachelor degree. Thus, an associate degree enables students to learn the required skill set for a specific job without having to spend four years in college. This is not to say that students with associate degrees cannot change their minds later on and use their earned credits towards further educational goals.

In the second case, the associate degree serves as a kind of transfer degree. Transfer degrees are usually less career-focused than terminal/occupational degrees. They enable you to transfer into a a full, 4-year program in the same or another institution. In this sense, the associated degree can be used as a stepping stone for further education and allows students to test the waters before committing to a longer academic parcourse.

Currently, we are offering two Associate Degree:

Behavioral Science

Justice Studies

Minors

Reasons for picking up a minor are myriad. While job requirements seldomly call for a minor in something explicitly, they will frequently though use language like "familiarity with".

A minor signals to a prospective employer that you have concrete expertise in area beyond your primary field of specialization and might have the ability to communicate with a diverse group of people; a skill highly coveted in today's job market. It further demonstrates a certain level of initiative and persistence through the fact of having had to complete multiple projects simultaneously.

In other words, a minor is concrete proof of a specific level of achievement beyond any stated interest. It adds to your breath of understanding. A minor thus has the potential to provide you with an edge over your competitors in the job market while complementing or counterbalancing your main area of study.

What's a minor?

An academic minor is a student's declared secondary or even tertiary field of study during his or her undergraduate studies.

A minor is very similar to a major in that it emphasizes a specific area of study. In a way it can be considered a less extensive double major. In this sense, it is a good marketing tool. It enables you to graduate in a reasonable time while exploring the second area of interest and enhancing your employability.

Currently, we are offering eleven minors for you to choose from:

Anthropology                       Behavioral Science                    Environmental Studies

Global Studies                      History                                    Native American Studies

Political Psychology               Political Science                       Social Sciences

Sociology                             Women's & Gender Studies