Social Sciences
If you’re looking to pursue a degree in the social sciences then you have a wealth of choices available to you when it comes to choosing a major. The
social sciences are a branch of scientific inquiry that deals with different aspects of human society. These fields have helped shape how we look at ourselves today, how we understand the past and how we define different people, cultures, demographics and even entire eras. While the vast majority of the degrees offered under this umbrella term offer the chance to educate and research, some are quite practical as well, seeking to serve local communities and individuals as well.
The social sciences include the fields of anthropology, archaeology, communication, cultural studies, economics, history, international relations, linguistics, law, geography, social work, sociology, psychology and political science among others. These majors are incredibly varied and offer students a chance to pursue a wide variety of careers from the academic to those focused on directly working with the government, patients, and historical artifacts. While these fields may seem disparate they have in common that they study the human interactions, behaviors and social institutions though how they go about do so may differ greatly.
The vast majority of careers in the social sciences will require degrees at the Master’s or Doctoral level as many of these fields are largely academic in nature and engage students in research and collection of data. Even majors that are not necessarily academic like Law still require higher degrees in order to find jobs and attain state certification and licensure in the field. That said, students can work their way up to these higher degrees with online programs at the Associate’s and Bachelor’s level, with a large number of online colleges offering programs at these levels. Students may be awarded either a Bachelor of Arts if their major falls within the traditional liberal arts fields (history for example) or a Bachelor of Science for majors like economics.
Job prospects for the social sciences can vary widely, though the vast majority of graduates of these programs end up in teaching positions within universities or gaining teaching certification so that they can work in secondary and elementary education settings. Opportunities for careers in these fields are better with the degree of education attained, as higher degrees open up many more career avenues for students of the social sciences. Of course, with any degree program the number of jobs available will depend largely on geographic location and experience as well.
