Behavioral Sciences, BA

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About the Program

The Behavioral Sciences major includes studies in several disciplines to provide multiple perspectives on human behavior, culture, and society. It is designed to provide a strong foundation for employment in a variety of fields including public/social services as well graduate school.

Degree Requirements

120 Credit Hours
Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits)

English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 - English Composition I and ENGL 10500 - English Composition II
Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication
Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits): Select from the Quanititative Reasoning Core list
Natural Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Natural Sciences Core list
Technology (3 Credits): Select from the Technology Core list
Humanities (3 Credits): Select from the Humanities Core list
Social Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Social Sciences Core list
Gen Ed Elective (3 Credits): Select from the Gen Ed Core list
First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits): Select from the First-Year Experience Core list

CHESS College Core (36 Credits)

Modern Language (12 Credits)
Gender Issues (3 Credits)
Global Cultures (3 Credits)
Individual and Society (3 Credits)
Literature and the Arts (3 Credits)
Racial and Ethnic Diversity (3 Credits)
Social Ethics (3 Credits)
U.S. Tradition (3 Credits)
Western Heritage (3 Credits)

For courses that meet these requirements, please see the CHESS College Core list .

Major Core (36 Credits)

SOC 10000 - Introductory Sociology
Two Additional Introductory Courses in Behavioral Sciences (6 Credits) - choose from:
Research Methods and Statistics Sequence (6 Credits) - choose one of the options below:
- SOC 38200 - Introduction To Statistics In Sociology and SOC 38300 - Introduction To Research Methods In Sociology , or
- PSY 20100 - Introduction To Statistics In Psychology and PSY 20300 - Introduction To Research Methods In Psychology
Sociology Electives (6 Credits) - Six (6) credits of SOC courses at the 30000-level or above
Area A (6 Credits) - Six (6) credits at the 30000-level or above of ONE of the following disciplines: ANTH, ECON, HDFS, POL, PSY or SWRK
Area B (6 Credits) - Six (6) credits at the 30000-level or above of ONE of the following disciplines (but not the discipline from Area A): ANTH, ECON, HDFS, POL, PSY or SWRK
Behavioral Science Elective (3 credits) - Three (3) credits at the 30000-level or above from a course in ANTH, ECON, HDFS, POL, PSY, SOC or SWRK

Other Required Courses (18 Credits)

Free Electives (18 Credits) - Six (6) credits must be taken at the 30000-level or above

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Requirements

Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): 2.0 GPA

Experiential Learning (EL): One EL course required. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title.

General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement.

Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study.

Courses that are only offered on one campus will be noted by an (H) for Hammond, or (W) for Westville.

Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.

Semester 1 (15 Credits)

ENGL 10400 - English Composition I
SOC 10000 - Introductory Sociology
First-Year Experience - select from Gen Ed Core List
Quantiative Reasoning - select from Gen Ed Core List
Modern Language Level I (See Note 1)

Semester 2 (15 Credits)

ENGL 10500 - English Composition II
Western Heritage - select from CHESS College Core List
Modern Language Level II (See Note 1)
Humanities - select from Gen Ed Core List
Introductory Course in Behavioral Sciences (See Note 2)

Semester 3 (15 Credits)

COM 11400 - Fundamentals Of Speech Communication
Natural Science - select from Gen Ed Core List
Modern Language Level III (See Note 1)
U.S. Traditions - select from CHESS College Core List
Research Methods and Statistics Sequence - SOC 38200 or PSY 20100

Semester 4 (15 Credits)

Social Sciences - select from Gen Ed Core List
Modern Language Level IV (See Note 1)
Technology - select from Gen Ed Core List
Research Methods and Statistics Sequence - SOC 38300 or PSY 20300
Introductory Course in Behavioral Sciences (See Note 2)

Semester 5 (15 Credits)

Sociology Elective - 30000-level or above
Gen Ed Elective - select from Gen Ed Core List
Literature and the Arts - select from CHESS College Core List
Racial and Ethnic Diversity - select from CHESS College Core List
Free Elective

Semester 6 (15 Credits)

Sociology Elective - 30000-level or above
Area A Course (See Note 3)
Gender Issues - select from CHESS College Core List
Free Elective
Free Elective

Semester 7 (15 Credits)

Area A Course (See Note 3)
Area B Course (See Note 4)
Social Ethics - select from CHESS College Core List
Global Cultures - select from CHESS College Core List
Free Elective

Semester 8 (15 Credits)

Area B Course (See Note 4)
Behavioral Sciences Elective 30000-level or above - ANTH, ECON, HDFS< POL, PSY, SOC, or SWRK
Individual and Society - select from CHESS College Core List
Free Elective - 30000-level or above
Free Elective - 30000-level or above

Additional Information and Guidelines

Note 1: Modern Language Requirement

Modern Language Level I-Choose from ASL 10100, SPAN 10100, FR 10100, GER 10100, or JPNS 10100.
Modern Language Level II-Choose from ASL 10200, SPAN 10200, FR 10200, GER 10200, or JPNS 10200.
Modern Language Level III-Choose from ASL 20100, SPAN 20100, FR 20100, GER 20100, or JPNS 20100.
Modern Language Level IV-Choose from ASL 20200, SPAN 20200, FR 20200, GER 20200, or JPNS 20200.
Must complete 4 semesters of the same modern language.

Note 2: Choice of ANTH 10000, ECON 10100, HDFS 21000, POL 13000, POL 14100, PSY 12000 or SWRK 20100

Note 3: Area A - two (2) courses (6 credits) at 30000-level or higher in ONE of the following disciplines: ANTH, ECON, HDFS, POL, PSY or SWRK

Note 4: Area B - two (2) courses (6 credits) at 30000-level or higher in ONE of the following disciplines (but not discipline from Area A): ANTH, ECON, HDFS, POL, PSY or SWRK

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester. Certain exclusions apply.