The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences offers 11 majors in 10 departments, two of which are Limited Enrollment Programs (LEP). All majors in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences require completion of benchmark or gateway courses to progress in the majors.
To begin the process of changing to, or adding a major in, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences:
- Visit the department of your major to discuss the major requirements with a department advisor and to obtain the change/addition of major form or LEP application.
- Register for an academic planning workshop, by going to www.bsosworkshops.umd.edu.
- Submit your academic plan and change/addition of major form to the Advising Center.
- Once your plan is reviewed and approved, your major will be changed/added. You can find out the approximate review time for plans/major changes when you submit your paperwork.
Majors:
African American Studies (AASD)
The African American Studies Department offers a bachelor of arts degree with two highly-regarded options: a cultural and social analysis concentration with emphasis on culture and history; or the public policy concentration with an emphasis on problem-solving, analytical decision-making and practical applications of policy analysis and management skills. In addition, students who elect majors in other departments can earn a certificate in African American studies. In September 2004, we introduced a minor in black women's studies which is a collaborative program with the university's Department of Women's Studies. For more information about the AASD major, click here.
Anthropology (ANTH)
Anthropology, the study of culture, seeks to understand humans as a whole -- as social beings who are capable of symbolic communication through which they produce a rich cultural record. Anthropologists try to explain differences among cultures -- differences in physical characteristics as well as in customary behavior. Anthropologists study how culture has changed through time as the human genus has spread over the earth. Anthropology is the science of the biological evolution of human species, and the disciplined scholarship of the cultural development of human beings' knowledge and customary behavior. For more information about the ANTH major, click here.
Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJS)
The mission of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology is to provide a supportive academic and professional environment for faculty and students. The department promotes study and teaching concerning crime and delinquency and their prevention and control. The University of Maryland's Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice is a national and international leader in research and criminal justice education, and its graduate program is ranked number one in the field. Courses offered by this department may be found under the following acronym: CCJS. For more information about the CCJS major, click
here.
Economics (ECON)
Economists study a wide range of phenomena using analytical methods that describe how people and collections of people behave and interact. Many economists define their profession as the analysis of decisions made in the context of scarcity. Economics can also be described as the study of the production, pricing and distribution of goods and services within societies. Economists study such problems as inflation, unemployment, poverty, environmental quality, financial markets and international trade. Economists also apply their methods of analysis to such diverse areas as crime, health care, discrimination and the problems of developing countries. For more information about the ECON major, click here.
Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP)
Environmental Science and Policy is a broadly multidisciplinary, undergraduate major, drawing courses and faculty from 20 departments and four colleges (the Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Behavioral and Social Sciences; Chemical and Life Sciences; and Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences). For more information about the ENSP major, click here.
- Web site
- Location: 0220 Symons Hall
- Phone: 301-405-8571
Geography (GEOG)
How do you see the future? More of everything: food, parks, leisure, personal electronic devices, peace between the nations? Or more people, new diseases, traffic gridlock, and starvation? Will there still be crabs and oysters from the Chesapeake Bay? For more information about the GEOG major, click here.
Geographic Information Science and Computer Cartography (GIS)
The Geography Department offers an important area of specialization: GIS (geographic information systems) and Computer Cartography. The Bachelor of Science degree program in Geographic Information Science and Computer Cartography is designed to give students the technical skills needed to acquire, manage and analyze very large amounts of geographic data. Students will get extensive computer training in digital processing of remote sensing observations and cartographic vector data, spatial analysis, and the display of information products. Almost everything we do involves geographic information, from deciding where to live and travel, to environmental monitoring and urban planning. Influenced by computer technology, the academic disciplines of geographic information science such as remote sensing, (GIS) and computer cartography have evolved dramatically in the past few decades. Remote sensing is the science of obtaining geographic information from aircraft and satellites. GIS technology manages and analyzes different forms of digital geographic data, and this field has been growing at an extraordinary rate. Computer cartography has revolutionized traditional cartography to vastly improve map making and visualization of geographic information in a multimedia environment. For more information about the GIS major, click here.
Government and Politics (GVPT)
Government and politics is one of the largest majors on campus with approximately 1,000 students taking courses in American politics, international relations, comparative politics, political theory, political philosophy, law, public policy and environmental policy. Its large and diverse group of students are mentored by faculty through a variety of in- and out-of -classroom experiences and have been extremely successful in garnering campus and national awards, acceptance to competitive law and graduate programs, and exciting careers in all levels of government and the private sector. Students also benefit from a large and active group of local alumni who have reached the highest levels of their respective careers and who actively meet, recruit, and mentor current students. For more information about the GVPT major, click here.
Hearing and Speech Sciences (HESP)
Hearing and speech sciences is an inherently interdisciplinary field, integrating knowledge from the physical and biological sciences, medicine, psychology, linguistics and education in order to understand human communication and its disorders. The department curriculum leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. An undergraduate major in this field is an appropriate background for graduate training in speech-language pathology or audiology, as well as for graduate work in other disciplines requiring knowledge of normal or disordered speech, language or hearing. The student who wishes to work professionally as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist must obtain a graduate degree in order to meet national certification requirements and most state licensure laws. For more information about the HESP major, click here.
Psychology (PSYC)
The undergraduate major in psychology provides an introduction to the methods by which the behavior of humans and other organisms are studied, and to the biological conditions and social factors that influence behavior. For more information about the PSYC major, click here.
Sociology (SOCY)
Sociology is the scientific study of society and its institutions, organizations, and groups. By observing the broad range of activities in society, and exploring topics such as social class, race, gender, deviance, family, religion, the work place, and demographic trends, sociologists provide important information and perspectives on our social order and the causes and impacts of social change. Sociology provides important information useful both to personal life and public policy decisions. Sociology is among the broadest of the social sciences and is characterized by considerable pluralism in theoretical and methodological approaches, substantive specializations, and in units of analysis. For more information about the SOCY major, click here.
