The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Our School offers students a number of exciting academic and hands-on programs including associate, bachelor, 4+1, 3+3, and graduate degree programs. Our departments include: Education, Psychology, and Social Justice and Community Health-which includes Criminal Justice, Social Work, Sociology, and Public Health. One commonality among these “helping programs” is the desire to improve ourselves and our communities.
Our Education faculty prepare students to become effective teachers in classrooms ranging from Kindergarten through 12th grade, and within specialty areas. Psychology students develop a strong foundation in the traditional areas of psychological theory and experimentation, as well as have access to a research lab to further explore areas of human development, behavior, thinking, motivation, learning, emotion, and social interaction.
Criminal Justice students are prepared to work in law enforcement, courts, corrections, probation, parole, victim services, and juvenile justice agencies—they are provided with hands on opportunities in the field as early as their sophomore year. Social Work faculty prepare students to work in human and social service agencies, mentor them in their field work placements, and provide advanced standing to those who plan to continue in a graduate program. Sociology students develop research and theoretical skills that prepare them for their senior projects as well as emergent occupational roles within our rapidly changing society. Students who enter the multidisciplinary Public Health program are equipped with the knowledge and hands on experience to further pursue fulfilling careers in medicine, health care, biotechnology, and the life sciences—there is a strong need for public health workers in the coming years.
Fast Facts
- The Psychology Department is housed in Briggs Hall, which features 6,000 square feet devoted to psychology, including research space, a computer lab, classrooms, a conference room, and a student lounge.
- Since 2002, Criminal Justice seniors have consistently scored higher than the national average on the Major Field Test in Criminal Justice in the areas of Law Enforcement, Law, Court System, Corrections, Theories of Behavior, Research Methodology and Statistics, and Critical Thinking.
- Public Health students learn on a medical mission trip to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, where they conducted health screenings for local residents, worked with Mexican nursing students, and taught schoolchildren about handwashing and dental hygiene.
- Sociology students understand the continual and immutable process of social change, what causes it, and how we can engage in creating the type of social change we want to see in the world.
Mission
As our world becomes more and more interconnected, it is crucial that the next generation of leaders is aware and knowledgeable in disciplines that study what makes us unique as individuals and similar in our humanity. The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences promotes a holistic, hands-on approach to learning to engage our students with the social world they live in. Our students graduate prepared to engage with social issues, research the causes of and theories for such occurrences, and work to collaboratively create positive change for all people.
Meet the Dean
Maria Garase
Dean, The School of Social & Behavioral Sciences; Associate Professor, Criminology & Criminal Justice