Academic Departments and Programs in BSS

Click on the following links for department descriptions:

Distance Learning

Anthropology

Website | Catalog

The Department of Anthropology enrolls approximately 100 majors. It offers certificate programs in Cultural Anthropology, Cultural Resources Management, Forensic Anthropology, and Museum Studies. The Department offers a B.A. major and supports a well-respected M.A. program that has produced graduates who have gone on to distinguished doctoral programs or obtained relevant employment in the workforce. The Department is known on campus for excellence in teaching, with two Master Teachers currently on the faculty.

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Child Development

Website | Catalog

Child Development is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of how children grow and develop. It is concerned with understanding the physical, intellectual, emotional and social aspects of the child as a unique individual. CD Majors study about children and their families and the interrelationships between them and the immediate community and larger society.

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Economics

Website | Catalog

The Economics Department offers a major and a minor in an exciting and rewarding field. A BA in Economics provides opportunity for careers in both the private and public sectors. Starting salaries in economics are among the highest of any undergraduate degree. The BA in Economics also provides an excellent preparation for graduate programs in economics, business, law, and urban planning. Economic students learn an analytical approach to problem solving which they can use throughout their lives.

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Geography and Planning

Website | Catalog

Geography explores changes in our social, physical and cultural environments. Geographers work at all scales-- from the globe to the small town, from complex ecosystems to the local watershed, and from the cultural landscapes of continents to the streetscapes of ethnic neighborhoods. Geography’s interdisciplinary approach allows students to link physical and social sciences in the field, laboratory and classroom. The faculty strongly supports students’ professional development and research. Geography and Planning students have won several prestigious awards in state competitions for their research and cartographic skills. The department offers two B.A. concentrations in geography and planning, an M.A. with options in Geography and in Rural and Town Planning, minors in Planning, Geography and Environmental Studies, and certificates in Rural and Town Planning and Geographic Information Systems Technologies. The department is a statewide leader in geographic techniques curriculum and fosters a close relationship with the Geographic Information Center on campus. The Minor in Environmental Studies gives students a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and reducing our ecological footprint. The certificate in Rural and Small Town Planning is unique in California for its emphasis on smaller towns, the urban-rural interface and rural environments.

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Health and Community Services

Website | Catalog

The B.S. in Health Science prepares students for careers in the health field. The health care system employs more than seven million workers, qualifying as the nation's second largest employer. Health occupations currently offer a variety of job possibilities, with more than 600 titles. New positions are being created in the health field, and many openings occur each year due to replacement needs. The demand for health related professionals continues to increase due to 1) a growing number of elders who require more services; 2) advances in medical technology; 3) the entrance of private industry into the health care delivery system; and 4) the expansion of wellness and prevention programs.

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Political Science

Website | Catalog

Chico's baccalaureate program in Political Science offers great flexibility; students choose courses from a rich curriculum, providing close student-faculty contact in each of the following sub-fields: state and local government, comparative government, American politics, political theory and methodology, international relations, public law, public administration, and American national government. Significant work experience and internship opportunities are offered students who may work in the state legislature, with lobbying groups, political parties, political consultants, and in the offices of U.S. Senators and Representatives.

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Psychology

Website | Catalog

The work of the psychologist is a search for knowledge about human and animal behavior to enhance the human condition. With twenty full-time faculty members, the Department of Psychology at Chico offers course work at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate major in psychology is a diverse forty-unit liberal arts program. The major includes the completion of four laboratory /activity courses to ensure that students have direct experience with the content of psychology. The M.A. in Psychology includes options in Psychological Science and Applied Psychology. We also offer a Pupil Personnel Services Program that qualifies students to receive the School Counseling and School Psychology Credentials and an M.S. in Psychology that meets the course content requirements for California Marriage and Family Therapists licensure eligibility.

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Social Science

Website | Catalog

Social Science majors want to work with people. The question is what kind of people and where? Do you want to work with elderly people, young people, or physically challenged people? Do you want to work with people in groups, alone, or in couples? Do you want to work with people in schools, in hospitals, in foster homes, or in retirement communities? The B.A. in Social Science can help you answer these questions as it is designed for students who have a broad interest in the behavioral and social sciences. The Social Science Program includes the disciplines of anthropology, child development, economic, geography and planning, health and community services, history, political science, psychology, sociology, social work, and gender and multicultural studies.

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Social Work

Website | Catalog

The social work profession has always been in the forefront of promoting positive social change in the broader societal context, empowering our most vulnerable citizens and championing the rights of people with disabilities. In the Chico social work program, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, there is a rich mix of students from various backgrounds, lifestyles and traditions. This results in a diverse context for studying and working for social change. The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, which assures students their education meets national standards for social work education at the baccalaureate level, and increases their opportunities for employment and admission into MSW programs. Demand for social workers is on the rise and social work is one of the fastest growing jobs in the United States. For variety, few occupations can compare with social work, which offers a broad range of opportunities and settings.

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Sociology

Website | Catalog

Sociologists study the groups people form in their association with others. The courses in our program focus on group behavior and macro-social forces as well as on the way individuals react to group structures around them and the processes of social interactions. Students who graduate our program with a BA in Sociology offer their prospective employers skills in research and social analysis, as well as an understanding of our culturally diverse and changing society. A wide variety of positions are open to those trained in sociology ranging from university professors who are involved with both teaching and research to career opportunities in industry, community programs, social services, and in the many federal and state programs focused on our society's needs.

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