Behavioral & Social Sciences Focus Area
The Behavioral and Social Sciences encompass the entire spectrum of the human experience. Students in the Behavioral and Social Science disciplines have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through research, internships, and fieldwork. Students gain skills in critical thinking, ethics, problem-solving, creativity, and communication that prepare them for rewarding careers, lifelong learning, and engaged global citizenship. Students become well-prepared for careers in social services, business, industry, education, law, government, or research.
Students not ready to declare a specific major can choose to be in Exploratory Behavioral & Social Sciences until they have decided on a specific major. Click the button below to view the Exploratory & Social Sciences Program Map.
Descriptions of each major can be found below. For major-specific information (catalog pages, program maps, career opportunities, etc) click the button below.
Anthropology
Provides student opportunities to engage with each of the four major areas of anthropology – cultural anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, and biological anthropology. These areas encompass study of social processes across the world, from all time periods. Successful majors will develop a broad-based understanding of the human condition.
Campus: Statesboro
Human Development & Family Science
Georgia Southern University’s Human Development & Family Science degree program takes a family-oriented approach to lifespan development. Designed to provide a strong background in the social and behavioral sciences related to child development, family development and the administration of programs for children and families, the Human Development & Family Science major gives you the tools you need to make an immediate and profound difference in the lives of others.
Campus: Statesboro
Criminal Justice & Criminology
The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology provides a comprehensive examination of justice, crime, and the law. Faculty teach and research a variety of topics reflecting their diverse social science backgrounds.
Campus: Statesboro, Armstrong-Savannah
Fashion Merchandising/Apparel Design
Provides students two emphasis areas: design or merchandising. The major focuses on the diverse careers in the fashion industry such as merchandising & buying, fashion promotion, apparel design, styling & visual merchandising, computer-aided design, and product development. Students may choose various minors such as marketing, public relations, sustainability, and art to accompany their major.
Campus: Statesboro
Interior Design
Gives students curriculum, studios, and field experiences in interior design, including formal coursework in design, materials and systems, lighting, CAD, and textiles. Careers include corporate design, residential design, space planning, furniture design, lighting design, and historic preservation.
Campus: Statesboro
International Studies
The Bachelor of Arts program in International Studies is designed to provide students with a basic knowledge of world affairs and how they affect U.S. foreign and domestic policies. One of the main objectives of this program is to prepare students to cope realistically and intelligently with the changing world, a world that is becoming increasingly interdependent and in which vast new multiplications of cultural forces are emerging.
Campus: Statesboro
Political Science
Political Science is the study of government and focuses on its structure and function and the necessity for human social order. Political Science study attempts to provide the student with a better understanding of political parties, interest groups, international relationships, justice, and power. Political Science trains students to be observers of political behavior in their home country and around the world.
Campus: Statesboro, Armstrong-Savannah
Psychology
Provides students options for research in animal learning, sensation and perception, cognition, physiological psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, psychology of religion and clinical psychology.
Campus: Statesboro, Armstrong-Savannah, Liberty, Online
Recreation
The Recreation and Tourism Management program at Georgia Southern University is the only accredited four-year bachelor’s degree for this field in the state of Georgia. Choose from one of three emphasis areas that lead to rewarding professions that provide life-changing programs and services. Learn the skills you need to become a young professional who can provide enriching recreation experiences for youth and adults, bring families and communities together, care for natural and cultural resources, and provide the basis for the economic growth of local communities.
Campus: Statesboro
Sociology
Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the sociology of work to the sociology of sports. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or education reform, how families differ and flourish, or problems of peace and war.
Campus: Statesboro, Armstrong-Savannah
Sport Management
Prepares students by examining a variety of issues related to the operations of sport organizations, sport facilities, and sporting events. A business minor is incorporated into this program.
Campus: Statesboro
Major Information
Last updated: 11/20/2023