UMA's Social Science program provides students with a curriculum and extracurricular support to develop their knowledge and skills in the social sciences. The program offers courses supporting UMA's General Education requirements and in depth training for social science majors. We are committed to supporting institution wide research literacy and engaging in applied social science research projects. To meet student needs, we deliver curriculum with range of designs to students on campuses and at a distance.

A degree in Social Science from UMA qualifies you for important careers requiring decision making, problem solving, evaluation, research, and written or oral communication. Many of our graduates advance to leading roles in government, business, education, social services, and other fields.

Graduates of UMA's Social Science program have well-developed organizational and interpersonal skills. These skills, along with the related skills listed below, have served our students well as they prepare for careers as teachers, lawyers, social workers, college administrators, and much more.

Others cap the baccalaureate degree with graduate study, yielding opportunities in law, clinical psychology, social sciences, research, college teaching, and much more. Indeed, the Social Science curriculum provides a solid foundation on which ambitious students may build and succeed.

Social Science Careers You Can Seek

Social Science majors develop a wide range of skills which they utilize in a variety of occupational areas. The list below showcases a sampling of occupations pursued by our Social Sciences majors. Some positions may require additional specific training.

*With additional certification.

**With advanced degree.

The Social Science Program is pleased to offer a full complement of courses delivered online to match students' demanding schedules. 

Online courses in the Fall of 2012 include:

COM 317: Mass Media

COM/SOC 375: Social Networks

ECO 201: Macroeconomics

ECO 202: Microeconomics

HTY 103/104: US History I/II

HTY 389: Topics in History

POS 101: American Government

POS 420: The American Health Care System

PSY 306: Behavior Modification

PSY 308: Human Development

PSY 360: Social Psychology

PSY 400: Abnormal Psychology

SOC 302: Social Movements

SOC 319: Social Gerontology

SOC 350: Sociology of Gender

SSC 100: Introduction to Social Science

SSC 320: Research Methods in Social Science

The central campus of the University of Maine at Augusta is located in our state's capital city, placed conveniently near the Augusta Civic Center and a vital commercial district.  The Social Science program offers a variety of in-person courses that, in combination with our online and Interactive Television (ITV) offerings, allow students to obtain their B.A. in Social Science while maintaining an active life in Central Maine.

The courses we are teaching live on the Augusta campus in the Spring of 2012 include:

COM 101: Public Speaking

COM 104: Communication in Groups and Organizations

HTY 104: United States History

HTY 105 and 106: World Civilizations

HTY 331: History of the American Worker

POS 234: American State and Local Government

POS 358: Public Opinion and Survey Research

POS 383: Survey of Constitutional Law

POS 420: The American Health Care System

PSY 100: Introduction to Psychology

PSY 302: Psychology of Childhood

PSY 308: Human Development

PSY 345: Problems and Interventions in Childhood

PSY 360: Social Psychology

PSY 400: Abnormal Psychology

SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology

SOC 201: Social Problems

SOC 370: Sociology of Culture

Additional program coursework can be completed online, at our companion Bangor campus, in the statewide centers of the University College system, or through our ITV system.

Although the central campus of the University of Maine at Augusta is located in our state's capital city, we also maintain a strong presence on our 43-acre Bangor campus.  The Social Science program offers a variety of in-person courses that, in combination with our online and Interactive Television (ITV) offerings, allow students to obtain their B.A. in Social Science without leaving the Queen City.

Our specific in-person course offerings at Bangor vary from semester to semester.  The courses we are teaching live on the Bangor campus in the Spring of 2012 include:

COM 101: Public Speaking

COM 102: Interpersonal Communications

HTY 103 and 104: American History

HTY 331: History of the American Worker

HTY 350: Twentieth Century World History

POS 101: American Government

PSY 100: Introduction to Psychology

PSY 308: Human Development

SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology

SOC 201: Social Problems

Additional program coursework can be completed online or through our ITV system.

The Social Science Program delivers courses to statewide centers beyond Bangor and Augusta, both through Instructional Television (ITV) and in person.

ITV courses are available every semester in each of our disciplines.  In-person courses taught at branch campuses in the Spring of 2012 include:

ANT 102 – Cultural Anthropology (Rockland)

COM 101 – Public Speaking (Ellsworth)

COM 102 – Interpersonal Communications (Bath/Brunswick, Saco)

COM 305 – Argumentation and Debate (Maine State Prison in Warren)

POS 101 – American Government (Maine State Prison in Warren)

PSY 100 – Introduction to Psychology (Bath/Brunswick, South Paris)

PSY 308 – Human Development (Rockland)

PSY 400 – Abnormal Psychology (Bath/Brunswick)

SOC 201 – Social Problems (Rockland)

What is Social Science?

"Social science" is a term whose origin can be traced back to early efforts to classify the sciences, dividing them into the philosophy of science and three branches (natural sciences, social sciences and the formal sciences). The sciences and related STEM disciplines constitute a major portion of curriculum of contemporary universities.  The term "social science" was itself was accepted into contemporary academe at the emergence in the first half of the 19th century.

The social sciences encompass multiple fields of scholarship, research and professional preparation. While debate about 'the definitive list' is endless in any system of classification, the social sciences have in common three basic components: i) a shared history; ii) a commitment to the use of scientific methods; and iii) a focus upon aspects of human nature. Social science research focuses upon the study of societies, cultures, social organizations and the behavior and mind of individuals. Social science disciplines are cornerstones of academic journals, professional organizations and academic institutions to which practitioners belong.

At the conceptual level, social sciences overlap with but are distinguishable from i) behavioral sciences, ii) organizational sciences and iii) cognitive or information sciences. Each of these constructs historically emerged subsequent to the recognition of the social sciences even as the nature of scholarship and scientific inquiry, social systems and academe have evolved.

Common to nearly all definitions of the social sciences are sociology, anthropology, communications, economics, history, political science and psychology. More inclusive lists have included disciplines as varied as journalism, jurisprudence, law, education, geography, linguistics, criminology, developmental studies, and demography. At the heart of debates about the boundaries of all scientific disciplines are the basic questions of 1) when does inquiry become scientific investigation; and 2) when does applied research become 'action research'? These debates invigorate research and teaching in the social sciences.