College of Social Sciences

About the College

Dr. Elizabeth A. Lowham, Dean
Dr. Jennifer Randles, Interim Associate Dean
Social Sciences Building, Room 108
5340 N. Campus Dr., MS SS-91
Fresno, CA 93740
Phone: 559.278.3013
socialsciences.fresnostate.edu

The College of Social Sciences encompasses fields of study that explore the past and present of human experiences and social and political institutions, groups, and relationships. We emphasize learning practical skills to aid you in your career and to help you transform the world. Many of our students do internships, service-learning projects, and hands-on learning activities, including research, geographical mapping, fieldwork, and social change projects with community-benefit organizations.

Whatever a student’s major, they benefit from our talented faculty and committed staff as they discover our social world.

Mission and Vision

The mission of the College is to seek and impart knowledge of human social experience in all its diversity in order to educate students and benefit humanity.

Understanding the world and our place in it requires a well-rounded education. Accordingly, the College seeks to instill a concern for human values and civic responsibility and to provide substantial knowledge drawn from the social sciences. Such values and knowledge can help a student respond effectively to many challenges and opportunities. Indeed, applications of the social sciences are needed today more than ever throughout the world.

As students advance in their knowledge of societies and cultures, including their own, they learn communication skills and gain valuable understanding of people from different backgrounds. Global awareness, together with an appreciation of relationships between society and nature, is a fundamental aspect of learning in the social sciences. The College teaches students to think clearly, critically, and analytically; this allows students to engage in the solution of complex social problems. Our graduates know the worth of practical as well as professional skills. They realize that careers can be pursued successfully only with the benefit of humanistic values and social/cultural insights. The College also fosters respect for human diversity and a sense of responsibility for the enlightened stewardship of the ecosystems of which we are a part. Thus we endeavor to prepare students to adapt both wisely and resourcefully to the ever-changing world.

The College of Social Sciences offers an array of undergraduate and graduate programs that focus on historical inquiry, current social trends, and projections for our future.

As a leader in liberal arts education, the College of Social Sciences provides excellent preparation for a wide range of careers in academia, government, business, and many other venues in the public and private sectors.

Advising

The College of Social Sciences Advising Center is loaced in McKee Fisk, Room 207. The center strives to empower students to be active, responsible learners by fostering lifelong learning and student development through a holistic advising approach.

Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Degrees and Programs