Online Degrees & Certificates
AA in General Studies: Social Science
Program Description
The Social Science major is recommended for transfer students as it provides a basic foundation for subsequent specialization in many liberal arts fields of study. The value of the degree is now recognized by business and industry as it requires a variety of skills demanded in business, education, health, law, and government, as well as the social services.
Learn more about the program on the Business and Social Sciences website.
Program Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to identify connections and linkages between specific fields of study, events, and ideas and larger studies of specific themes, developments, and topics in anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology.
Students will be able to critically analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources in the fields of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology and draw scholarly interpretations from them.
Career Opportunities
The General Studies student should market educational accomplishments as a collection of career transferable skills in communication, the global arena, public service, problem solving, production, and personnel management. Courses in statistics, business principles, computer science, and language arts should be taken as elective units to increase marketability of the graduate to potential employers.
Award Type(s)
AA = Associate in Arts Degree
Units Required
Major: 30
Additional Information
Note: Students having difficulty in attaining an associate degree because of timing or availability of classes should consult with a counselor to submit a petition for course substitution.
Online Courses for General Studies: Social Science
The courses listed BELOW are offered as online courses at least once every two years. Please see the Class Schedule for verification.
- For a complete listing of online courses offered during the current quarter, visit Online Course Information.
- If you need any additional degree information or confirmation, please contact the Counseling Division.
NOTE: Students having difficulty attaining an associate degree because of timing or availability of classes should consult with a counselor to submit a petition for course substitution
Associate Degree Requirements
ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
---|---|---|
English Proficiency: Select one of the following | ||
ENGL 1A | Composition & Reading | 5 |
ENGL 1AH | Honors Composition & Reading | 5 |
ESLL 26 | Advanced Composition & Reading | 5 |
or equivalent | ||
Ethnic Studies |
||
Any course in the ETHN (Ethnic Studies) subject code, currently approved for Area F of CSU GE and Area 7 of IGETC | ||
Mathematics Proficiency | ||
College-level math course at or above the level of Intermediate Algebra |
A minimum of 90 units is required* to include:
Completion of one of the following general education patterns: 17勛圖 General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
Core courses (30 units)
*Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.
Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree.
Core and Support Courses
Core Courses (30 units)
Select any combination of 30 units from at least FIVE departments:
ONLINE COURSE | TITLE | UNITS |
---|---|---|
Anthropology | ||
ANTH 1 | Introduction to Physical Anthropology | 4 |
or ANTH 1H | Honors Introduction to Physical Anthropology | 4 |
ANTH 2A | Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
or ANTH 2AH | Honors Cultural Anthropology | 4 |
ANTH 2B | Patterns of Culture | 4 |
ANTH 3 | World Prehistory: The Rise & Fall of Early Civilizations | 4 |
ANTH 4 | First Peoples of North America | 4 |
ANTH 5 | Magic, Science & Religion | 4 |
or ANTH 5H | Honors Magic, Science & Religion | 4 |
ANTH 6 | Perspectives from Africa | 4 |
ANTH 8 | Introduction to Archaeology | 4 |
or ANTH 8H | Honors Introduction to Archaeology | 4 |
ANTH 12 | Applied Anthropology | 4 |
Economics | ||
ECON 1A | Principles of Macroeconomics | 5 |
ECON 1B | Principles of Microeconomics | 5 |
ECON 9 | International Political Economy | 4 |
or ECON 9H | Honors International Political Economy | 4 |
or POLI 9 | International Political Economy | 4 |
or POLI 9H | Honors International Political Economy | 4 |
ECON 25 | The Global Economy | 4 |
Geography | ||
GEOG 1 | Physical Geography | 5 |
GEOG 2 | Human Geography | 4 |
GEOG 5 | Introduction to Economic Geography | 4 |
GEOG 10 | World Regional Geography | 4 |
Global Studies | ||
GLST 1 | Introduction to Global Studies | 4 |
or GLST 1H | Honors Introduction to Global Studies | 4 |
GLST 2 | Global Studies | 4 |
History | ||
HIST 3A | World History from Prehistory to 750 CE | 4 |
HIST 3B | World History from 750 CE to 1750 CE | 4 |
HIST 3C | World History from 1750 CE to the Present | 4 |
HIST 4A | History of Western Civilization to 800 CE | 4 |
HIST 4B | History of Western Civilization 700 - 1800 | 4 |
HIST 4C | History of Western Civilization 1789-Present | 4 |
HIST 8 | History of Latin America | 4 |
HIST 10 | History of California: The Multicultural State | 4 |
HIST 17A | History of the United States to 1815 | 4 |
HIST 17B | History of the United States from 1812 to 1914 | 4 |
HIST 17C | History of the United States from 1914 to Present | 4 |
HIST 18 | Introduction to Middle Eastern Civilization | 4 |
HIST 20 | History of Russia & the Soviet Union | 4 |
Humanities | ||
HUMN 1 | Cultures, Civilizations & Ideas: The Ancient World | 4 |
or HUMN 1H | Honors Cultures, Civilizations & Ideas: The Ancient World | 4 |
HUMN 2 | Cultures, Civilizations & Ideas: Of Empires & Conflict | 4 |
HUMN 3 | World Myths in Literature Arts & Film | 4 |
or HUMN 3H | Honors World Myths in Literature Arts & Film | 4 |
HUMN 4 | Trauma & the Arts | 4 |
or HUMN 4H | Honors Trauma & the Arts | 4 |
HUMN 5 | Cultures, Civilizations & Ideas: The Modern World | 4 |
or HUMN 5H | Honors Cultures, Civilizations & Ideas: The Modern World | 4 |
HUMN 6 | The Shock of the New: From the Modern to the Contemporary | 4 |
HUMN 7 | Global Religions: Contemporary Practices & Perspectives | 4 |
or HUMN 7H | Honors Global Religions: Contemporary Practices & Perspectives | 4 |
HUMN 9 | Once Upon a Time? The Immortal Lure of Fairy Tales | 4 |
HUMN 10 | On the Move: Artistic Representations of Migrant Experience | 4 |
HUMN 11 | Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
or HUMN 11H | Honors Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
or MDIA 11 | Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
or MDIA 11H | Honors Introduction to Popular Culture | 4 |
HUMN 12 | Popular Culture & United States History | 4 |
or HUMN 12H | Honors Popular Culture & United States History | 4 |
or MIDIA 12 | Popular Culture & United States History | 4 |
or MIDIA 12H | Honors Popular Culture & United States History | 4 |
HUMN 13 | Video Games & Popular Culture | 4 |
or MDIA 13 | Video Games & Popular Culture | 4 |
HUMN 14 | The Art of Peace: Narrative Representations of Pacifism | 4 |
Political Science | ||
POLI 1 | Political Science: Introduction to American Government & Politics | 5 |
POLI 2 | Comparative Government & Politics | 4 |
or POLI 2H | Honors Comparative Government & Politics | 4 |
POLI 3 | Introduction to Political Philosophy/Political Theory | 5 |
or POLI 3H | Honors Introduction to Political Philosophy/Political Theory | 5 |
POLI 15 | International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
or POLI 15H | Honors International Relations/World Politics | 4 |
Psychology | ||
PSYC 1 | General Psychology | 5 |
or PSYC 1H | Honors General Psychology | 5 |
PSYC 2 | Cultural Psychology | 4 |
PSYC 4 | Introduction to Biopsychology | 5 |
PSYC 10 * | Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
PSYC 14 | Child & Adolescent Development | 4 |
PSYC 21 ** | Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences | 4 |
or WMN 21 ** | Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences | 4 |
PSYC 22 | Psychology of Prejudice & Discrimination | 4 |
PSYC 25 | Introduction to Abnormal Psychology | 4 |
PSYC 30 *** | Social Psychology | 4 |
PSYC 33 | Introduction to the Personality Psychology | 4 |
PSYC 39 | Psychology of Sports | 4 |
PSYC 40 | Human Development | 5 |
PSYC 49 | Human Sexuality | 4 |
Sociology | ||
SOC 1 | Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
or SOC 1H | Honors Introduction to Sociology | 5 |
SOC 8 | Popular Culture | 4 |
SOC 10 * | Social Research Methods & Designs | 5 |
SOC 11 | Introduction to Social Welfare | 5 |
SOC 14 | Sociology of Crime | 4 |
SOC 15 | Law & Society | 4 |
SOC 19 | Alcohol & Drug Abuse | 4 |
SOC 20 | Major Social Problems | 4 |
SOC 23 | Race & Ethnic Relations | 4 |
SOC 28 | Sociology of Gender | 4 |
SOC 30 *** | Social Psychology | 4 |
SOC 40 | Aspects of Marriage & Family | 4 |
Women's Studies | ||
WMN 5 | Introduction To Women's Studies | 4 |
WMN 11 | Women In Global Perspective | 4 |
WMN 21 ** | Psychology of Women: Sex & Gender Differences | 4 |
Total Units | 30 |
* The student may complete either PSYC 10 or SOC 10, but not both, to satisfy the core course requirements.
** The student may complete either PSYC 21 or WMN 21, but not both, to satisfy the core course requirements.
*** The student may complete either PSYC 30 or SOC 30, but not both, to satisfy the core course requirements.
For a list of on-campus courses that satisfy degree requirements, please visit .
Based on the 2024 - 2025 degree program.