Social Sciences

This 15-credit certificate will provide the core information and competencies for students interested in pursuing a position in behavioral health and clinical or counseling psychology. It will be useful to both psychology majors interested in pursuing clinical or counseling psychology and for returning students taking courses part-time for career advancement. The certificate may also serve as the gateway to a minor or major in psychology.

Combining the biology minor with another area of study gives you valuable expertise in cross-disciplinary areas, as well as the opportunity to make your academic preparation distinctive. With a comprehensive, well-rounded education, you may become broader and more expert in your field and more competitive in the job market. There are some fields where the biology minor is particularly desirable. For example, a minor in biology can be beneficial to students in majors that prepare them for health care services, marketing biomedical products, or the management of a biologically based company. A minor in biology can be a good addition to majors like communications, political science, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, agriculture, or engineering.

This 15-credit certificate will provide the core information and competencies for students interested in pursuing the field of child development. Students will be provided with a broad overview of the developmental processes underlying child and adolescent development. It will be useful for psychology majors as well as for adult and traditional students taking courses part-time for career tracks working with children and adolescents. This certificate may also serve as the gateway to a minor or major in psychology.

Penn State Behrend offers the innovative Intercollege Penn State Minor in Civic and Community Engagement (CIVCM) to students in any major. The minor encourages students to move beyond traditional classroom work to creatively explore relevant community issues through research and service.

The Crime, Law, and Psychology minor explores both sociological and psychological causes of criminal behavior, the legal process, and the political process dealing with the creation of policies promoting prevention and controlling crime.

With this minor program, you’ll learn about criminal behavior, reasons for crime, how crime is investigated, and the legal system charged with processing offenders. The skills and knowledge gained from this minor will benefit students entering into careers in police, security, the correctional system, social work, law, psychology, and government or politics. This 18-credit minor integrates well with a political science or psychology major.

What can you do with an English degree? Everything! It is among the most versatile of college degrees.

With the B.A. in English from Penn State Behrend, you’ll learn to reason critically, write cogently, construct and deconstruct ideas and arguments, and verbalize opinions and judgments—meaning you’ll develop a diverse set of skills that will prepare you for almost any career field.

Penn State Behrend offers the innovative interdisciplinary-based Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ENTI) minor to students in any major.

The minor equips students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset; think critically and “outside the box” to sense opportunities; develop value propositions; and create sustainable value in fast-paced socio-technological environments. The minor at Penn State Behrend currently offers the New Ventures Cluster, although additional clusters will be made available.

How does the environment affect humans—and how do we affect our environment? With Penn State Behrend’s B.S. in Environmental Science, you’ll apply interdisciplinary knowledge to research those questions and prepare to join an in-demand field.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers an interdisciplinary German Studies Certificate (GERSC BC) available to all Penn State Behrend students. The German Studies Certificate, which requires 16-17 credits, may serve as a “bridge” to Penn State’s German Minor.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences offers an interdisciplinary Global Awareness Certificate (GLBLBC). Open to all Penn State Behrend students, the 12-credit certificate program equips students to deal more effectively with the globalizing world in which they will live and work.

The 18-credit History minor is designed to complement a wide range of social studies and humanities majors by affording students the opportunity to examine change and development in human societies over time. Students are free to select courses in the topics, geographical areas, and time periods that most suit their needs and interests.

At the heart of our History major is the idea that stories—those of individuals, communities, and societies—matter. In exploring these stories, you’ll gain an understanding of how and why the past has shaped the present and build a foundation for becoming an engaged, empathic citizen in a global society.

With Penn State Behrend’s B.A. in History, you’ll develop expertise in research, critical analysis, documentation and writing, cultural awareness, and effective communication—precisely the competencies that employers want in new hires and those necessary to advance in leadership and executive positions.

The 18-credit minor in Latin American Studies offers students in any degree program the opportunity to enhance their education with a foundation of knowledge about Latin America. The program explores disciplines like history, political science, and anthropology, examining them through the lens of Latin American experiences.

This minor can provide an essential knowledge base for students interested in pursuing careers with global companies or organizations, or for students interested in pursuing graduate studies.

The Latin American Studies minor might also be of particular interest to students interested in a study-abroad experience.

Laws affect all of us daily—how we live and what we do, and how our communities, businesses, and governments operate. The 18-credit minor in Legal Studies gives students a background in our legal system, the basic structure of our rights and responsibilities, while also introducing them to perspectives on the law, its operation, and its effects in different contexts.

The Legal Studies minor can complement nearly any field of study, including engineering, business, criminal justice, communication, history, and environmental science. It should be of particular interest to students outside of liberal arts who are interested in law.

The Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology is a research-based degree with practical applications—and employment flexibility. A Penn State graduate degree in clinical psychology is attractive to employers and doctoral programs alike, and offers you more opportunity than a degree solely focused on counseling. Preparation for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) designation is an option for our M.A. graduates, as are doctoral study, teaching, research, and mental-health administration.

An M.A. in Clinical Psychology makes it possible for you to work in outpatient settings, inpatient settings, partial hospitalization programs, clinics, mental health agencies, human service agencies, community service agencies, colleges and universities, schools, prisons, consultancies, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, and research laboratories.

Mathematics is one of the oldest and most basic sciences, the foundation on which many other disciplines rely. Mathematical knowledge increases problem-solving skills in many fields.

Every organization seeks competent and confident communicators—professionals who craft and deliver meaningful messages that reach the right audience at the right time. This universal need makes Penn State Behrend’s B.A. in Media and Communication a versatile, valuable degree.

If you enjoy working with people, welcome the opportunity to brainstorm and develop creative ideas, and embrace new technology, Media and Communication might be the major for you.

Penn State Behrend has forty-plus degree programs. But if one isn’t the perfect fit for you, you can plan your own path with the B.A. in General Arts and Sciences.

As Penn State’s most flexible degree program, the B.A. in General Arts and Sciences is a choose-your-own-adventure major. You’ll work closely with advisers to assemble a curriculum that meets your personal interests and career goals.

If you have a caring nature, enjoy working with people, and are an adaptable, quick thinker, nursing might be the field for you.

A four-year bachelor’s degree has become the desired academic credential for nurses—and the B.S.N. in Nursing will help you enjoy higher pay scales and greater career opportunities.

Physics is the fundamental science from which many fields of science and engineering developed. Understanding it gives you insights into your field at broad and fundamental levels. This strengthens your abilities to innovate and to see basic connections in your specialization or across disciplines.

A physics minor can provide you with a cross-disciplinary background that is highly valued by industry and academics.

If the workings and interactions of state, national, and international governments fascinate you, consider pursuing a degree in political science.

Behrend’s B.A. in Political Science emphasizes the development of key intellectual skills, ingraining the habits of questioning, debating, challenging, and shaping persuasive arguments. You’ll be expected to master effective writing, speaking, and reasoning skills—all of which will make you a desirable candidate to any number of employers.

With the 18-credit Politics and Public Policy minor, students can develop a deep understanding of how the policies that affect our daily lives are formulated, funded, and implemented. The minor explores the political and governmental processes behind these decisions, and gives students a framework for how to analyze the impact and effectiveness of those policies.

This minor is useful to students pursuing any number of degree programs, giving them a background to bring expertise to their chosen major—particularly in how their field intersects with government regulation.

If you’re curious about the hows and whys of human behavior—how personality develops, how we interact with one another, why our thoughts affect our behaviors, why aggression exists—then a bachelor’s degree in Psychology might be the path for you.

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior, making it a solid foundation for almost any career. A Psychology degree is particularly valued in the mental health and social services fields, but also in education, medicine, business, law, and research.

The Intercollege Minor in Sustainability Leadership allows students in any major to incorporate sustainability as a significant theme in their undergraduate degree program. Through a combination of coursework and immersive experiences in sustainability, students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become sustainability leaders in their respective fields.

This 18-credit Trauma Studies certificate offered at Penn State Behrend provides the core information and competencies for students interested in pursuing research and applied experiences in trauma studies. The certificate is open to all majors; students will be provided with an interdisciplinary understanding of the psychological, historical, sociocultural, political, and physiological aspects of the effects of trauma. It will also provide students a greater understanding of the unique economic, occupational, physical, medical, and interpersonal needs of those recovering from trauma.

Women’s Studies & Gender Studies (WMNST) at Penn State Behrend asks students to think about the impact of gender in their lives and to interpret both their own experiences and social expectations. The WMNST minor is interdisciplinary; students take courses in a variety of fields, including communication, history, literature, political science, psychology, and more.

To obtain a minor in Women’s Studies, students are required to complete 18 credits of coursework, 6 prescribed and 12 supporting. The supporting credits, which students choose from a program-approved list, must include at least 3 credits each in arts and humanities and natural or social sciences, and 3 credits focusing on non-Western women or on women of color in the United States. A total of 6 credits must be at the 400 level.

When students complete the minor requirements, they receive a certificate, and the minor is noted on their official transcript.