Liberal Arts or Social Sciences Dergree?

[MadMax396]

Hey there forum. I hope everyone is achieving what they want I just wanted to know what you guys think of a Social Sciences Degree over A liberal arts degree. Here is my minor dillemna. I have my Liberal Arts Degree planned, but wit maybe Intro to Psych, History of Cold War and Social Sciences in history, and Substance abuse or combination that gets me 9 social science hours, I will have enough to change to Social Sciences. Do you guys think it is more profitable to do, or that it is not such a big deal if I am going straight into a Masters Program as soon as I can find one that will let me in.

[Old Rusty Pipe]

Objectively, I'd say it's not a big deal if you are rolling right into a Masters program. So long as the Masters is what you have in mind career wise, you should be good with either degree. That being said, which one would you rather personally have? That is the real question you should be asking. With all the CLEP and FEMA and ALEKS, some on the boards seem to loose sight of the fact they they are accomplishing a lifelong milestone. I'm not going to say that earning a degree ranks up as high as marriage, but I would say it's a pretty damn big deal. Which would you rather have hanging on your wall?

[perrik]

1. Would your current job/career path be improved by taking a degree in social sciences or another specific major?

2. Would your chances of being admitted to the grad program be improved by having a specific undergrad major?

If the answer to both questions is "no", then just follow your inclinations. If you really enjoy accumulating the social science credits, why not? You'll get better grades/scores on subjects you like (in theory, anyway), and a higher GPA will help the grad school admissions process.

[cookderosa]

Hey there forum. I hope everyone is achieving what they want I just wanted to know what you guys think of a Social Sciences Degree over A liberal arts degree. Here is my minor dillemna. I have my Liberal Arts Degree planned, but wit maybe Intro to Psych, History of Cold War and Social Sciences in history, and Substance abuse or combination that gets me 9 social science hours, I will have enough to change to Social Sciences. Do you guys think it is more profitable to do, or that it is not such a big deal if I am going straight into a Masters Program as soon as I can find one that will let me in.

>>

For the next zillion years, people will ask you "what is your degree in?" and you'll have to answer....so, which one do you want?

As a step to grad school only, the 2 options are very equal in utility- they are both liberal arts degrees, in other words, neither are a 33 credit concentration in one subject.

I am very much a social science person, so I found it easy. I love anthropology, criminology, psychology, sociology, and social science in general (not to be confused with human services/counseling/social work). This is the stuff I read in my free time. It was a great fit for me- and - I didn't want to take anything in science (!), math (yikes!), or humanities (gag) beyond the gen eds required! I also don't like history (yawn), so I'm pretty clear about what I like and don't like- are you? There is no right or wrong- it's vanilla vs chocolate- totally personal choice. Don't force yourself through stuff you hate (maybe an occasional class you hate LOL just not a whole block of them). I found plenty of excellent classes to fill my major, but in order to keep them in subjects I enjoyed, I did take classes outside of TESC too.

Lastly, of the credits you mention "Intro to Psych, History of Cold War and Social Sciences in history, and Substance abuse" they will exceed your 2 classes allowed at 100 level (you are showing 9 credits- you can only have 6)- so you'll end up with at least 3 of the credits being bumped up into gen eds - I don't know if that messes with your options or not.

[MadMax396]

When I started my higher ed in 2000, my goal was to major in history. I actually read alot and studied on my personal time about history, but networking computers and work came and history and even a degree seemed far away. I have looked at Technical Studies Electronics Engineering and finally Liberal Arts because it sort of embodies the type of person I am and I could finish it fast.

So I will go after social sciences I have upper level courses included in my lower level Social Science credits that will be pushed up if I can test out of lower level social science courses. More importantly, I am going to go after History. I only need Western Civ 2 and US History 2 and I just realized today that I will have all the requirements Edison requires for a BA in history. I will try to test out of these 2 as I tested out of US History 1. Thanks for the assistance I would love Liberal Arts on my degree but why not try for history, Its been on my mind along time.

[cookderosa]

When I started my higher ed in 2000, my goal was to major in history. I actually read alot and studied on my personal time about history, but networking computers and work came and history and even a degree seemed far away. I have looked at Technical Studies Electronics Engineering and finally Liberal Arts because it sort of embodies the type of person I am and I could finish it fast.

So I will go after social sciences I have upper level courses included in my lower level Social Science credits that will be pushed up if I can test out of lower level social science courses. More importantly, I am going to go after History. I only need Western Civ 2 and US History 2 and I just realized today that I will have all the requirements Edison requires for a BA in history. I will try to test out of these 2 as I tested out of US History 1. Thanks for the assistance I would love Liberal Arts on my degree but why not try for history, Its been on my mind along time.

Good for you! Go after your dream!

[MISin08]

From the perspective of a hiring manager (which is far from being the only important consideration, but I have been faced with the dubious "what are you going to do with that? when talking about degree plans, so I'll put it out there) if you have experience, the two degrees probably have equal utility in the workplace. Liberal Arts suggests you can think (and maybe even write); a history grad in particular should be able to relate causes and consequences -- very useful in the workplace. Social Science grads have exposure to multiple perspectives on people -- which might give Social Science majors a bit of an edge in seeking a management job. Stats is good to have.

Doing what you love will give you the energy to persevere, which may be more important than the particular major.

Phillip