Program requirements

Degree requirements

The applied social sciences certificate requires a minimum of 15 credit hours (at least 12 must be upper-division), as outlined below. Students are encouraged to take courses that develop breadth rather than limiting their selection to courses in one particular discipline.

Additional certificate requirements:

• All 15 credit hours must be completed through the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
• A maximum of six credit hours may be shared between a certificate and a New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences major.
• Only courses in which a student receives a grade of "C" (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) or higher may be used to meet the certificate requirements.
• A maximum of three credit hours of individualized instruction or internship may be applied toward the certificate.

Required Core Courses (6 credit hours)
POS 350 Comparative Politics, SB and G (3) or SOC 331 Environmental Sociology, SB and G (3)
SBS 304 Social Statistics I, CS (3) or SBS 404 Social Statistics II: Multivariate Analysis, CS (3)

Certificate Elective Courses (9 credit hours)
Students will select nine credit hours from courses where an applied project is assigned within a specific context. Selected courses must come from at least two of the following prefixes: ASB, POS, SBS or SOC.

Examples of electives include, but are not limited to:
ASB/POS/SBS/SOC 394 or 494 Special Topics (1-4)
e.g. SOC/SBS 494 Sociology of Everyday Life
ASB/POS/SBS/SOC 484 Internship (1-12)
ASB/POS/SBS/SOC 499 Individualized Instruction (1-3)
POS 150 Comparative Government, SB and G (3)
POS 350 Comparative Politics, SB and G (3)
SBS 460/ASB 442 Global Cities, SB and G (3)
SOC 241 Modern Social Problems, SB (3)
SOC 328/ASB 340 Migration and Culture, SB and G (3)
SOC 331 Environmental Sociology, SB and G (3)
SOC/SBS/POS/ASB 339 Grassroots Social Movements, SB (3)
SOC/ASB 371 Inequality and Sustainability (3)
SOS 111 Sustainable Cities, (HU or SB) and G (3)

Depending upon a student's undergraduate program of study, prerequisite courses may be needed in order to complete the requirements of this certificate.

Enrollment requirements

A student pursuing an undergraduate certificate must be enrolled as a degree-seeking student at ASU. Undergraduate certificates are not awarded prior to the award of an undergraduate degree. A student already holding an undergraduate degree may pursue an undergraduate certificate as a nondegree-seeking graduate student.