Some people enter college and know exactly what they want to study, right down to the emphasis. But there’s no need to be embarrassed if you only have a general idea of what you want to do. Knowing that you want to pursue a social science degree is the first step—and don’t worry, we’ll help you find the discipline. We’ve made the process a lot easier!
Calling all people-persons!
Do you enjoy working with people more than anything? If you can imagine a career dedicated to helping others, you should consider studying social work. Social workers work with people from all walks of life; even though social work is mainly associated with children and families, they also work with the elderly, people with addictions, and people with mental illnesses. Social workers may work in a school, hospital, or rehabilitation facility. However, they can make a great impact within disadvantaged communities by working in tandem with community organizers and leaders.
Relevant Disciplines: Social work, sociology, addiction studies, and psychology.
Pay attention, culture buffs.
If you’re interested in the origins and practices of other cultures, anthropology may appeal to you. This discipline combines history, research, and cultural studies to create a fascinating field of study. An anthropologist studies people and communities through fieldwork and data analysis. Their findings have a variety of real-life applications, be it finding a further understanding of a culture, a link to the past, or a solution to social problems.
Perhaps you’re interested in a more focused aspect of culture: language. Linguistics, the scientific study of language, offers a lot of career avenues. Education is always an option; many linguistic graduates go on to teach English abroad or English as a second language. However, you aren’t limited to the classroom—with the right emphasis, you can go on to preserve a dying language or work with language in the brain.
Relevant Disciplines: Anthropology, archaeology, ethnology, linguistics, neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics, and education.
Want to make a difference in the world?
This one’s for the social activists—you have plenty of options. By studying sociology, you’ll learn about the intricacies and hidden forces that rule our society. An acute awareness of sociological concepts can be applied to just about anything, be it college basketball or public policy. Sociologists are no stranger to statistical and data analysis, as it makes up the other half of their investigative research. Their findings are taken into consideration when enacting societal change. If you wanted to make a direct impact, you could always study political science. Technically, you don’t need a political science degree to run for political office, but having a deep understanding of the mechanisms of our government will make you a superb candidate.
Relevant Disciplines: Sociology, criminology, political science, public administration, and law.
