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

A minimum of 90 units is required* to include:

Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill 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:

* 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 General Studies-Social Science 2024-2025 Degree  & Certificates.

Based on the 2024 - 2025 degree program.