Areas of Study

Why study social science?

Have you wondered if it was possible to make a difference in your community? Have you ever wondered about how our social institutions came to be, and what purpose they serve? Do you ever just want to know more about the world around you? Courses in the social sciences can prepare you to work in many different fields, but they can also help you to answer some of these big questions. The world as we know it didn't just happen—people made it this way. By taking classes in history, psychology, sociology, political science, geography, economics, education, early childhood education, or criminal justice, you can learn how things happened, why they happened, and maybe even get an idea or two about how to make it all work better. When you explore the social sciences, you explore the whole world. 

As a student of social science and human services, you will develop a thorough understanding of human beings in relation to their environments, and learn how to extend human and social services for the benefit of others. We offer a wide variety of associate's degrees and transfer programs in both traditional and modern studies, while our certificate programs provide practical training and rich experiences.

Social sciences and human services represents a broad range of academic disciplines. You may study:

Anthropology: the study of what makes us human. 

Criminal Justice: prepares graduates to enter careers in municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies or in the private security field.

Early Childhood Education: Students will complete specific requirements and a minimum of 60 semester credits to earn their associate's degree, DCFS head teacher qualification, and Illinois Gateways ECE Level 4 credential.

Economics: focuses on topics such as the behavior of the consumer, supply and demand, and consumer choice.

Education: prepares graduates to transfer to earn a bachelor's degree specializing in early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, or special education.

Geography: learn to use analytical processes to help understand some of the key issues of our world such as population growth, climate, and energy use.

Historyclasses use a wide variety of methods to uncover the stories of the past by developing skills in investigative techniques, creative problem solving, and data analysis.

Political Sciencehelps us learn how power is used and allocated in the world.

Psychologyuses the scientific method to study thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and the relationship between mind and body. 

Social Work: prepares graduates for transfer for advanced degrees; social workers help people in every stage of life to access services to improve their quality of life, and also advocate and aid the most marginalized sectors of society.

Sociology: studies social issues at both the individual and societal level, including race relations, deviant behavior, crime, poverty and wealth, prejudice and discrimination, marriage and family, and social movements.

Topics in social sciences and human services fields are varied but they share in common the goal of understanding people and the institutions that people have created. if you want to understand yourself, your community, or the wide world a little better we have something for you in the area of social science and human services.