Social Science Degrees and Programs

Four social sciences— economics and business, history, political science, and sociology and anthropology

The four social sciences— economics and business, history, political science, and sociology and anthropology—offer clearer understanding of how people function in community, organize to accomplish common goals, and manage the production and exchange of goods and services. 

As a social science major, you study people’s behavior as individuals and in groups by focusing more on general characteristics or patterns of behavior than on particular persons or institutions. You choose your own area of emphasis, guided by the different set of questions and arena of human activity studied in each social science, gaining a broader perspective than students pursuing a single subject.

Alumni Stories

Elizabeth Beebe ’17, has previously worked for Old Skool Cafe, a youth-run supper club, in support of their overall operations and business development projects. After the Thomas Fire and Montecito Mudslide, she worked for two organizations in order to support impacted homeowners and workers. She persued her Master’s of Public Affairs and now works for Habitat for Humanity.

Andrew Bradshaw ’25, studied business, psychology, sociology and communications at Westmont. He was selected as a Luce Scholar with the Henry Luce Foundation and is currently serving in Kathmandu. In 2024, he interned with the International Crisis Group in New York, where he supported the foundation team’s $12 million donor portfolio at one of the world’s leading policy think tanks focused on conflict and peacebuilding.

Career Paths

Social Work 

Law 

Health Sciences 

Missions

Ministry 

Business 

Government 

Teaching

Faculty and Staff

Katherine Bryant faculty news
Katherine Bryant, PH.D

Specializes in international politics, international development, empirical methods, international conflict and peace building

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Blake Victor Kent faculty news
Blake Victor Kent, Ph.D.

Expertise in quantitative methods of research, specializing in population health, medicine, and religion

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Edd Noell, Ph.D.
Edd Noell, Ph.D.

Recently served as President of the U.S. Association of Christian Economists

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Dr. Alastair Su
Alastair Su, Ph.D.

Specializes in the history of capitalism and immigration in the United States

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Opportunities Abroad

Westmont’s Europe Semester 

Westmont in Northern Europe 

Westmont’s England Semester 

Westmont in Cairo 

Westmont in Jerusalem

Sample Schedule

  • 48 units in economics and business, history, political science and sociology and anthropology
  • 20 units in an area of emphasis
  • 12 units each in two areas
  • 4 units in the fourth area
  • At least 20 units must be upper-division courses
     
  • EB 011 Principles of Macroeconomics (4)
  • EB 012 Principles of Microeconomics (4)
  • Upper-Division EB Elective: (4)

Two of the following:

  • EB 102 Intermediate Microeconomics (4)
  • EB 103 History of Economic Thought (4)
  • EB 135 Money, Banking and Financial Markets (4)
  • EB 137 Intermediate Macroeconomics (4)
  • HIS 099 Foundations of History (4)
  • HIS 198 Senior Research Seminar (4)
  • Two upper-division history courses (8): Approved by the academic advisor. Study two different geographical regions and/or chronological periods.
  • Additional History Elective: (4)
  • POL 010 American Government (4)
  • POL 020 International Politics (4)
  • POL 030 Political Theory and Ideology (4)
  • Upper-Division POL Electives: (8)
     
  • SOC 001 Introduction to Sociology (4)
  • SOC 171 Sociological Theory
  • (4) Upper-Division SOC Electives: (12)
     

You Just Have to See it for Yourself

Envision your future at Westmont’s stunning campus, where the environment fuels creativity and personal growth.