Social Sciences AS

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MAJOR
Social Sciences AS - Pre - Social Work Major

PURPOSE

The social sciences are concerned with the study of human society and emphasize the role of analysis, experimentation, and the scientific method. The chief academic disciplines of the social sciences are anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology.

The Social Sciences AS degree is designed for those who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences. The curricula consist of courses in general education (including foreign language, natural science, and social science) typically required in the first two years of a baccalaureate curriculum in the social sciences.

Students from the Social Science AS degree transfer into a wide variety of majors at senior institutions including, but not limited to, the following:

Anthropology
ASL: interpretation/linguistics
Education/Deaf studies
History
Economics
Government/political science
Mass communications
Pre-law
Psychology
Social work
Sociology
Speech-language pathology

The Social Sciences AS degree lays the foundation for a bachelor of science degree in anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology. The program includes one year of coursework in the same foreign language. The Social Sciences program is designed to provide transfer paths that will match the requirements of senior institutions (four-year colleges and universities); however, senior institutions differ in their requirements, so students are strongly urged to work with their assigned advisor and to acquaint themselves with the requirements of the major department in the college or university to which they plan to transfer.

Students should understand that the line between the humanities and social sciences is not always clear and that some colleges and universities award BA degrees in what are usually considered the social sciences. Each student admitted to the program is assigned an academic advisor to help plan the appropriate course of studies to transfer to the student’s choice of a four-year college or university. Students who complete the program generally transfer as juniors.

The Pre-Social Work major is designed for students who plan to transfer to Virginia Commonwealth University and major in social work. The specialization and major were developed in collaboration with VCU, and an articulation agreement exists for eligible students who transfer to VCU. Students who pursue a different degree program at VCU will be subject to a reevaluation of transferable credits for their elected course of study. Students interested in this specialization should meet with the Pre-Social Work program head at Reynolds and are required to do so during their first semester of study.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Degree graduates will:

Employ appropriate techniques from the different Social Sciences to analyze past and present human behavior and relate them to wider societal structures
Demonstrate knowledge of the different Social Sciences, and how these disciplines help students analyze human societies and our place within them from multiple theoretical perspectives

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

General college curricular admission

PROGRAM NOTES

The following high school units are strongly recommended:

Three units of college preparatory mathematics
Two years of a foreign language

This degree satisfies the requirements for the Uniform Certificate of General Studies (UCGS). The specific UCGS courses or elective options are identified in the program roadmap below.

PRE-SOCIAL WORK ARTICULATION AGREEMENT WITH VCU

The VCU School of Social Work guarantees admission into its BSW program with junior standing to eligible students who have completed requirements for Pre-Social Work specialization for the AS in Social Sciences at Reynolds. Eligible students are those who meet the following criteria:

Earn an Associate of Science degree in Social Sciences at Reynolds
Earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
Earn an individual grade no lower than B in HMS 100 and HMS 121 and
Earn an individual grade no lower than a C in all other courses listed for the Pre-Social Work specialization

COMPUTER COMPETENCY REQUIREMENT

Students in the Social Sciences AS degree will meet the college’s computer competency requirement by successfully completing ITE 152 . Students can also meet this requirement by passing the college’s computer competency exam, administered in the testing centers on each campus, in which case they will receive college credit for ITE 152 . Students not passing the computer competency exam may retake the exam only once.

Program Maps

A Program Map is a template an advisor uses to create an individual Academic Plan for a student. The Academic Plan becomes customized based on a student’s goals, preferences, and previous coursework in High School or elsewhere.

Social Sciences AS Full-time Program Map

Social Sciences AS Part-time Program Map

Planning Tools

Is it right for you? Career Connect Center at Reynolds College for tools to explore career options, develop professional skills, and connect with employers.

What’s next? Check out TransferVA to learn how your Reynolds classes may transfer to in-state colleges.

Customized program maps: Once enrolled, students will have access to our Navigate software, with options to customize their program maps based on post-graduation and transfer goals.