Dec 27, 2024  
2019-2020 Academic Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Behavioral Science, BA


Behavioral science majors develop an interdisciplinary perspective on human behavior and an understanding of psychological, social and cultural dimensions to being human in a complex society. Offered cooperatively by the Departments of Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, the Behavioral Science Program is housed in the Department of Anthropology, which overseas academic advising. The program prepares graduates for a variety of jobs that require working with social science data and with people. Many of our alumni have pursued careers in human resources, social work, counseling, sales and marketing and law enforcement.

University Graduation Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, and GPA requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Graduation Requirements  section of the Policies and Procedures .

4-Year Program Roadmap

Students may find a roadmap for this program here. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Transfer Degrees (ADT) pathway roadmaps can be found here.

General Education/American Institution Requirements

Courses that meet General Education/American Institution requirements are noted with area designation for required area. For legend please see General Education Attributes .

University Requirements (47 units)


Core Lower Division General Education (27 units)


Of the 39 units required by the university, 12 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Courses that meet GE Areas A1, A2, A3 or B4 must be passed with a “C-” or better to meet the requirement. Consult with major advisor for details.

Note: Students who have completed the ADT Transfer degree (under SB 1440) for this major will have completed all lower division GE requirements and should follow the 60 unit guarantee roadmap. Meet with an advisor prior to registering for your first semester for the 60 unit roadmap or specific questions.

Upper Division General Education (9 units)


Of the 9 units required by the university, 0 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Consult with major advisor for details.

American Institutions (6 units)


The 6 units of American Institutions (US123) coursework shown below also fulfills GE Areas D2 and D3. Other courses meet the American Institutions requirement, but may not include additional GE areas. The American Studies (AMS 1A /AMS 1B ) and Humanities Honors (HUM 1A /HUM 1B , HUM 2A /HUM 2B ) programs both offer larger integrated packages that meet this requirement. Consult with major advisor for details.

Complete One Sequence From:

Physical Education (2 units)


Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (3 units)


At SJSU, students must pass both the SJSU Writing Skills Test (WST) and a 100W course. For additional information on the WST, please see http://testing.sjsu.edu/wst. Exceptions to the GWAR may be found at http://info.sjsu.edu/gwar.html.

A grade of C or better (C- not accepted) is required to meet graduation requirement.

Major Requirements (48 units)


Complete Three Units From:


Methods Requirement


Students must complete at least one of the following courses:

A 3-unit maximum of individual studies may be used to meet the degree requirements.

Anthropology (9 units)


Three courses (at least 2 upper division) which may include

Psychology (9 units)


Three courses in psychology (at least 2 upper division) which may include

Sociology (9 units)


Two Additional Upper Division Sociology Courses

Two additional upper division sociology courses which may include:

Area of Specialization (6 units)


Specializations are a cluster of courses used by departments for advising purposes. Specializations will not appear on transcripts or diplomas. Please see advisor for more details.

Two additional upper division anthropology, psychology, or sociology courses, except SJSU Studies Area R, S, or V courses, approved by Behavioral Science advisor.

University Electives (25 units)


At least one unit must be Upper Division course.

Total Units Required (120 units)