Integrated Social Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences

The online Integrated Social Sciences major is the innovative brainchild of both technology and interdisciplinary scholarship in the social sciences. It is built around two types of courses – thematic areas and core. Thematic areas courses enable students to explore important areas of inquiry across the full breadth of the social sciences, frequently re-encountering significant themes from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Core courses provide students with a common intellectual foundation, help build active learning communities, and emphasize integration of learning experiences.

Major category: Capacity-constrained

Topic: Social sciences

website   Degree requirements

Applicant type

Freshman

Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)

Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman, including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).


Transfer

Quarters of general admission to UW: autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring

Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.

  • Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
  • Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
  • Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
  • UW college and school graduation requirements

Department admission information

  • Departmental application deadline: April 15 (Priority), July 15 (Final)
  • Please contact the department for details about the application process.
This major is capacity-constrained. Completion of prerequisites does not guarantee admission. However, all students meeting minimum major admission requirements will be given serious consideration.

Minimum major admission requirements:

  • Minimum of 75 transferable quarter credits from a regionally accredited college or university
  • Minimum cumulative transfer GPA of 2.0 in all transferable college coursework
  • Minimum 2.5 GPA in all courses applied to ISS major requirements
  • Completion in high school or community college of College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADR)
  • Demonstrated progress toward University and College of Arts and Sciences general education requirements

Admission is based on:

  • Satisfaction of minimum major admission requirements
  • Preparation for an interdisciplinary social science major as indicated by number of credits and grades earned in courses applicable to the ISS major
  • An application essay which demonstrates thoughtful engagement in the social sciences and readiness to work successfully in an online learning environment

Suggested first-and second-year college courses:

  • General coursework developing critical thinking, analytical and writing skills
  • Coursework which satisfies general education requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences, including courses in English composition, foreign language and quantitative and symbolic reasoning

 

Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.

Courses required for the major:

All courses in the social sciences, including courses in the following disciplines: American ethnic studies, Anthropology, Communications, Economics, Geography, History, International studies, Philosophy, Political science, Social Psychology, Sociology, Women Studies, etc.

Entering transfer information:

Total undergraduates: 153
Total from Washington community colleges: 57

Entering transfer GPA (from WA community colleges):

3.75 – 4.00: 12
3.50 – 3.74: 10
3.25 – 3.49: 4
3.00 – 3.24: 5
2.75 – 2.99: 6
2.50 – 2.74: 11
2.49 and below: 9


Career outcomes