Applied Social and Cultural Studies

UNE’s Bachelor of Arts with a major in Applied Social and Cultural Studies prepares you to pursue diverse career opportunities in social research, policy development, cultural analysis, and community engagement.

Become career ready with an interdisciplinary social science degree

What makes a group of people a society? How do cultural beliefs affect societies, their cohesiveness, and health? While these are questions of the ages, they have never been more relevant than they are today. Combining anthropology, sociology, psychology, archaeology, and political science, UNE’s highly interdisciplinary Applied Social and Cultural Studies major offers three concentrations: Health, Medicine, and Society; Society, Community, and Human Services; and Law, Crime, and Society. By learning to integrate multiple perspectives, you will be prepared for a broad array of career fields, ranging from public health to criminology.

Why 51Æ·²èfor Applied Social and Cultural Studies

  • Interdisciplinary curriculum
  • Choice of concentration
  • Focus on engaging fieldwork, including internships and capstone experience
  • Personally designed programs overseen by faculty advisors
  • Travel-abroad opportunities

Request More Info

Connect with Admissions to learn more about Applied Social and Cultural Studies at UNE.
Loading...
Visit UNE
How to Apply
Three students presenting their Affordable Care Act research at a whiteboard showing a concept map with goals including health equity, access to insurance, and consumer protection.

What Will You Study? Applied Social and Cultural Studies Degree Curriculum Overview

Examples of Available Concentrations

Health, Medicine, and Society

Examine health, illness, disability, and mental health issues as well as health care systems. (Ideal for a career in public health, health administration, or mental health)

Society, Community, and Human Services

Study the constituents and institutions involved in community service and development. (Ideal for a career in social work, human services, or community development/education)

Law, Crime, and Society

Explore how society defines and responds to crime, while contemplating the relevance of class, race, gender, and age. (Ideal for a career in law or criminology)

To see the full curriculum, .

Meet our faculty and professional staff

Three students sit around a table with open books scattered across the top

Career Paths for Applied Social and Cultural Studies Majors

The skill set you develop as an Applied Social and Cultural Studies major includes critical thinking, communication skills, the ability to see things through different lenses, and professional skills acquired from internships. You’ll be equipped to enter the workforce across a broad spectrum of fields.

Our graduates have pursued many rewarding professions, including:

  • Lawyer
  • Public Health Specialist
  • Social Worker
  • Community Organizer
  • Health Administrator
  • Human Relations (HR) Administrator
  • Non-Profit Administrator
  • ESL/ELL Teacher
  • Diversity Officer

Career Advising for B.A. in Applied Social and Cultural Studies Students

Whether you have a specific career goal in mind or a vague idea of the field that interests you, Career Advising is here to help you plan your next step.

Go Beyond the Classroom with Applied Social and Cultural Studies

International Medical Missions

As an Applied Social and Cultural Studies major, you can choose to travel to Latin America with the Pulse Club, which leads medical volunteer missions in countries such as Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Interested in our B.A. in Applied Social and Cultural Studies?

Apply

Experiential Learning in the B.A. in Applied Social and Cultural Studies Program

The driving force of this program is real-world learning. Whether you’re performing fieldwork, interning, or traveling abroad, hands-on opportunities are found at every turn in your journey.

Internships for Applied Social and Cultural Studies Majors

Our database of more than 900 internship sites allows you to gain valuable professional experience in a field you want to explore. Our graduates have interned with legal services organizations, international charities, downtown community organizations, public access television stations, and many other groups.

For more information, contact Sam McReynolds, Ph.D., at (207) 602-2765 or smcreynolds@une.edu.

Senior Capstone Experience

As an Applied Social and Cultural Studies student, you choose a capstone experience to widen the scope of your expertise. There are three ways to fulfill the applied capstone experience (ACE).

Internship

You may take between 9 and 16 credits to complete this ACE. You may select from more than 800 sites in the departmental database. This learning opportunity should parallel your area of interest and help you gain experience, skills, and knowledge of how systems work and how to develop options in a given field.

Thesis

You may take between 9 and 16 credits to complete this ACE. The thesis should build on the work you have done in the Applied Social and Cultural Studies major. This academic work should prepare you for graduate study in disciplines that have been incorporated into your study.

Study Abroad

It typically takes 15-16 credits to complete a study abroad experience. While studying in a foreign society and culture is important, the primary focus is to take courses from the new institution that will help you to develop your areas of interest as it relates to your major. In short, there needs to be an integrated social science experience that drives the study abroad learning as well as the opportunity to explore a new society and culture for this to be a successful experience. All study abroad experiences should first be cleared with the department chair to see if they qualify to meet the requirement for the capstone.

Apply Today

Ready to begin your future in UNE’s Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social and Cultural Studies? Get started today.

Visit UNE

Apply

Read more School of Social and Behavioral Sciences testimonials

Applied Social and Cultural Studies FAQ

What is an applied social and cultural studies degree?

Applied social and cultural studies is an interdisciplinary social science major that empowers students to enhance their writing, research, and communication abilities while exploring topics they are enthusiastic about. Students learn to ask important questions, conduct research, and use data to address problems related to health, law, or community issues.

UNE’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Applied Social and Cultural Studies degree program in Maine is grounded in the disciplines of anthropology and sociology while also integrating courses and perspectives from other fields, including psychology, archeology, and political science. This highly interdisciplinary major is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and offers three concentrations:

  1. Health, Medicine, and Society – Examines health, illness, disability, and mental health issues as well as health care systems. This concentration is ideal for a career in public health, medicine, health administration, or mental health.
  2. Society, Community, and Human Services – Studies the constituents and institutions involved in community service and development. This concentration is ideal for a career in social work, human services, or community development/education.
  3. Law, Crime, and Society – Explores how society defines and responds to crime while contemplating the relevance of class, race, gender, and age. This concentration is ideal for a career in law or criminology.

Additionally, 51Æ·²èoffers a Minor in Health, Medicine, and Society that allows students to broaden their understandings of health to investigate the social and cultural aspects of health and healing. The minor prepares students for the social science sections on the MCAT and teaches how to integrate societal perspectives into understandings of health care. With guidance from our dedicated faculty, the support of a close-knit group of students, and our curriculum’s emphasis on hands-on learning, students graduate with a leg up as they pursue a career in the health care realm.

UNE’s Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Applied Social and Cultural Studies is a major in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. This school offers 8 majors and 11 minors. Students learn to address complex questions related to human and nonhuman behavior, cognition, social relationships, culture, and politics.

What can I do with an applied social and cultural studies degree?

An applied social and cultural studies bachelor’s degree can equip you with distinctive skills and knowledge including critical thinking and communication skills as well as opening doors to exciting career prospects. An applied social and cultural studies degree can pave the way for further studies at the master’s or doctoral level in various social science fields, depending on your chosen coursework focus. At UNE, our B.A. in Applied Social and Cultural Studies degree program includes three concentrations in the major that help open doors to many graduate programs and careers.

  • 51Æ·²èApplied Social and Cultural Studies graduates with a concentration in Health, Medicine, and Society have pursued many rewarding professions, including physician, public health specialist, health administrator, and medical sociologist.
  • 51Æ·²èApplied Social and Cultural Studies graduates with a concentration in Law, Crime, and Society have pursued professions, including, lawyer, criminologist, and probation officer.
  • 51Æ·²èApplied Social and Cultural Studies graduates with a concentration in Society, Community, and Human Services have pursued professions, including social worker, community organizer, human relations (HR) administrator, non-profit administrator, ESL/ELL teacher, and diversity officer.

Students studying in UNE’s Applied Social and Cultural Studies degree program in Maine can also work with our Academic and Career Advising Center. It doesn’t matter if you have a clear career goal or just a general interest in a field.

Learn more about Career Advising at UNE

Why should I major in applied social and cultural studies?

At UNE, Applied Social and Cultural Studies is a unique major that is tailored for undergraduates who want to blend different departments and courses within the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and explore issues related to health, law, or community and from multiple and intersecting perspectives. Students who decide to major in Applied Social and Cultural Studies are often highly motivated, self-driven, intellectually curious, and seek an active role in their education.

Majoring in Applied Social and Cultural Studies at 51Æ·²èin Maine provides students with a strong foundation for understanding today’s social issues and problems. Students will also have a wide range of skills and experiences that will enhance their future educational and career opportunities as well as enable them to be more active and aware citizens.

Read testimonials from 51Æ·²èstudents in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

If you’ve thought about majoring in sociology, anthropology, or psychology but are looking for a major with a more applied focus, a major in Applied Social and Cultural Studies may be a good fit for you.

What factors make UNE’s Applied Social and Cultural Studies major stand out?

Faculty

51Æ·²èApplied Social and Cultural Studies faculty advisors offer personalized academic support for student-designed programs. There are also opportunities for research and scholarship under the direction of 51Æ·²èfaculty members.

Our small classes and one-on-one guidance from faculty give students ample chances to refine valuable, career-ready skills.

Meet faculty and professional staff in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Curriculum

UNE’s Applied Social and Cultural Studies major provides students with broad-based exposure to social science theories and methods and integrates coursework on a wide range of social issues from the perspectives of sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, communications, and other related fields of study.

Health, Medicine, and Society elective course examples:

  • Medical Anthropology
  • Plagues and Populations
  • Politics and Public Health
  • Medical Sociology

Society, Community, and Human Services elective course examples:

  • Poverty
  • Community Organization
  • Mental Health and Society
  • Drugs, Society, and Behavior

Law, Crime, and Society elective course examples:

  • Deviance and Crime
  • Sociology of Law
  • A Just Society
  • Communication, Law, and Regulation

Experiential, real-world learning is the driving force behind UNE’s Applied Social and Cultural Studies curriculum. This includes performing fieldwork, interning, or traveling abroad. There are two unique elements to this program at UNE:

  1. Internships – All students complete a 120-hour internship at a local school, agency, or organization that provides the opportunity to gain practical experience, apply a social science perspective to real-world situations, and explore potential career paths. UNE’s database of more than 900 internship sites allows you to gain valuable professional experience in a field you want to explore. Graduates of our Applied Social and Cultural Studies degree programs in New England have interned with legal services organizations, international charities, downtown community organizations, public access television stations, and many other groups.
  2. Capstone Experience – Students choose a capstone experience to widen the scope of their expertise. There are three ways to fulfill the applied capstone experience (ACE) as a senior:
    1. Internship - Between 9 and 16 credits. This learning opportunity aligns with the student’s interests, providing valuable experience, skills, and knowledge in an area related to their concentration.
    2. Thesis - Between 9 and 16 credits. This academic work prepares students for future graduate studies.
    3. Study Abroad - Between 15 and 16 credits. Students enroll in courses at an institution that enhances their major-related interests and contributes to their concentration area.

Learn more about the full Applied Social and Cultural Studies curriculum

Career goals

UNE’s major in Applied Social and Cultural Studies takes a career-based approach by offering concentrations that have real-world applications to health, law, and community.

Graduates of UNE’s Applied Social and Cultural Studies program enter the world with marketable skills that prepare them for entry-level positions in a variety of fields. Graduates have gone on to work directly with at-risk youth, serve as administrators in family services programs, engage in the criminal justice system, and do public health research. Zippia ranks us #1 in Maine for graduates getting jobs, and 95% of bachelor’s degree graduates are employed or continuing higher education within six months to one year of graduating.

As an Applied Social and Cultural Studies major at UNE, you will have the ability to work with our Academic and Career Advising Center. It doesn’t matter if you have a clear career goal or just a general interest in a field.

Learn more about Career Advising at UNE

Location and environment

51Æ·²èis Maine’s largest private university. We have three unique campuses that provide diverse learning opportunities. In Maine, we have two campuses in Biddeford and Portland offering renowned undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Additionally, our Tangier, Morocco campus hosts a unique semester abroad program for 51Æ·²èstudents.

Learn more about UNE’s campuses and how you can visit us

Additionally, 51Æ·²èboasts small class sizes. Overall, we have a 12:1 student-to-teacher ratio and an average class size of 20.

Learn more about some quick facts about UNE

Beyond the classroom, Applied Social and Cultural Studies majors at 51Æ·²èmay opt to travel to Latin America as part of the IMM(UNE) club, which conducts medical volunteer missions in places like Guatemala and Ecuador.

Learn more about clubs and activities at UNE

Financial aid

Take into account whether the institution you're considering offers financial assistance or scholarships to help fund your educational pursuit.

A 51Æ·²èundergraduate education is very affordable. Our tuition is 16% below the average tuition for private universities in New England. Plus, all incoming full-time undergraduate students at 51Æ·²èwill receive Merit Scholarships in amounts from $5,000 to $22,000 per year. 51Æ·²èhelps families of all income levels find the higher education they desire.

Learn more about grants and scholarships available to students at UNE

If you are interested in our B.A. in Applied Social and Cultural Studies, you might also want to look at our
B.A. in Sociology
B.A. in Global Studies
B.A. in Political Science