SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, HUMANITIES & ARTS
SCHOOL OFSOCIAL SCIENCES,HUMANITIES & ARTS
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What is Special About the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts?
The School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts (SSHA) is dedicated to the exploration of the hows, whys and effects of the human experience. We are committed to innovative and substantive research, excellent teaching and student-focused learning. SSHA provides depth within a broad range of outstanding academic programs that prepare students for varied roles as responsible, informed citizens and leaders. Our school encourages critical thinking, lifelong learning, civic responsibility and an understanding of global society.
As a student at the first American research university of the 21st century, you will be exposed to a unique learning environment with relatively small classrooms and a highly interdisciplinary atmosphere. Our school is still small and informal, which provides a rare opportunity to have the advantages of a world-class public research university with the atmosphere of a private college.
WHEN YOU SELECT A MAJOR WITHIN SSHA, YOU ARE DECIDING TO SPEND YOUR UNDERGRADUATE CAREER:
Studying diverse realities and complex social issues
Researching social institutions and cultural systems and the effects they have on societies
Understanding the world by examining its past and exploring its future
Using the latest technology to investigate human thought, behavior and interactions
Appreciating diverse cultures by learning about and taking part in their creative expressions
LEARNING WITHOUT LIMITS
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PSYCHOLOGY 31.9%
MANAGEMENT 18.1%
SOCIOLOGY 10.5%
POLITICAL SCIENCE 10.2%
COGNITIVE SCIENCE 8.5%
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, HUMANITIES & ARTS CURRENT ENROLLMENT
TOTAL ENROLLMENT 2,119
MO
ST
PO
PU
LAR
MA
JOR
S
CHICANO/LATINO 49.1%
ASIAN 19.6%
WHITE 14.9%
TWO OR MORE RACES 3.9%
AFRICAN-AMERICAN 7.5%
NONRESIDENT ALIEN 2.5%
UNKNOWN 1.3%
PACIFIC ISLANDER 0.7%
NATIVE AMERICAN 0.2%
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, HUMANITIES & ARTS DIVERSITY
Note: percentages are rounded
WOMEN 64.3%
MEN 34.8%
Why the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at UC Merced?
At any given moment in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, a student could be analyzing a theory … researching neurons … rehearsing for a play … preparing for a career …
Research in SSHA varies widely ... including everything from the dynamics of language processing to 20th and 21st century Latin American narratives and cultures to voter turnout and behavior. By participating in research, students gain practical experience to match the foundation of theoretical knowledge amassed during their college careers. The just-established Center for Human Adaptive Systems and Environments aims to study everything from neurons and neural networks to the interaction between humans/groups and their environments.
ASK YOURSELF: WHO CAN I BECOME?
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Special ProgramsFOREIGN LANGUAGES: UC Merced offers four foreign languages for students: Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish. All lower-division courses strive to promote cultural awareness of the countries and communities where the languages are spoken.
GLOBAL ARTS STUDIES PROGRAM: The Global Arts Studies Program (GASP) is a unique curriculum that integrates diverse subjects normally housed in different departments, including media, cultural and ethnic studies, musicology, ethnomusicology, visual studies and art history.
MEDIA ARTS TECHNIQUE PROGRAM: Students sample multiple art techniques and find their own individual ways of integrating art into their lives. Courses are offered in architecture, digital arts, fine arts, music, performing arts and photography.
WORLD HERITAGE: World Heritage includes architecture, history, archeology, art history, geography, anthropology, archaeology, management, law, environmental sciences and other disciplines. The program allows us to create a new discipline and innovative profiles for new jobs in the field of humanities, cultural resource management, economics, computer sciences, educational purposes and many others.
FIND YOUR CALLINGMajorsAnthropology (B.A.)Cognitive Science (B.A., B.S.)Economics (B.A.)English (B.A.)History (B.A.)Management and Business Economics (B.S.)Political Science (B.A.)Psychology (B.A.)Public Health (B.A.)*Sociology (B.A.)Spanish (B.A.)
*Not open to transfer students until fall 2016
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MinorsAmerican StudiesAnthropologyArtsChicano/a StudiesCognitive ScienceEconomics
EnglishHistoryManagementPhilosophyPolitical SciencePsychologyPublic HealthService ScienceSociologySpanishWriting
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The Beginnings sculpture is the centerpiece of Carol Tomlinson-Keasey Quad, at the heart of the campus.
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ANTHROPOLOGY CAREERS Forensic anthropologist, museum curator, Peace Corps staffer, historic preservation specialist, cultural artifact specialist, ethnologist, genealogist, multicultural education specialist/director, paleontologist
COGNITIVE SCIENCE CAREERSUser interface designer, market researcher, jury consultant, software engineer, data analyst, mobile Web developer, application specialist, systems analyst, technology consultant, video game programmer
ECONOMICS CAREERSEconomist, accountant, auditor, budget analyst, logistician, economic consultant, actuary, credit analyst, financial analyst/manager, policy analyst, management consultant, business reporter, financial adviser, statistician
ENGLISH CAREERSSocial media manager, technical writer, public relations specialist, lawyer, marketing communications manager or director, librarian, journalist, editor, teacher, feature film/television story developer, writer
HISTORY CAREERSMuseum historian, cultural resources manager, historic preservation researcher, journalist, documentary editor, advocate, archivist, librarian, legislation staff worker, litigation support worker, political campaign organizer
WE GET YOU READY FOR WHAT COMES NEXT
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WE GET YOU READY FOR WHAT COMES NEXTMANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS ECONOMICS CAREERS Statistical accountant, actuary, business owner, comptroller, financial analyst, financial adviser, real estate broker, stock broker, venture capitalist, budget officer, treasurer, urban planner, investment banker, entrepreneur
POLITICAL SCIENCE CAREERSActivist, attorney, campaign operative, CIA analyst/agent, congressional office/committee staff member, corporate adviser for government relations, foreign service officer, lobbyist, policy analyst, legislator, urban policy planner
PSYCHOLOGY CAREERSClinical psychologist, school psychologist, genetics counselor, forensic psychologist, special education teacher, social worker, psychiatric technician, jury consultant, psychotherapist, rehabilitation therapist
PUBLIC HEALTH CAREERSPhysician, nurse, director of clinical trials, Centers for Disease Control investigator, pollution control program director, industrial hygienist, public health lawyer, epidemiologist, infection preventionist, biostatistician, medical investigator, consumer safety officer
SOCIOLOGY CAREERSDemographic analyst, labor relations representative, social welfare examiner, criminologist, consumer advocate, gerontologist, marriage and family therapist, social services program director, veteran affairs specialist
SPANISH CAREERSDiplomat, translator or interpreter, court interpreter, linguist, teacher, editor, textbook writer, librarian, technical liaison for U.S. firms abroad, museum worker, foreign news correspondent, advocate
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS, AND MORE ...
Please note: Some of these careers might require education beyond a bachelor’s degree.
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Professor Michael J. Spivey’s cognitive science lab
studies how people combine what they see with
what they hear. By continuously recording eye movements and computer-mouse movements, Spivey’s lab finds evidence supporting the claim that different brain systems (for language and for vision) interact with one another on a millisecond time scale. The work has
resulted in a dynamical-systems account of how
the human mind smoothly and gradually travels
from one mental state to the next mental state,
recounted in Spivey’s 2007 book, “The Continuity of
Mind.” Spivey is the recipient of multiple teaching
awards, UC Merced’s Distinction in Research award
and Sigma Xi’s William Procter Prize for Scientific
Achievement.
FACULTY PROFILE
MICHAEL J. SPIVEYPROFESSOR
Ph.D., University of Rochester
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MARIO SIFUENTEZPROFESSOR
Ph.D., Brown University
FACULTY PROFILE
Professor Mario Sifuentez started as a first-generation college student from a farmworking background and earned his Ph.D. in American Studies. His first book,
“By Forests or By Fields,” tells the story
of Mexican immigrant workers in the
agricultural and reforestation industries in
the Pacific Northwest. Sifuentez teaches
courses on food history, comic book history,
public history, oral history, ethnic studies
and workers in the United States and beyond.
He is the founder and director of the Central
Valley Oral History Project, and is curating a
museum exhibit on the 10th anniversary of
UC Merced.
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ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS:
I am an active member in both the Delta Delta Delta sorority and Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, and I am an Associated Students of UC Merced (ASUCM) presidential executive branch fellow.
PLANS FOR AFTER GRADUATION:
I plan to attend graduate school at the University of San Francisco to obtain a master’s in counseling psychology through a dual-concentration program in school counseling and professional clinical counseling.
“I transferred to UC
Merced to become
part of an academically
focused community and
to establish myself at a
PROSPEROUS
AND FLOURISHING
UC CAMPUS.”
STUDENT PROFILE
HOMETOWN: San Diego
YEAR: Junior
MAJOR: Psychology
ALEXANDRIA “ALLIE” TUOMAINEN
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JESSICA RIVASHOMETOWN: North Hollywood, Calif.
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR: Cognitive Science
ACTIVITIES/ORGANIZATIONS:
Yosemite Leadership Program, ranger for Yosemite National Park, student ranger at UC Merced
ACADEMIC ACCOLADES:
Dean’s List 2012
SERVICE PROJECTS:
Capstone project through the Yosemite Leadership Program, Bagby area cleanup, back country restoration
PLANS FOR AFTER GRADUATION:
Study abroad, work, then eventually attend grad school
STUDENT PROFILE
“I LOVE UC MERCED because of the ample opportunities the university provides for its
students. The proximity to Yosemite provides several unique programs that change people’s
lives. The staff and administrators are able to connect with students on a personal level and
really make Merced feel like home.”
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COME VISIT UC MERCED AND FIND OUT WHAT MAKES OUR CAMPUS SO SPECIAL. Schedule a tour online at admissions.ucmerced.edu/tours, or call us to arrange a guided tour of the campus any weekday and on
most Saturdays during the year. Visiting UC Merced will give you first-hand knowledge of our academics, housing and student life.
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
Admissions209-228-7178
admissions.ucmerced.edu
School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts209-228-7742
ssha.ucmerced.edu
Tours209-228-6316
Take a virtual tour at admissions.ucmerced.edu/virtualtour
UC Merced Office of Admissions5200 N. Lake Road | Merced, CA 95343