The College of Social Sciences houses the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Departments of Economics, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, and Urban & Regional Planning.

Department of Economics

The Economics Department studies how institutions, such as markets, arise to solve the problem of allocating scarce resources among competing ends and what the determinants of movements in aggregate economic activity are. Students are introduced to the enduring debates on the appropriate role of governments in the economic sphere, international trade policy, environmental protection and regulation.

Department of Geography

The Geography Department emphasizes the investigation of critical issues of society and the physical environment, including the linkages between global and local processes, a hallmark of geographic inquiry. The focus of the department is built upon two foundations of faculty expertise: political geography and environmental studies. Many students combine these two departmental specialties to investigate nature-society interactions, with an emphasis on political and policy issues.

Department of Political Science

The study of political science provides background for careers in government at the local, state, and national levels; in international organizations; political campaigns; interest groups and lobbying organizations; journalism; business; and law.

Department of Sociology

Sociology analyzes the social structures and processes of a society—a group of people who occupy a particular geographical space and share a common language, culture, and social relations—with a focus on groups, e.g. families, communities, and organizations. The FSU Sociology Department has four specialty areas: health and aging (e.g., mental health, substance use, aging, health/social policy), inequality (e.g., race, gender, social class, sexual orientation), demography (births, mortality, migration, age), and social psychology (the study of meanings associated with group membership and dynamics).

Department of Urban and Regional Planning

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning was created in 1965 in response to the growing national demand for persons trained in planning, urban affairs, and policy analysis. Florida has been one of the fastest growing states in the nation and is projected to be the third largest state in the U.S. This has put Florida in the forefront of the national planning movement and has provided the department with a strong, exciting, and supportive environment within which to offer a professional program.

School of Public Administration and Policy

The School of Public Administration and Policy provides professional education serving government just as schools of business, law and medicine serve their professions. It has a long and decorated history and offers opportunities to learn new management and policy making skills.