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. An introduction to each school, department, or program is given below, or you may jump straight to the department's web site.
- School of Public Administration and PolicyVisit Web Site
- Department of EconomicsVisit Web Site
- Department of GeographyVisit Web Site
- Department of Political ScienceVisit Web Site
- Department of SociologyVisit Web Site
- Department of Urban and Regional PlanningVisit Web Site
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. The School offers a Master of Public Administration degree, a Ph.D. program, certificates, and an undergraduate minor. For more information, visit the School's web site.
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. The Department offers a Master's Degree in Economics, a Ph.D. program, two undergraduate degrees, and an undergraduate minor. To find out more, visit the Department's web site.
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. The Department offers a Master's program, a Ph.D. program, two undergraduate degree programs, and two undergraduate minors. To find out more, visit the Department's web site.
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. At the undergraduate level, the Department has several hundred students pursuing their Bachelors degrees in Political Science. The Department also offers graduate programs leading to masters and doctoral degrees. The Department offers a Master's program, a Ph.D. program, an undergraduate degree (B.S. or B.A.), and an undergraduate minor. To find out more, visit the Department's web site.
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). The Department of Sociology offers two Master's degrees, a Ph.D. program, an undergraduate degree (B.S. or B.A.), and an undergraduate minor. To find out more, visit the Department's web site.
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. The Department offers a Master's of Science in Planning, Doctor of Philosophy, joint degrees in planning and law (M.S.P./J.D.), and joint degrees in planning and public administration (M.S.P./M.P.A.). The Department also offers an undergraduate minor, a certificate in Urban and Regional Planning, and a pre-graduate advanced undergraduate program. To find out more, visit the Department's web site.
