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 they are questions of the ages, these inquiries have never been more relevant than they are today. Combining the fields of anthropology, sociology, psychology, archeology, and political science, this highly interdisciplinary 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.

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A psychology professor talks to students during a class

Why UNE for Applied Social and Cultural Studies

UNE’s Applied Social and Cultural Studies major, the only one of its kind in the U.S, offers an interdisciplinary approach in three different concentration areas. Personalized academic support from faculty and a robust internship program give our graduates highly valued skill sets and wide-ranging career opportunities.

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

Arthur Anderson, Ph.D., Assistant Lecturer, Department of Society, Culture, and Languages

I grew up in Portland but did my undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. work in the U.K. and moved back to Portland in 2012. I made my way into the adjunct circuit for a little while and wound up at UNE. I primarily study what we refer to as the protohistoric period, and in Maine, that means looking at those earliest moments of contact along the coast.

I look at the end of the pre-historic period and the emergence of this European presence, which turns into a horrific story at the underpinnings of the world we live in today. It’s an important moment to study, but it's also archeologically tricky to zoom in on that fifty-year period of really ephemeral contact between cultures. It’s hard, but it's important.

There is a lot of student involvement and a lot of opportunities with archeology at UNE, particularly across departments. The quality of undergraduate students that I get to work with and the quality of research that they're able to do because we're a primarily undergraduate institution is unique. It comes down to them and what they want to do. They get out what they put into it, and they really step up in pretty amazing ways. Those opportunities for undergraduate students to do research here are consistently amazing for me.

Exceptional Teaching and Learning

On campus at UNE — I would argue — is one of Maine’s most important archaeological sites. It is located right behind the Marine Science Center [MSC]. The site is one of the earliest moments of contact between European and indigenous people. We have European descriptions that we can compare to the archaeological record in order to start to understand some of the biases implicit in the very earliest European records of indigenous people here.

When the MSC was built, an archeology company was hired to do the work to get permission to build because of the known existence of a site. At the very least, some basic boundaries of archeological preservation had to be established so that the MSC could be placed in a way to not disturb the land. That work is helping us now, part of our project is getting artifacts from then into the UNE Special Collections. We want to correlate that earlier work, using it to inform how we want to undertake targeted excavations now to try to answer outstanding questions.

We offer an archaeology course every summer. Any undergraduate student can take it; there are no prerequisites. After the first few days, we put you in a hole and hand you a trowel. That’s the only way to really learn it. It’s an opportunity for these students to get out and do hands-on field research that is applicable, like working as a team to collect data. Whatever the students go on and do after, they have this experience and these skills. It’s valuable. Also, for a lot of students, it’s a moment of connecting the social sciences with the material world and with the act of discovery.

Those opportunities for undergraduate students to do research here are consistently amazing for me.

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 learn more about the program see the Academic Catalog.

Honors Program

We offer qualified students the option of graduating with Honors. This includes significant research, scholarship or creative activity under the direction of a faculty member. Interested students should consult with their major advisor. 

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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 may opt to travel to Latin America as part of the IMM(UNE) club, which conducts medical volunteer missions in places like Guatemala and Ecuador.

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@yueziqi.com.

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.

Applied Social and Cultural Studies FAQ