College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

2141 Tydings Hall
Phone: 301-405-1679
bsos@umd.edu
bsos.umd.edu

Interim Dean: Wayne McIntosh, Ph.D. (through July 31, 2022)
Dean: Susan Rivera, Ph.D. (effective August 1, 2022)
Associate Deans: Patricio Korzeniewicz, Ph.D., Jean McGloin, Ph.D., Katherine Russell, Ph.D.
Assistant Deans: Ann Holmes, Mengxue Li, Ph.D., Kim Nickerson, Ph.D.

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland (BSOS) increases understanding of and pursues innovative solutions to the challenges facing our global community. BSOS draws on its Washington, D.C., and worldwide connections to enrich its teaching, research and service. The BSOS community works to enhance international relations, advance global sustainability, understand societies and cultures and improve the human condition.

In all that we do, BSOS aims to Be the Solution to the world’s great challenges.

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences actively practices TerrapinSTRONG values that affirm our mission, culture, and values as a diverse, unified, proud, respectful, inclusive, accountable, and empowered community of people from every background that works to impact positively our globally-connected society.

Students interested in human behavior and in solving human and social problems will find many exciting opportunities through the programs and courses offered by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Departments and Units

Majors

Minors

Certificate

Undergraduate Degree Requirements/Degree Options

  • Each student must complete a minimum of 120 hours of credit with at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Courses must include the credits required in the University's general education requirements and the specific major and supporting course and grade requirements of the programs in the academic departments offering bachelor's degrees.
  • Students must have a minimum “C” (2.00) cumulative grade point average across all courses used to satisfy major degree requirements.
  • Upon entering BSOS as a freshman, transfer, or by major change, students must complete and submit a graduation plan to the college advising office for review and approval.
  • In accordance with university policy, fundamental English and Math requirements must be attempted by 30 credits and successfully completed by 60 credits.
  • Students must complete 15 upper level credits in the student's final 30 credits.
  • All students are responsible for carefully tracking completion of degree requirements using UAchieve. Students are urged to meet with an academic advisor in their major or college if they have any questions. Advising is especially important two semesters before graduation to discuss final graduation requirements.

Feller Center
2118 and 2148 Tydings Hall
Phone: 301-405-1697

The Feller Center in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is your co-located hub for academic advising and career planning. 

Academic advising: fellercenter.umd.edu/academic-advising or bsosadvising@umd.edu

Career planning: fellercenter.umd.edu/career-planning or bsoscareers@umd.edu

The Feller Center - Advising and Career Planning 

The Feller Center in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is your co-located hub for academic advising and career planning. 

The Feller Center Academic Advisors educate, support, and empower students while setting and communicating academic support and benchmarks for a successful and timely academic journey. 

The Feller Center Career Planning Team works closely with the BSOS Advising team, faculty and instructors in BSOS, and the BSOS Departments to integrate career exploration and professional development into each student's academic experience. Additionally we complement the services offered by the University Career Center to deliver enhanced services for BSOS majors.

Departments and Centers

The college includes the following departments that offer undergraduate degree programs:

  • Department of African American Studies
  • Department of Anthropology
  • Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • Department of Economics
  • Department of Geographical Sciences (including GIS)
  • Department of Government and Politics (including International Relations)
  • Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences
  • Department of Psychology
  • Department of Sociology

In addition, the college co-sponsors interdisciplinary majors in Environmental Science and Policy, Neuroscience, and Social Data Science.

Departments and Research Centers are linked from the College website homepage at bsos.umd.edu.

Living-Learning Programs

Participating in one of Maryland’s living-learning communities is one great way for BSOS students to share their common interests with each other and with faculty in a small, academic, residential community.

BSOS students are members of all of the campus living-learning communities. The BSOS College is the academic home for four of these living-learning programs.

CIVICUS
0107 Somerset Hall
Phone: 301-405-8759
CIVICUS.umd.edu

CIVICUS is a two-year living and learning program in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. This academic citation program is centered on five themes of civil society: citizenship, leadership, community service-learning, community building in a diverse society, and scholarship. CIVICUS was founded on the belief that to be engaged members of civil society, we have an obligation to be aware of the world outside of the classroom and to act upon issues that affect the world in which we live.

Honors College, Honors Global Communities
0119 Dorchester Hall
Phone: 301-314-7100
globalcommunities.umd.edu

Located in the Honors College, Honors Global Communities s a two-year living-learning program sponsored by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). Students participate in a combination of courses, co-curricular opportunities, and residential living organized around the theme of globalization and its challenges and opportunities. The program enriches student understanding of the causes and consequences of the world’s interconnectedness, and provides academic and intercultural skills to help them address the issues it raises. We value diversity—cultural, intellectual, and ideological—and seek to provide a tolerant place where differences are celebrated. Participants in the program are part of a network of relationships beyond campus and outside the country.

College Park Scholars, International Studies
1104 Centreville Hall
Phone: 301-405-9304
scholars.umd.edu/programs/is

The International Studies Program brings together undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines who share an interest in global issues, politics, and events. Each entering class of approximately sixty-five students takes courses together during the freshman and sophomore years. The majority of International Studies Scholars reside in Centreville Hall. International Studies was one of the original four College Park Scholars programs launched in 1994, sponsored by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) and the Department of Government and Politics (GVPT). The Faculty Director and the Teaching Assistants all have their roots in the Department of Government and Politics.

College Park Scholars, Justice and Legal Thought
1121 Cumberland Hall
Phone: 301-405-3225
scholars.umd.edu/programs/jlt

The Justice and Legal Thought Program brings together undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines to share an interest in law and justice. Each entering class of approximately seventy-five students takes courses together during the freshman and sophomore years. The majority of Justice and Legal Thought Scholars reside in Cumberland Hall, which is also where the JLT office is located. Justice and Legal Thought is the most recent addition to the College Park Scholars Program and is sponsored by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). It features faculty from multiple disciplines, including the UMD Carey School of Law. The program is designed for each course to complement the one that preceded it, for example to address big questions in new and more advanced ways. It is also designed to allow students to deepen their classroom learning through experiential projects, field trips and social activities.

College Honors Program

Departmental Honors Programs are offered in each of the departments within the college. Students in a Departmental Honors Program are also members of the campus Honors College. 

Dean's List. Any student who has passed at least 12 hours of academic work under the regular grading method in the preceding semester, without failure of any course, and with an overall average grade of at least 3.5, will be placed on the Dean's List. The Distinguished Dean's List consists of students who have completed successfully a minimum of 12 credit hours in a semester with a 4.0.

Honor Societies. Students who excel in their academic discipline may be selected for membership in an honorary society. Examples include:

  • Alpha Kappa Delta -- Sociology
  • Alpha Phi Sigma -- Criminal Justice
  • Gamma Theta Upsilon -- Geography
  • Pi Sigma Alpha -- The National Political Science Honor Society
  • Psi Chi -- Psychology

Student Societies and Professional Organizations

Students who are interested in organizations and honor societies related to their fields of study should consult with departmental websites.

For more information about these student organizations or starting a new student group, please contact the Office of Campus Programs, Adele H. Stamp Student Union, 301-314-7174 or terplink.umd.edu.

Financial Assistance

The college offers scholarship opportunities to current students on a competitive basis. Each scholarship has eligibility criteria. Scholarship information and applications are available on the scholarships page on the BSOS website: bsosundergrad.umd.edu/opportunities/scholarships.  

The college also offers student experience funds to help support research, internship, and other extracurricular activities. For more information, please visit: bsosundergrad.umd.edu/academics/bsos-undergraduate-experience.

The National Scholarship Office at the University of Maryland provides information on nationally competitive scholarships at the undergraduate (and graduate) level. For more information, please visit: scholarships.umd.edu.

The Office of Student Financial Aid (OFSA) administers all types of federal, state, and institutional financial assistance programs and, in cooperation with other University offices, participates in the awarding of scholarships to deserving students. For more information, visit: financialaid.umd.edu.

Research Units

Undergraduate research is valuable whether or not you plan to be a researcher in the future. BSOS is home to 10 diverse, interdisciplinary departments and many centers and programs, all committed to investigating and improving the human condition. In addition to the opportunities available within the college, BSOS students have access to over 200 research centers on or just off campus at the University of Maryland. If you are interested in exploring an undergraduate research experience, visit the Feller Center website for more details. 

Student Engagement and Service Units

Dean's Student Advisory Council

The Dean's Student Advisory Council (DSAC) is charged with advising the dean on various topics affecting students and their educational and social experiences at the University of Maryland. Each academic year, the group hosts academic and social events for students, faculty, and alumni, initiates and implements independent and group projects, and hears ideas and concerns from constituent students.

This council consists of representatives from each department in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the living/learning programs, the Student Government Association, University Senate representatives for the college, and a peer advisor. DSAC members enroll in a credit-bearing course each semester in which they serve on the Council.
For more information, contact the Dean's Student Advisory Council: bsos-ugdean@umd.edu.

BSOS Ambassadors

Ambassadors assist with the planning, coordination and execution of special events hosted by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, including all major recruiting events. Ambassadors build a strong knowledge base of the behavioral and social science academic disciplines as well as other programs offered by the college so that they may inform prospective students and the public during special events. Ambassadors will have the opportunity to learn valuable leadership, networking and communication skills. Ambassadors enroll in a credit-bearing course each semester they serve on the committee.

For more information contact the Coordinator for Undergraduate Communications & Recruitment at 301-314-7241 or admitbsos@umd.edu.

BSOS Peer Mentors

Peer Mentors teach the BSOS Graduation Planning workshops in the BSOS Adivising Center each semester and conduct presentations in BSOS UNIV100 sections. Through the services they provide to fellow students, Peer Mentors gain leadership, presentation, and public speaking skills. In preparation for their required tasks, all Peer Mentors are expected to attend weekly class sessions and serve for at least two semesters. Students will earn 1 credit after successful completion of each semester.

For more information contact the Feller Center 301-405-1697.