Social Science, MSS
Overview
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For flexibility in constructing an individualized course of study in the social sciences, the Master of Social Science emphasizes integration of knowledge across and beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. Courses derive primarily from the social science disciplines, like anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology, but may be integrated with other disciplines and programs including English, philosophy, education, health sciences, public affairs, fine arts, and architecture. Students who choose the Master of Social Science program often develop interdisciplinary perspectives in areas like public policy, gender and identity studies, educational reform, cross-cultural studies, or politics.
The Social Science program provides background for advancement in business, education, social service, and government, or a basis for further graduate or professional study. MSS students often tailor their degree program for specific career and personal needs. Many simply seek intellectual enrichment.
Students may also focus in one of several areas of concentration or formal tracks. By focusing one's studies in a track, the student is able to develop a concentrated and interdisciplinary master level expertise in a given area of interest:
Community Health Science
Ethnic Studies
International Studies
Social Justice
Society and the Environment
Women's and Gender Studies
These requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
Graduate Education Policies and Procedures apply to this program.
Program Requirements
- Students must complete a minimum of 36 approved credit hours.
- Students must complete a minimum of 30 graduate (5000-level and above) approved credit hours.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of B- (2.7) in all courses applied to the degree and must achieve a minimum cumulative program GPA of 3.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to degree requirements.
- Students must complete all coursework with CU Denver faculty. Students may concurrently pursue graduate-level coursework at other CU system campuses with the approval of their MHMSS graduate advisor.
Program Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
- Courses credited toward the MSS degree must typically be taken at CU Denver (a maximum of 12 graduate semester hours may be transferred from other institutions after matriculating into the MSS program, subject to the MSS director’s approval).
- Each student's program is supervised by MHMSS faculty. All independent study, project, and thesis contracts must be approved in advance by the program director. A total of two independent study courses and one internship may count toward the degree.
- A maximum of two 4000-level undergraduate courses may apply, with faculty approval.
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Students wishing to count credits accrued from a study abroad program while pursuing the MSS must follow graduate education policies and procedures and must have approval of the program director in advance of studying abroad.
- An oral exam defending the project or thesis before a committee of three faculty members must be passed in order to graduate.
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A grade below B- in any given course will not be counted toward the degree.
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Students may take up to three graduate-level online courses (up to 9 credits) towards the degree, with prior approval.
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All students must complete and pass a final project or thesis and an oral comprehensive defense of that work, in order to graduate.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following Core Seminar courses: | 9 | |
| Foundations and Theories of Interdisciplinary Humanities (Must be taken during the first year, offered in the fall only.) | ||
or IDST 5020 | Foundations and Theories of Interdisciplinary Studies | |
| Methods and Practices of Graduate Interdisciplinary Studies (Must be taken during the first year, offered in the spring only.) | ||
| Research Perspectives in Interdisciplinary Studies | ||
| Complete a minimum of 21 credit hours of elective courses. Students may choose to create their own curriculum from at least two disciplines addressing their specific research interest. | 21 | |
Students may choose to follow an approved specialized track. Prior to taking electives, students must meet with a MHMSS program faculty advisor and establish their course of study. If students decide to change their course of study or want to substitute approved coursework, they must meet with a MHMSS program advisor in advance and gain pre-approval. | ||
| Complete a Thesis or Project and an oral comprehensive defense of that work, in order to graduate. | 6 | |
Students completing a project rather than a thesis take 24 credit hours of electives, while thesis students complete 21 hours of electives. | ||
In order to proceed with a project or thesis, all students must submit a proposal and gain approval from three faculty members and the program directors. Students who opt to complete a thesis will submit a thesis proposal after completing 30 credit hours of course work. In the case of a project, students will submit a project proposal after 33 credit hours. | ||
| Master's Thesis | ||
| Master's Project or Report | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Students should take this course after they have completed 21-24 credit hours and are ready to write a proposal for their thesis or project. This course is always offered in the spring and occasionally in the fall, as needed.
General MSS Track
Students pursuing the general MSS degree track create a course of study based on their individual interests and goals. In consultation with a faculty advisor, students choose two or three academic disciplines as areas of concentration.
Community Health Track
The Community Health track focuses coursework on social and communication theory, demographics and ethnic dimensions to public health, basic research methods, and statistics, in order to facilitate development of problem solving and critical thinking skills in the areas of epidemiology, public health and public health education, and health planning
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete nine credit hours of approved methods courses - some of these courses have prerequisites that must be met: | 9 | |
| Ethnographic Methods: Principles, Ethics, and Critiques | ||
| Research Design and Methods in the Health and Behavioral Sciences I | ||
| Quantitative Methods in the Health and Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Social and Behavioral Perspectives in Population Health | ||
| Complete a minimum of six credit hours of approved community health related elective coursework from the list below - substitutes may be approved by the student's advisor: | 6 | |
| Anthropology and Public Health | ||
| Immigrant Health | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Rhetorics of Medicine & Health | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Health Risk Communication | ||
| Environmental Epidemiology | ||
| Hazard Mitigation and Vulnerability Assessment | ||
| GIS Applications in the Health Sciences | ||
| Disasters, Climate Change, and Health | ||
| Health Care Systems | ||
| International Health Policy and Management | ||
| Medicine, Health Care, and Justice: Bioethics | ||
| Seminar: Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| Health Policy | ||
| Gender, Science and Medicine: 1600 to the Present | ||
| Complete a project or thesis on an approved community health related topic. | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Ethnic Studies Track
The Ethnic Studies track explores the construction of race and ethnicity by governments and communities through the intersection of popular culture and public policy in both the historical and contemporary contexts
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete at least one ethnic studies methods/theory course: | 3 | |
| Research Methods in Ethnic Studies | ||
| Problematizing Whiteness: Educating for Racial Justice | ||
| Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of approved ethnic studies related elective coursework from the list below, substitutions may be approved by the student's advisor: | 12 | |
| Anthropology of Globalization | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Critical Issues in American Education | ||
| Contemporary World Literature | ||
| Race, Culture and Immigration | ||
| Black and Latino Children in Families and Schools | ||
| Race, Religion and Belonging in the United States | ||
| Cultural Diversity Awareness in the Workplace | ||
| African-American Literature | ||
| Women of Color Feminisms | ||
| Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History | ||
| Mexico and the United States: People and Politics on the Border | ||
| African Struggle for Independence | ||
| Islam in Modern History | ||
| Advanced Indigenous Peoples' Politics | ||
| Urban Politics, Planning, and Development | ||
| Indigenous Politics | ||
| Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics | ||
| Gender, Development and Globalization | ||
| Seminar: National Question and Self-Determination | ||
| Advanced Indigenous Peoples' Politics | ||
| Immigration Politics | ||
| Community Organizing and Community Development | ||
| Health Disparities | ||
| Poverty and Social Inequality | ||
| Hate Groups and Group Violence | ||
| Crime and Inequality Over the Life Course | ||
| Spanish Sociolinguistics | ||
| Dialects of the Spanish-Speaking World | ||
| Spanish in Colorado | ||
| Spanish in the United States | ||
| Mexican Literature I: pre-Columbian and Colonial | ||
| Mexican Literature II: 19th to 21st Centuries | ||
| Law, Diversity and Community in United States History | ||
| Viewing Empire: The Art of Imperial and Colonial Propaganda | ||
| Complete a project or thesis on an approved ethnic studies related topic. | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
International Studies Track
Through humanistic and social science methodologies and hands-on experiences both in Denver and abroad, students learn to identify patterns and trends in the multifaceted discipline of international studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following methodology course or one approved by the MSS program advisor: | 3 | |
| World Politics Seminar | ||
| Complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of approved international studies related elective coursework from the list below, substitutions may be approved by the student's advisor: | 15 | |
| Anthropology of Globalization | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Dynamics of Global Communication | ||
| Globalization in World History Since 1945 | ||
| Mexico and the United States: People and Politics on the Border | ||
| Art, Beauty, and Aesthetic Criticism: Philosophy of Art | ||
| Seminar: American Foreign Policy | ||
| Gender, Development and Globalization | ||
| Conflicts and Rights in International Law | ||
| International Relations: War or Peace? | ||
| Advanced International Political Economy: Globalization | ||
| Immigration Politics | ||
| International Women's Resistance | ||
| Hate Groups and Group Violence | ||
| Sociology of Religion | ||
| Viewing Empire: The Art of Imperial and Colonial Propaganda | ||
| Complete a project or thesis on an approved international studies related topic. | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Social Justice Track
The Social Justice track expands students' recognition of the many ways that they are already engaged as citizens and highlights their power to effect change through theoretical and moral education, critical thinking, and community engagement.
It is highly recommended that students in this track take at least one quantitative and/or one qualitative research methods course as part of their plan of study. There are quantitative and qualitative methods courses offered in Anthropology, Environmental Science, Political Science, Sociology, and Research, Evaluation, and Statistical Methodology (RESM), which can be approved by the student's MHMSS faculty.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of approved social justice related elective coursework from the list below, substitutions may be approved by the student's advisor: | 12 | |
| Legal and Ethical Environment of Business | ||
| Communication, Prisons, and Social Justice | ||
| Advanced Topics in Writing, Rhetoric, & Linguistics | ||
| Survey of Feminist Thought | ||
| Globalization in World History Since 1945 | ||
| Crime, Policing, and Justice in American History | ||
| Mexico and the United States: People and Politics on the Border | ||
| African Struggle for Independence | ||
| Local Governance and Globalization | ||
| Social Movements, Democracy and Global Politics | ||
| Democracy and Democratization | ||
| Gender, Development and Globalization | ||
| Conflict Resolution and Public Consent Building | ||
| Conflicts and Rights in International Law | ||
| International Relations: War or Peace? | ||
| Non-Profits and Social Change | ||
| Immigration Politics | ||
| International Women's Resistance | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Civil Liberties | ||
| Poverty and Social Inequality | ||
| Hate Groups and Group Violence | ||
| Methods and Theories of Feminism and Gender Studies | ||
| Sex and Gender in Modern Britain | ||
| History of Sexuality | ||
| Gender, Science and Medicine: 1600 to the Present | ||
| Sex, Gender, and Visual Representation | ||
| Complete a project or thesis on an approved social justice related topic. | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Society and the Environment Track
Society and the Environment is an interdisciplinary track challenges students to apply knowledge from the social and biological sciences to environmental problems across a broad spectrum of institutional sectors and geographic locations
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete all required methods courses: | 6 | |
| Quantitative Methods in Anthropology | ||
| Ethnographic Methods: Principles, Ethics, and Critiques | ||
| Complete one technical course from the list below: | 3 | |
| Risk Assessment | ||
| Remote Sensing I: Introduction to Environmental Remote Sensing | ||
| Introduction to GIS | ||
| GIS Applications in the Health Sciences | ||
| Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of approved society and environment related elective coursework from the list below, substitutions may be approved by the student's advisor: | 12 | |
| Environmental Communication | ||
| Environmental Modeling with Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Hazard Mitigation and Vulnerability Assessment | ||
| Sustainability in Resources Management | ||
| Climate Change & Society | ||
| Environment and Society in the American Past | ||
| The Politics of Nature | ||
| Science, Policy and the Environment | ||
| Urban Sustainability and Resiliency: Perspectives and Practice | ||
| Disasters, Climate Change, and Health | ||
| Landscape Biogeochemistry | ||
| Earth Environments and Human Impacts | ||
| Environmental Hydrology | ||
| Indigenous Politics | ||
| Human Rights: Theory and Practice | ||
| Seminar: American Foreign Policy | ||
| Conflicts and Rights in International Law | ||
| Seminar: Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| International Women's Resistance | ||
| Complete a project or thesis on an approved society and environment related topic. | ||
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Women's and Gender Studies Track
Women's and Gender Studies are based in feminist theory, queer theory, post-colonial and ethnic studies, and a variety of social sciences and cultural studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete at least one WGST theory course: | 3 | |
| Survey of Feminist Thought | ||
| Feminist Philosophy | ||
| Methods and Theories of Feminism and Gender Studies | ||
| Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of approved women's and gender studies related elective coursework from the list below, substitutions may be approved by the student's advisor: | 12 | |
| Nature and Scope of Interpersonal Violence | ||
| Interpersonal Violence Law and Public Policy | ||
| Studies of Major Authors | ||
| Women and the Law | ||
| Women's Rights, Human Rights: Global Perspectives | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
| Gender, Development and Globalization | ||
| Seminar: Sociology of the Family | ||
| Viewing Empire: The Art of Imperial and Colonial Propaganda | ||
| Women in the West | ||
| Sex and Gender in Modern Britain | ||
| Survey of Feminist Thought | ||
| History of Sexuality | ||
| Contemporary Feminist Thought | ||
| Gender, Science and Medicine: 1600 to the Present | ||
| Goddess Traditions | ||
| Feminist Philosophy | ||
| Whores and Saints: Medieval Women | ||
| French Women Writers | ||
| International Women's Resistance | ||
| Sex, Gender, and Visual Representation | ||
| Complete a project or thesis on an approved women's and gender studies related topic. | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.