$1,833 Per credit*
$15,734 Per term (6-10 credits)*
Prepare for a Meaningful Career with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences
Earning a BA in Social Sciences degree from New York University School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) empowers you to pursue professional opportunities and a meaningful career across various fields. Social science graduates use critical thinking skills and in-depth understanding of human behavior, history, and psychology as social workers and educators, managers and human resource professionals, political scientists and international relations experts, and economists and market analysts. They are lifelong learners, policy influencers, and changemakers.
Tuition*
# of Credits
120 credits
Study Options
Online: may be completed 100% online
Hybrid: choose a mix of online and onsite courses
Onsite: all courses onsite
Online | Onsite | Hybrid
Fall | Spring | Summer
Full-time | Part-time
Maximum Transfer Credits
80 credits
*See NYU Bursar site for more info.
7%
job growth in this degree area
$77.7K
median salary for this degree
90%
grads employed or continuing ed
17,954
alumni of NYU SPS DAUS division
Why This Degree?
Where You’ll Go
A wide range of career paths are open to DAUS graduates.
Where Our Alumni Work
- Goldman Sachs
- NBC Universal
- AECOM
- Ad Council
- Barclays Investment Bank
- Boies Schiller Flexner
- CNN
- Deloitte
- Elsevier
- Habitat for Humanity
- IBM
- Parsons Corporation
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Tasty Brands
- Twitch
- Verizon
- Walt Disney Company
- Yelp
What Our Alumni Do
- Business Manager
- Case Manager
- Chief of Staff
- Consultant
- Community Developer
- Database Manager
- Financial Analyst
- Head of Client Services
- Sales Specialist
- Social Media Coordinator
The above data is sourced from Lightcast
Application Deadlines
Real World Experiences
Your journey might begin in the classroom, but we ensure that you can learn through experience—rolling up your sleeves and taking your studies to the real world.
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Applied Learning
Courses are designed to tackle real world problems as part of the curriculum. Students have the opportunities to work with real-world clients, or solve real problems in course assignments.
Learn More About Applied Learning
Global Field Intensives (GFI)
SPS offers a range of GFIs for students to explore and engage with businesses in that host location. Students meet with companies, explore the culture of the location, and interact with local residents.
Learn More About Global Field Intensives.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.web.1280.1280.jpeg)
Capstone or Internship
Students can cap their final semesters by gaining the right real world experience for their future via an internship or capstone project guided by an expert faculty member.
Career Compass
The Career Compass is a growing online collection of real organizational challenges from companies and industries where DAUS students aspire to work. Students tackle these projects through their courses or outside of class—with direct feedback throughout from faculty—so that they graduate with a robust portfolio that demonstrates their career readiness and prepares them for professional success.
Alumni
Meet alumni who are achieving their ambitions for the future in their fields.
Make use of all the resources! From the certificate programs to extra tutoring, there's so much to help you succeed."
Make use of all the resources! From the certificate programs to extra tutoring, there's so much to help you succeed."
Faculty
Our professors are experts in the classroom, but what they teach comes directly from their varied experiences in the social sciences.
View Faculty DirectoryTo a great extent what excites me is the sense of mutual discovery one can experience in the classroom.”
Clif Hubby
Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies
Read Clif's Story
To a great extent what excites me is the sense of mutual discovery one can experience in the classroom.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I qualify for admission into the NYU SPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies?
Applicants to our Associate and Bachelor's degrees must have completed some college credit in order to apply to the summer or fall semesters. Applicants who have not completed any college coursework may apply to the spring semester. Learn more about the admission process and requirements.
What is social science?
Social sciences are the branch of science devoted to the study of societies and the relationships between individual human behavior within those societies. The social sciences help people understand how to interact in the world and how to do things such as influence policy, increase government accountability, develop networks, or promote a social cause.
What is a social science degree?
Social sciences degrees involve the study of human behavior, both as individuals and how they interact with the world, society, and institutions. Common social science disciplines include:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Economics
- Anthropology
- Geography
What can you do with a social science degree?
Students graduating with a social science bachelor's degree have many job opportunities. A social science degree prepares students for jobs in different industries, including those that require strong critical thinking, presentation, and problem-solving skills. Graduates take jobs with a range of employers, from large corporate firms to nonprofits. Studying social sciences also equips those who are seeking to attend graduate school with a strong undergraduate education as a foundation for success.
Is a social science degree worth it?
The value of completing a social sciences program ultimately depends on how well it aligns with your individual career goals, interests, and aspirations. Completing this degree provides a well-rounded education and a flexible path forward in management, law, government, political science, education, social work, psychology, cultural anthropology, economics, and finance.
What is the highest paying job in social sciences?
While earning potential in social sciences can vary based on education, experience, location and your specific field of interest, here are career options with potential for high salaries, according to Lightcast job postings data from July 2024-June 2026:
- Economist: The national median average annual salary of an economist is $112K.
- Political Scientist: The national median salary for a political scientists is $92.5K.
- Industrial Psychologist: The national median annual salary is $130.3K.
- Geographer: The median annual wage for geographers is $83.2K.
- Market Research Analyst: The median salary for market research analysts is $72.1K.
- Sociologist: Sociologist median salary is $60.4K according to Lightcast.
- Environmental Scientist: The national median annual salary for environmental scientists is $80.3K.
- Social Scientist: The median salary for social scientists is $85.2K.
- Urban Planner: Urban planners have a median annual salary of $101.8K.
- Social and Community Manager: Social and community managers have a national median annual salary of $70.0K.
- Human Resource Manager: The median annual salary for human resource managers is $114.0K.
How can I qualify for free tuition for an NYU associate degree?
If you are eligible for the Federal Pell grant or New York State TAP and apply to start your degree in the spring term (January), NYU SPS will make up the difference between tuition and your federal and state aid, so you have no out-of-pocket tuition costs. This puts you halfway to completing an NYU SPS DAUS bachelor’s degree. Continue automatically into your choice of DAUS bachelor’s degrees, and your government aid plus any additional NYU SPS financial aid you are eligible for gives you the most affordable bachelor’s degree at NYU.
