Overview

The social sciences are disciplines concerned with social life and relationships among individuals. Because all human behavior is social, the subject matter of interest to social scientists varies widely and ranges from individual social experiences to political structures, policies and cultural systems. Complex modern problems often require us to use a variety of disciplinary lenses in order to enhance understanding and create cutting-edge solutions. The Interdisciplinary Social Sciences (ISS) major at the University of Washington provides an interdisciplinary integration of the social sciences and related fields for students who are interested in a broad educational experience. ISS offers a wide choice of courses, and an opportunity to design a quality program geared toward individual needs and interests. Students choose courses that assist their development of social scientific research methods aimed at enhancing their knowledge production and problem-solving abilities.

Learning Objectives

The Interdisciplinary Social Sciences curriculum advances the five core IAS learning objectives. Students taking courses and/or majoring in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences will address the following learning objectives:

Understand how social institutions work (e.g., family, criminal justice, religion, media, education, business).
Understand the connections between social institutions and social change.
Identify how social position (e.g., race, sex/gender, class, sexual orientation, religion, age, nationality, disability) influence individual life outcomes.
Develop and employ evidence-based research strategies.
Develop creative and collaborative approaches for addressing social problems.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Social Theory
Institutions and Social Change
Ethics and Society
Power, Dissent, and American Culture
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
History and Globalization
Critical Gender and Sexuality Studies
Human Rights in Theory and Practice
Comparative Economic Development

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-09-24 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-05-13 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

110

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Credits

180 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Seattle, United States

Disciplines

Sociology Social Policy View 133 other Bachelors in Social Policy in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

Required

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

110

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TOEFL^® IBT

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IELTS

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98 accuracy using real exam data
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Other requirements

General requirements

All freshman applicants will self-report their courses on the application. A minimum level of preparation in six subject areas must be met for admission.

The writing section is a required and important part of your application. Please note that the UW essay questions must be answered within our application. For the Common App, that means within our UW questions. We do not consider the Common App essay.

The UW no longer requires SAT or ACT scores for most applicants. Homeschooled applicants and applicants who come from schools with non-standard grading practices that do not have letter or numeric grades are still required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Do not send high school or college transcripts unless you receive a request from the Office of Admissions. The application asks you to provide a detailed account of your academic coursework, and that’s all we need to review your application.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

43209 USD / year

≈ 43209 USD / year
Out-of-State

43209 USD / year

≈ 43209 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

12973 USD / year

≈ 12973 USD / year

Living costs

Seattle

United States

1480 - 2580 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Bachelor's scholarship opportunities for Interdisciplinary Social Sciences.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Learning Objectives

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Seattle

Funding

Need help with your student visa?

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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