Imagine yourself in a classroom where you learn about the Native American peoples who inhabited the American continents before the 20th century. Picture yourself studying American history, the American economic system, or American political ideas and institutions; now picture yourself in Washington, D.C., as part of a BYU sponsored program, Washington Seminar, where you spend a semester as an intern in some public or private enterprise.
Think about the numerous, interdisciplinary skills required to function and compete on an international scale: language, geography, history, international relations, global economics, comparative world governments; contemplate the impact of modern technology upon our study of such areas of knowledge.
Learn about the adjustments required by physical, emotional, social, and economic changes in today’s world if we are to remain fully functional and productive individuals; gain an understanding of the basic physiological, anatomical, and chemical foundations of psychology.
Learn about the methods of understanding and aiding human beings in the myriad of challenges which they face in modern society — as individuals, as members of families, and as players in other social and political groupings.
All of this (and much, much more) is possible within the college of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, the largest and most diverse college on the BYU campus, with over 200 faculty and more that 4000 undergraduate majors. Included in the academic departments are: anthropology, clothing and textiles, economics, family sciences, geography, history, political sciences, psychology, social work, and sociology.
The college also provides an institutional umbrella for the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for L.D.S. Church History, the Women’s Research Institute, the Center for Studies of the Family, the Museum of Peoples and Culture, the Comprehensive Clinic, the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, and the New World Archaeological Foundation, each of which plays an important role in the undergraduate or graduate programs of the University.
The primary focus of the academic programs in the college of FHSS is people, both as individuals, or as groups organized for the purpose of achieving a variety of social, economic, or political ends. Course instruction ranges from the theoretical aspects of human behavior and organization, to the practical application of ideas for the regulation and improvement of the human experience; it takes into account both the geographical and historical parameters of the experience as well.
The academic programs also seek to comprehend the economic, social, political, and psychological causes and consequences which have attended and will continue to attend the human past, present, and future; it examines the distribution of natural resources across the earth, and how various societies choose to allocate scarce resources among competing uses.
Of particular concern to many of the disciplines represented in the college is the family as a fundamental unit of human society. The family is approached at various levels of abstraction. Some courses and programs focus their attention on understanding the family in a wide range of historical, geographical, and/or cultural contexts; others see the home as a laboratory for family enhancement — how can we increase the performance of families and of family members?
Still others explore the impact of public policies upon individuals and families alike.
Faculty in the college of FHSS have been trained at the best American and foreign institutions. They bring to the classroom a wealth of personal experience in both academic and non-academic worlds. Their talents as teachers have often been recognized by the university administration and by student and alumni groups as well. Courses are both academically challenging and engaging.
Exceptional undergraduate students in the college of FHSS frequently find opportunities for employment as research and lab assistants while they are completing their undergraduate program requirements, gaining a first-hand understanding of the field which may become their chosen profession; internship programs throughout the world allow other students to capitalize on their academic training and the oft-times unique foreign language skills they may possess, adding greater validity to the motto of BYU, “The World is Our Campus.”
Specialized labs provide hands-on training in such diverse fields as archaeology, cartography, genealogy, neuro-imaging, and travel and tourism.
Undergraduate training in the degree programs of the college of FHSS often serves as a springboard to graduate studies in the various disciplines, to law school, business or other professional programs, and to career opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
Many students combine training in a discipline with secondary education certification, paving the way for careers as public school teachers. For many of our students, however, the baccalaureate degree in a major offered in the college of FHSS functions as a “Liberal Arts” degree and designates its bearer as one who has been trained in critical thinking and analyzing, and in basic research skills and writing.
We welcome you as declared or as undeclared majors in the college of FHSS. We offer you a veritable smorgasbord of courses and programs, both as majors and minors, which will help you become informed and contributing members of your generation. We have a well-trained staff in the College Advisement Center (2254 SFLC), and we encourage you to contact them regarding matters of university and General Education requirements.
The various academic departments and the Kennedy Center also provide advisement in the specific area of majors and minors; in many instances, the Dean’s Office (990 SWKT) can also render service to you. We further urge you to attend the “Open Houses” being sponsored by departments as a means of providing you with helpful information about the majors.
We congratulate you on being accepted to BYU. We hope that your experience here is all that you expect it to be.
