School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
As a collective of several disciplines, social science is the study of institutions, organizations and behavior. Social scientists ask such questions as: What roles do government, law and politics play in our society? How can public and nonprofit organizations be effectively managed? How are groups formed? How do people produce and distribute goods? Why do cities grow, and why do some cities decay? What are the causes of war, racial discrimination, and revolutions? How can we improve organizational capability in leadership and ethical decision making? Social science uses rigorous methodologies to apply ideas and theories to the real world. Degrees in the social sciences provide students with the tools of critical thinking that allow them to work and succeed in business, government, and not-for-profit organizations.
The School of Economic, Politics and Policy Sciences offers undergraduate degrees in Criminology, Economics, Geospatial Information Sciences, International Political Economy, Political Science, Public Affairs, Public Policy, and Sociology. Each degree offers a large number of elective semester credit hours that allow students to direct their educational focus. Careers building on social science degrees include law, public service, nonprofit management, finance, banking, criminal justice, human resource management, teaching, market research and analysis, urban planning, and counseling to name a few.
Programs and General Courses
The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences has seven degree granting programs: Criminology, Economics, Geospatial Information Sciences, International Political Economy, Political Science, Public Affairs, Public Policy, and Sociology. Within each of these programs, students may specialize in areas that complement their interests and career plans, such as, political economy, law and society, and comparative studies. Students should also note that many courses listed under Interdisciplinary Studies (ISSS) and Social Sciences (SOCS) apply within their major.
Minor Areas of Study
The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences offers minors in Criminology; Economics; Geography; Geospatial Information Sciences; International Political Economy; Political Science; Public Affairs; Public Health; Public Policy; Science, Technology, and Policy; and Sociology. Students must take a minimum of 18 semester credit hours for the minor, 12 of which must be upper-division semester credit hours. Students who take a minor will be expected to meet the normal prerequisites in courses making up the minor, and should maintain a minimum GPA of 2.000 on a 4.00 scale (C average). The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences requires that a minimum of 12 of the 18 semester credit hours for a minor be taken at UT Dallas.
Students may choose to minor in any of the following fields of study:
- Criminology
- Economics
- Geography
- Geospatial Information Sciences
- International Political Economy
- Political Science
- Public Affairs
- Public Health
- Public Policy
- Science, Technology, and Policy
- Sociology
Social Studies Teacher Certification
Teacher certification is offered in Composite Social Studies, Economics, Geography, Government, and History. Specific course requirements are available in the Teacher Development Center.
Economic, Political and Policy Sciences Core Requirements
All undergraduates receiving degrees in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences must have taken and passed a core of courses designed to provide breadth and an interdisciplinary perspective beyond any individual social science discipline. These courses include:
Three semester credit hours in economics (normally ECON 2301 or ECON 2302)
Three semester credit hours in sociology (normally SOC 1301)
Three semester credit hours in statistics (normally EPPS 2302)
Three semester credit hours in research design (normally EPPS 2301)
Three semester credit hours in an approved course satisfying the writing requirement (normally COMM 1311)
Internship and Independent Study Policy
The total number of independent study and internship semester credit hours are limited to nine total semester credit hours with the exception of extenuating circumstances to be approved by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.
Fast Track Baccalaureate/Master's Degrees
Undergraduate EPPS majors with strong academic records who are interested in pursuing a Master's degree may apply for a Fast Track plan of study that involves taking graduate courses in lieu of several advanced undergraduate courses. Eligible students may take up to 15 semester credit hours of selected graduate courses that may be used to complete the baccalaureate degree and also satisfy requirements for the master's degree. All Fast Track students are expected to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and earn a B or better in graduate classes. Interested students should contact their academic advisor during their junior year to apply to the Fast Track program.
Economic, Political and Policy Sciences Honors Program
The School Honors Program in the School of EPPS provides eligible students with the opportunity for recognition at the Program level for outstanding scholarly performance in degree programs within the School. In order to earn EPPS honors, a student must:
- graduate with an overall GPA of 3.500 or higher
- graduate with a GPA of 3.750 or higher in their major program of study
- register for three to six Senior Honors semester credit hours with a faculty supervisor or mentor and complete the honors thesis.
The Honors paper must be submitted to a faculty mentor or supervisor at least three weeks prior to the last day of classes for the term. It is then critiqued by the mentor and returned to the student for revisions and must be resubmitted by the last day of classes of the term. At that point, a second reader is asked to evaluate the paper.
Students must apply no later than 30 semester credit hours prior to graduation and no earlier than 60 semester credit hours prior to graduation.
Students should contact an academic advisor for an application.
Faculty
Professors: Daniel G. Arce, Abraham Benavides, Kurt J. Beron, Denise Paquette Boots, Patrick T. Brandt, Thomas L. Brunell, Yongwan Chun, Euel W. Elliott, Daniel A. Griffith, Jennifer S. Holmes, Dohyeong Kim, David J. Lary, Dong Li, Robert C. Lowry, Sarah Maxwell, Banks P. Miller, Clint W. Peinhardt, Fang Qiu, Meghna Sabharwal, Richard K. Scotch, Sheryl L. Skaggs, Marianne C. Stewart, Donggyu Sul, Lynne M. Vieraitis, John L. Worrall, May Yuan
Associate Professors: Simon M. Fass, Seth Giertz, Evgenia Gorina, Thomas Gray, James R. Harrington, Soyoung Kwon, Tony Love, Darwin (Trey) Miller, Irina Panovska, Elizabeth Searing, Kevin Siqueira, Michael Tiefelsdorf, Victor Valcarcel
Assistant Professors: Curtis Bram, Alexander Burton, Anne Burton, Sivaram Cheruvu, Elías Cisneros, Brenda Gambol Gavigan, Joan Camilo Grandos Castro, Jonas Hedlund, Andrew Krajewski, Natalia Lamberova, Marcelo Leal, Yeung Jeom Lee, Erin Litzow, Maria (Camila) Morales, Jonathan Pinckney, Allison Russell, Lauren Santoro, Anton Sobolev, Pengfei Zhang, jxp230024
Professor of Practice: Teodoro Benavides
Clinical Professor: John R. McCaskill
Lecturer: Bryan Chastain
Professors Emeriti: Brian J. L. Berry, Ronald Briggs, Anthony M. Champagne, Paul Diehl, Lloyd J. Dumas, Edward J. Harpham, Donald A. Hicks, L. Douglas Kiel, Murray J. Leaf, James Murdoch, Todd Sandler
Professors of Instruction: Karl K. Ho, Carol Cirulli Lanham
Associate Professor of Instruction: Luba Ketsler
Assistant Professor of Instruction: Galen Dickey-Laprocido