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academic programs

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts offers seven graduate programs and fourteen undergraduate majors

majors

ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology is dedicated to understanding humankind’s diversity as well as what makes us uniquely human. Through the specific perspectives and methods of socio-cultural, archaeological, and biological anthropology, students learn how the human experience (past and present) is constituted through the interaction of social, cultural, political, material, historical, environmental, and biological factors.

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cOGNITIVE SCIENCE

Cognitive Science is the interdisciplinary study of human thought and behavior. It combines methods, theories, and applications from many disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, linguistics, computer science, neuroscience, and biology. The Cognitive Science majors, B.A. and B.S., provide a broad knowledge of cognitive science, including language and communication, reasoning, memory, categorization, cognitive modeling, perception and action, philosophical foundations, artificial intelligence, cognitive engineering, and cognitive science applications for the business setting.

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Critical Race & Ethnic Studies

Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES) is an interdisciplinary field of study that seeks to understand the ways society is culturally and institutionally constituted by ideas of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and nation. The program provides an innovative, multidisciplinary paradigm that employs global (Western and non-Western), relational, and intersectional methods for producing knowledge about power and inequality, including systems of knowledge that have emerged from racialized and indigenous communities.

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ECONOMICS

The Economics major is built on a foundation of strong theoretical and statistical training. The major provides students solid grounding in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, statistical and econometric methodology and applied economic analysis.

Emphases:

  • Economic Analysis and Policy
  • Quantitative Economics
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GLOBAL ARTS STUDIES PROGRAM

The Global Arts Studies Program (GASP) combines the study of visual arts and music, as well as the interactions of sight and sound in film, television, dance, theater, videogames, and other multimedia. We study these arts in historical and cultural context all around the world, learning about their inner workings as well as their place in society. The GASP major combines scholarly courses with practical hands-on training in ensemble and studio settings, for a rounded education in artistic theory and practice.

Optional Emphases:

  • Performance Studies
  • Visual Studies
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history

The History major at UC Merced emphasizes the many ways in which connections between regions and nations have existed over time. It is a craft with a set of professional ethics and standards that demand peer review, citation and toleration for the provisional nature of knowledge.

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Literature & ENGLISH

beginning Fall 2023

The Literature & English major asks students to recognize the complex interactions of culture and literature. Literature and literary criticism are significant parts of an ages old, continuing conversation about the meaning and value of human society. The study of literature enables one to engage this conversation richly, both for personal development and for the ability it gives one to be a responsible agent in the many societies each person inhabits. Moreover, literary study gives one insight into how cultures operate in such a way as to facilitate ethical cross-cultural interactions.

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MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS ECONOMICS

UC Merced's Management and Business Economics major responds to the growing demands and needs of the modern business world. The major provides rigorous analytical and quantitative training from a blend of fields including accounting, economics, finance, marketing and strategy. Today's managers tackle issues involving a number of management functions and do not always fit neatly into subject areas. The UC Merced approach is to integrate key ideas and approaches from across subject areas to evaluate and understand all the dimensions of a given issue. Creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship are emphasized.

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PHILOSOPHY

UC Merced emphasizes interdisciplinary and applied research programs, and the Philosophy major has developed accordingly, with initial emphases in philosophy of cognitive science and philosophy of social and political science. Philosophy undergraduate students have the flexibility to study a wide variety of interdisciplinary topics, either as part of our regular course offerings or as part of independent undergraduate studies.

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POLITICAL SCIENCE

Students studying political science at UC Merced develop a strong substantive understanding of both political institutions and behavior. Students also learn the theories that help us better understand the political world and the methods by which these theories are tested and refined. The knowledge and skills acquired with the Political Science major should provide a strong foundation for graduate training in law, political science or other social sciences.

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PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and mental states, and of human and animal behavior. The field of psychology can be both applied and theoretical, and is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing together aspects of the natural and social sciences, humanities and the arts to address specific problems. Many students with an undergraduate degree in psychology go on to graduate study in psychology or closely related fields such as cognitive science or organizational behavior, as well as other fields such as social work, medicine and law.

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PUBLIC HEALTH

Public Health is an interdisciplinary field drawing on the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to promote health, prevent disease, prolong life and improve quality of life through organized efforts by society. Focusing on the health and well-being of populations, Public Health complements medicine’s concern for individuals with diseases.

At UC Merced, a key mission in Public Health is to bring our resources to bear on the needs of the San Joaquin Valley, one of the most economically important yet underprivileged regions of the United States, and home to our institution. Our nearness to this underserved population provides unique opportunities to work on local problems through basic research and service. Undergraduates in Public Health learn and participate in these activities both inside and ouside the classroom.

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SOCIOLOGY

Sociology is the scientific study of society, social institutions and social relationships. A key contribution of the discipline is that social factors matter; our lives are not only shaped by personal psychology, but also by our place in the social world. Sociologists help develop theories to understand how the social world works and also use analytic tools to craft policies and create programs that address important social issues, such as neighborhood and educational inequality. Few disciplines offer such a broad scope of relevance for understanding individual and collective relations in society.

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SPANISH

The major in Spanish at UC Merced will provide students with the linguistic skills and necessary cultural background to communicate their ideas in Spanish in different professional contexts, to think critically, and to analyze literary works. In doing so, the major in Spanish will help students to face the demands of an ever more globalized society, one that requires and values linguistic and cultural competence in more than one language.

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Writing studies

open to first year only, available to transfer students in fall 2024

Writing Studies is concerned with the interdisciplinary study of the process and product of writing, including how genres, contexts, and identities inform and are shaped by the technologies, sources, cultures, and other contexts of production. In this mix are theories of language use, linguistic structure, and artistic expression in a degree that is research-based, writing-intensive, and engaged with the study of discursive practices across modes, genres, identities, cultures, rhetorical situations, and disciplines.

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New "Babies" Series on Netflix Features UC Merced Professor's Research on Development

Psychology Professor Eric Walle found something interesting when he studied babies who were walking compared to those who were crawling: Babies who walk are not only more mobile, they have vocabularies that are significantly larger than those of the crawlers. It’s a finding that applies to babies regardless of their age, culture or language. And it’s an intriguing fact that is explored in an episode of “Babies,” a new docu-series on Netflix.

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Magali

Torres Cervantes


Year: 4th year Major: Management and Business Economics Hometown: Merced, CA

A memorable project I worked on during my time at UC Merced is being part of the 2020 Creating a Path to Success (CAPS) cohort with the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (CHCC). CAPS is a program in which you get to develop yourself as a professional, network with a lot of amazing and talented individuals — not only within your fields of interest but also within your cohort — and work collectively on a research project that you present at the annual CHCC Convention. Coming into the program as a first-generation student, one thing that was always emphasized to us by our mentors was that we are deserving of the professional spaces we occupy and that it's important to voice our opinions! Personally, I learned that it's also very important to build meaningful relationships with everyone you meet. It's important to immerse yourself in all the opportunities you take on, be passionate about all you do and always make sure to put your best foot forward. You always get out what you put in, and the more involved you are the more memorable your experiences will be!

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graduate programs

cognitive & informational sciences

M.S. | Ph.d.

The Cognitive and Information Sciences (CIS) graduate program offers its master’s and doctoral students interdisciplinary training in cognitive science with an emphasis on computation, technology, and applications.

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economics

M.a.* | Ph.d.

The UC Merced Economics PhD is an applied-micro focused program, with faculty expertise in immigration, innovation, public economics, development, political economy, economic history, international trade, experimental and labor economics. The hallmarks of our program are strong mentorship from our young, vibrant, and very research-active faculty and a strong training in the latest frontiers in data analysis and computing.

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interdisciplinary humanities

M.a. | Ph.d.

Interdisciplinary Humanities is an innovative M.A. and Ph.D. program that incorporates anthropology, the arts, history, and language and literature.

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political science

M.a.* | Ph.d.

The Ph.D. program in Political Science at UC Merced is a particularly good fit for students with research interests that span traditional disciplinary boundaries, such political psychology or political economy.

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psychological sciences

M.a.* | Ph.d.

The Ph.D. program in Psychological Sciences emphasizes a strong base of coursework, including research methods, statistics, and a one-year professional seminar covering the breadth of psychology.

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public health

M.S.P.H.* | Ph.d.

UC Merced was established in the San Joaquin Valley in part to address the health disparities that exist in the region. The Public Health faculty at UC Merced are building a vibrant and collegial intellectual community, marked by outstanding scholarship and participation in interdisciplinary communities of inquiry. Our goal is to foster scholarly excellence in Public Health, with a specific focus on three topical areas: prevention sciences, environmental health, and health services.

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sociology

M.a.* | Ph.d.

UC Merced's Sociology Ph.D program offers advanced graduate training in several sub-areas of the discipline to prepare students for research-oriented careers as professors and researchers at colleges and universities, as well as non-academic jobs, such as in non-profit, advocacy, or governmental organizations.

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Asterisk (*) Denotes M.S./M.A. offered only along the way to Ph.D.

Peter D.

Carey, II


Political Science PhD Candidate

Peter D Carey II is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Merced. He studies political violence between governments and protestors using a broad range of methodological techniques including formal modeling and quantitative methods. His dissertation focuses on how governments perceive and respond to dissident threat by looking at what makes groups threatening to governments, how governments deal with multiple threatening groups, and how changes to this threat environment influence governments’ repressive decisions. This dissertation is part of a broader research agenda on conflict processes, with work investigating how oil discoveries influence repression, how the media impacts governments’ ability to make credible threats, and how civilians understand and respond to political violence.

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