Social Sciences at Western Kentucky University

If you plan to study social sciences, take a look at what Western Kentucky University has to offer and decide if the program is a good match for you. Get started with the following essential facts.

WKU is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky and approximately 17,517 students attend the school each year. In 2021, 273 social sciences majors received their bachelor's degree from WKU.

Want to know more about the career opportunities in this field? Check out the Careers in Social Sciences section at the bottom of this page.

WKU Social Sciences Degrees Available

• Basic Certificate in Social Sciences (Less Than 1 Year)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences
• Master’s Degree in Social Sciences

Online Classes Are Available at WKU

Online courses are a good option for students who need a more flexible schedule that allows them to pursue an education when and where they want. Whether you're going to school part-time or full-time, you may find distance education the right choice for you.

For those who are interested in distance learning, WKU does offer online courses in social sciences for the following degree levels:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Master’s Degree

WKU Social Sciences Rankings

Each year, College Factual ranks social sciences programs across the country. The following shows how WKU performed in these rankings.

Note: While rankings may be a good starting point when you're researching a school, they don't necessarily highlight all of a school's strengths. Don't forget to check out the other details that are available for a school to see if it has what you're looking for in a program.

Bachelor’s Degree Overall Quality & Other Notable Rankings

The social sciences major at WKU is not ranked on College Factual’s Best Colleges and Universities for Social Sciences. This could be for a number of reasons, such as not having enough data on the major or school to make an accurate assessment of its quality.

Ranking Type	Rank
Most Popular Online Social Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools	39
	244
Best Social Sciences Schools	511

In 2021, 20 students received their master’s degree in social sciences from WKU. This makes it the #201 most popular school for social sciences master’s degree candidates in the country.

Social Sciences Student Demographics at WKU

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the social sciences majors at Western Kentucky University.

WKU Social Sciences Bachelor’s Program

Of the 273 social sciences students who graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2020-2021 from WKU, about 47% were men and 53% were women. The typical social sciences bachelor's degree program is made up of only 44% men. So male students are more repesented at WKU since its program graduates 3% more men than average.

About 86% of those who receive a bachelor's degree in social sciences at WKU are white. This is above average for this degree on the nationwide level.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor's in social sciences.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	0
Black or African American	18
Hispanic or Latino	8
White	235
International Students	5
Other Races/Ethnicities	7

WKU Social Sciences Master’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 20 students graduated with a master's degree in social sciences from WKU. About 50% were men and 50% were women. Nationwide, master's degree programs only see 44% men graduate in social sciences each year. WKU does a better job at serving the male population as it supports 6% more men than average.

Of the students who received a social sciences master's degree from WKU, 85% were white. This is above average for this degree on the natiowide level.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Western Kentucky University with a master's in social sciences.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	0
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	17
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

WKU also has a doctoral program available in social sciences. In 2021, 0 student graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Concentrations Within Social Sciences

If you plan to be a social sciences major, you may want to focus your studies on one of the following concentrations. The table shows all degrees awarded in this field awarded for all degree levels at Western Kentucky University. A concentration may not be available for your level.

Concentration	Annual Degrees Awarded
Criminology	81
Sociology	57
Political Science & Government	50
Economics	42
General Social Sciences	22
Geography & Cartography	17
International Relations & National Security	14
Anthropology	12

Related Majors

• Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies
• Library Science
• Family, Consumer & Human Sciences
• History
• Psychology

Careers That Social Sciences Grads May Go Into

A degree in social sciences can lead to the following careers. Since job numbers and average salaries can vary by geographic location, we have only included the numbers for KY, the home state for Western Kentucky University.

Occupation	Jobs in KY	Average Salary in KY
High School Teachers	12,250	$56,200
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	4,650	$58,190
Managers	3,260	$92,630
Social Scientists	340	$71,870
Urban and Regional Planners	270	$53,330

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By OPMaster under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.