University of California, Merced - Social Sciences and Humanities

Accounting, B.S.

bwright3 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 18:04:41 +0000

The Accounting major provides students with a strong foundation in accounting, business, finance, statistics and economics. The curriculum emphasizes quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and professional communication; preparing students for careers in public accounting, corporate finance, and related fields. Students develop critical thinking skills by interpreting and evaluating current events and policy proposals in accounting, business, taxation, and auditing. The program fosters problem-solving through the analysis of accounting and business challenges, applying analytical methods to real- world situations.

�鶹�� Accounting Program

Through coursework in in financial-accounting, auditing, regulation and analysis, students will be prepared for the rigorous professional roles that are pursued by accounting graduates. Students will not only take key courses in accounting and ethics, but will compliment this with courses in economics and statistics. The Generally Acceptable Accounting Practices (GAAP) are woven throughout the curriculum, with explicit focus on ethics and their practice in the accounting profession. Students practice applying the professional and ethical standards required in public accounting, preparing for certification and maintaining integrity in professional practice. Students also develop the ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and effectively in both written and oral forms. These skills enable graduates to convey financial insights to clients, colleagues, and stakeholders across a range of professional settings.

The Accounting major supports students in achieving candidacy to apply for and pass the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam and prepares them for careers in accounting, auditing, taxation, and financial analysis across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

What Can You Do With an Accounting Degree?

Annual Job Openings in CA: 6,382
10-year projected job market growth: 4%
Median wage in California: $107,731

The top 5 industries where California graduates of Accounting programs work:

Accounting (about 30% of graduates work in this industry)
Financial Services
Information Technology and Services
Computer Software
Real Estate

Accounting is a new major, so there are no Accounting major alumni yet. �鶹�� graduates of similar programs have been hired at well-known companies such as Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Internal Revenue Service, BDO USA, and Armanino.

Economics Department Website School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Business Administration, B.A.

bwright3 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:59:51 +0000

The Business Administration major offers students a well-rounded education in the core disciplines that drive modern business, including management, finance, marketing, accounting, and economics. Grounded in real-world application, the curriculum is designed to help students understand how organizations operate, how decisions are made, and how value is created. With an emphasis on ethical leadership, effective communication, and strategic thinking, the program provides a flexible framework for exploring the role of business in society and the global economy.

�鶹�� Business Administration Program

The Business Administration major at �鶹�� prepares students for a wide variety of career paths in today’s rapidly evolving economy. This includes roles in management, marketing, financial services, entrepreneurship, accounting, sales, and operations. With a curriculum grounded in core business and management classes students develop the skills needed to lead teams, solve real-world business problems, and make data-informed decisions.

What sets this program apart is its accessible, hands-on approach. Students engage in business decision-making through case studies, simulations, and practical projects, with less emphasis on economic theory or quantitative analytics. The Business Administration major is ideal for those seeking to apply business principles across a wide range of industries and organizational settings.

Students in this program explore how business can drive economic opportunity and social progress, and learn to navigate challenges related to leadership, innovation, and ethics. Whether launching a startup, managing a team, improving business operations, or entering business school, graduates leave �鶹�� prepared to make meaningful contributions in a wide range of fields.

What Can You Do with a Business Administration Degree?

Annual Job Openings in CA: 17,247
10-year projected job market growth: 4.1%
Median wage in California: $97,776

The top 10 industries that CA graduates of Business Administration degrees work in:

Financial Services
Information Technology and Services
Computer Software
Internet
Hospital & Health Care
Retail
Real Estate
Marketing and Advertising
Entertainment
Insurance

Business Administration is a new major, so there are no Business Administration major alumni yet. �鶹�� graduates of similar programs have been hired at well-known companies such as Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, Gallo, Merrill Lynch, Amazon, Federal Reserve Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley.

Economics Department Website School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Liberal Studies, B.A.

bwright3 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:51:27 +0000

Ask Big Questions. Find Connections. Build a Career That Makes a Difference.

Are you curious about big questions like what makes a community equitable, inclusive, and thriving? How can schools and educators support diverse learners in meaningful ways? And how can a deeper understanding of people, culture, and society help drive positive change?

Liberal Studies at �鶹�� gives you the freedom to explore big ideas across multiple disciplines—and turn them into meaningful action. This flexible, interdisciplinary major is designed for students interested in education, social impact, and people-centered work, especially if your interests don’t fit neatly into a single field.

Why choose liberal studies?

Whether you're a first-year student, transferring in credits, or returning to complete your degree, Liberal Studies lets you customize your path while building a strong foundation in skills that matter across careers, including critical thinking, research, communication, and collaboration.

Through your coursework and experiences, you’ll develop the ability to think deeply, connect ideas, and address complex problems.

As a Liberal Studies major, you will:

Examine big questions at multiple levels—from personal stories to global issues—understanding how history, culture, and society shape lives and communities.
Develop the knowledge and experience needed to understand and address complex challenges—such as advancing educational equity, creating inclusive learning environments, and supporting youth development and success.
Build a foundation for diverse careers with social impact, including education, human services and health care.
Follow a clear, streamlined pathway to a teaching career, including coursework that satisfies requirements for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and hands-on opportunities in elementary education.

This major helps you turn curiosity into impact—whether that means becoming a K–8 teacher, leading initiatives in your community, or pursuing graduate school in education, policy, or the liberal arts.

Thinking about teaching? You’re already on the right path.

If you’re interested in becoming a K–8 teacher, Liberal Studies offers one of the most efficient pathways. The program is designed with future educators in mind and offers built-in advantages that can remove obstacles and save time and money on the path to a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

As a Liberal Studies major, you can:

Satisfy the subject matter competency requirement (California Subject Examinations for Teachers or CSET) for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential through your major
Take credential-aligned education courses that count toward both your degree and �鶹��’s Teacher Preparation Program.
Add a Natural Sciences Education (NSED) minor and gain additional coursework and fieldwork experience for admission to teacher credential programs at many local institutions.
Build hands-on experience through coursework and undergraduate research focused on education, equity, and diverse communities.

You’ll graduate not only qualified to lead a classroom but equipped with the tools to support all learners, collaborate across communities, and make a lasting difference in students’ lives.

Thinking about returning to college to finish your degree?

Have you started your degree but stepped away, and are now ready to finish strong? Are you looking for a program that values what you bring, helps you build on past credits, and prepares you for a meaningful career?

Liberal Studies at �鶹�� is designed with flexibility in mind so you can explore your interests, reconnect with your goals, and prepare for diverse careers. Whether you’re returning to pursue your dream of teaching or to use your experience to support others, this major equips you with the tools to succeed.

Visit https://degreecompletion.ucmerced.edu/ to connect with a re-entry advisor and explore how Liberal Studies can fit your goals.

What can you do with a Liberal Studies Degree?

A degree in Liberal Studies opens doors to a variety of fulfilling careers. You'll be prepared for people-centered roles in schools, nonprofits, public service, health care, and more—and gain transferable skills that employers across sectors value.

Here’s what the job market looks like in California:

Annual Job Openings in CA: 6,044
10-year projected job market growth: 4.1%
Median wage in California: $87,740

Where do liberal studies graduates work?

While �鶹��’s Liberal Studies major is new, graduates from similar programs across California have launched careers at:

School districts and education nonprofits
Healthcare organizations (Kaiser Permanente)
Financial institutions (Wells Fargo and Bank of America)
Major companies (Apple)

Common industries include:

Primary & Secondary Education
Higher Education & Education Management
Government & Public Service
Health & Human Services
Legal and Financial Services
Nonprofit Leadership

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Science, Technology, and Ethics, B.S.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:36:15 +0000

In an era of artificial intelligence, climate change, and zoonotic disease, our world requires citizens who understand both the technical and humanistic sides of emerging challenges. Will generative AI solve the problem of online misinformation, or make it worse? How did the scientific consensus on climate change become entangled with partisan politics? What role should scientific and technical expertise play in a democratic society?

Students in the Science, Technology, and Ethics (STE) program explore these kinds of questions, taking courses that cross the divide between STEM and the humanities.

UC MERCED SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ETHICS PROGRAM

As part of the requirements for the STE major, students take 20–40 units (approximately 5–10 courses) in a STEM field of their choice, such as Data Science, Biology, or Public Health. On the humanities side, requirements include Ethics as well as Philosophy of Science and Technology, with opportunities to take designated electives from other social science and humanities programs. The required sequence of STE-specific courses integrates students’ STEM and humanities training, developing skills in the analysis of the ethical, legal, and social implications of novel technologies and scientific developments. Double majors are welcome in the program, including STEM-STE double majors.

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Neuroscience, B.S., B.A.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:32:40 +0000

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system of humans and animals from an anatomical, molecular, and functional perspective. From an anatomical perspective, neuroscientists study the structure of neurons, synapsis, enzymes, and molecules involved in neural signal transmission, as well as the structure of the brain and sensory and cognitive systems (visual, auditory, motor, memory, and attention). From a molecular and functional perspective, neuroscientists study how biochemical and enzymatic reactions facilitate neural inhibitions and excitations within and across neuro-muscular structures and in turn how these processes mediate processing of environmental stimuli, regulate organ functions, and maintain body homeostasis. Moreover, the study of modern neuroscience includes a macro examination of how neural signaling across the entire nervous system manifests in behavior and disease, typically studied in the fields of Psychology, Health, and Cognitive science. Such macro topics include how brain encoding of environmental, linguistic, and musical stimuli, emotions, memory, artistic talent, and languages facilitate learning and development and how social interactions influence mental and physical health.

UC MERCED NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM

The Neuroscience major offering takes all aspects of the study of neuroscience. A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Neuroscience option offers a comprehensive scientific learning experience, not only in molecular and cell neurobiology, psychology, cognitive sciences, and biomedical engineering but also the subject matters that biological systems are based on, such as chemistry, physics and mathematics. The B.S. option offers three emphases to suit students’ career plans. These emphases are: 1) Molecular, Systems and Cellular, 2) Computational, Perceptual, and Cognitive 3) Neuroscience of Human Health and Development.
Alternatively, �鶹�� offers a Bachelor of Art (B.A.) in Neuroscience option, which is similar to the B.S. option but with less emphasis on physics and mathematics. Finally, �鶹�� also offers a Minor in Neuroscience (20-21 units), which has 2 required courses and 3 electives.

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Communication and Media, B.A.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:29:40 +0000

The BA in Communication and Media at �鶹�� brings together research and practices of the social sciences and humanities in a broadly interdisciplinary approach to the study of human communication in diverse media. In addition to the field of communication, our faculty conduct research in many fields, including media and cultural studies, film studies, performance studies, visual studies, sound studies, gender studies, rhetoric, writing studies, cognitive science, and linguistics. We draw on these fields to illuminate processes of human communication and how these manifest socially, materially, and politically in scholarship that is historical, transnational, and committed to community engagement and social justice.

UC MERCED COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA PROGRAM

Our program offers students the tools available to analyze, investigate, and produce effective communication in a wide variety of media for diverse audiences and perspectives. This training prepares students to pursue positions in many occupations and graduate programs, including media production, journalism, health communication, industrial and labor relations, public information, opinion research, legislative staff positions, mediation and negotiation, legal research, business management, and other professions in which effective communication is essential. In addition to a B.A. in Communication and Media, we also offer emphasis tracks in Media Production, and Linguistics that provide more specialized background in particular areas of inquiry.

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Environmental Humanities, B.A.

Steven Powers — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 17:33:57 +0000

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES

We are in the midst of a global environmental crisis. Scientists and academics from various disciplines have been researching our current environmental problems and coming up with solutions for decades, and yet little progress seems to be made. Why is this? This is a complicated question, but an important part of the answer is that environmental research often doesn’t get effectively “translated” into understandable, moving messages for the wider public. We need better environmental communicators — people capable of turning important research into relatable and, inspirational content that will lead to actual change in the real world.

The �鶹�� Environmental Humanities (EH) major and minor lay the foundation for becoming an environmental communicator. The “toolkit” you’ll develop in this program — including storytelling, creativity, critical thinking, and audience sensitivity — are applicable to producing inspiring and engaging content about society's most pressing environmental and social justice issues. After hearing from experts in the field, you’ll complete projects ranging from podcasts to comics to plays. Use skills you’ll hone in this program are not only necessary for creating a better world but are also rare and valuable abilities that employers today are looking for.

UC MERCED ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES PROGRAM

The Environmental Humanities major and minor at �鶹�� is the first of its kind in the University of California system. This program, centered on the study and analysis of literary, artistic, and creative works about environmental topics drawn from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, has a strong base in literature — where the term “literature” is taken to mean any cultural production that can be “read.” The program includes reading and understanding environmental research as well as creative environmental works. Special attention is paid to environmental justice, Indigenous ways of knowing, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), Black ecology, BIPOC perspectives, and postcolonial and decolonizing frameworks.

The Environmental Humanities program responds to an urgent need to create clear and inspiring environmental communications. Graduates of this career-oriented program will be professionals who understand environmental science and environmental injustice and can tell compelling stories about the research and data that urges action.

More Information About the Major and Minor School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Major Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Writing Studies, B.A.

jgarcia571 — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 15:11:13 +0000

Writing Studies emphasizes a broad-based investigation of the process and production of writing, focusing on theories and practices of language use as well as artistic, academic and professional expression. Our degree features specializations in professional and technical writing, often advantageous for dual degrees with the social sciences and sciences, particularly in health professions. The comprehensive degree program is designed to be 54 units, allowing for this possibility of double majors, with particular interest for undergraduates in STEM fields to combine science and writing studies degrees.

Graduate and Professional Schools

Masters in Fine Arts
Law school
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Humanities MA and Ph.D. programs (Rhetoric / Composition, Applied Linguistics, Education, Communications, Arts, and/or English Literature)

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Writing Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:22:24 +0000

�鶹�� Writing Program

The writing minor enhances students' understanding of the theoretical, creative, interdisciplinary and professional aspects of writing, and helps them develop the vocabulary, syntax, style and voice appropriate to the practice of composition in diverse fields.

By using the writing process to strengthen their ideas, students develop strategies for participating in research, policy-making, professional advancement and creative expression. Study of language is a central activity, including engaging rhetorical elements common to all writing as well as conventions particular to specific disciplines. Overall, this program fosters a writing culture, integrating knowledge creation with communication.

The minor in writing is open to — and appropriate for — students majoring in any field, and prepares those proceeding on to graduate work for the challenges of advanced academic writing, critical reading and effective speech.

By representing the student's intensive work in writing, the minor also signals to prospective employers the student's distinguished preparation for the demands of the professional workplace.

Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Geospatial Technology Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:13:46 +0000

Students taking the minor in Geospatial Technology learn to use geospatial hardware and software and apply these tools to the study of society, culture, earth sciences, and socio-environmental phenomena. Through experiential and technology-based coursework, the program prepares students in spatial data acquisition via positioning systems and remote sensing; in spatial data encoding, management, analysis, and display in maps and other visualizations; and in developing models and databases via Geographic Information Systems software. Students completing the minor will be prepared for such diverse careers as business and economics, historic preservation, cultural and natural resource management, and spatial data analysis and mapping.

Minor Information Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

University of California, Merced - Social Sciences and Humanities

Accounting, B.S.

�鶹���� Accounting Program

What Can You Do With an Accounting Degree?

Business Administration, B.A.

�鶹���� Business Administration Program

What Can You Do with a Business Administration Degree?

Liberal Studies, B.A.

Ask Big Questions. Find Connections. Build a Career That Makes a Difference.

Why choose liberal studies?

Thinking about teaching? You’re already on the right path.

Thinking about returning to college to finish your degree?

What can you do with a Liberal Studies Degree?

Where do liberal studies graduates work?

Science, Technology, and Ethics, B.S.

UC MERCED SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ETHICS PROGRAM

Neuroscience, B.S., B.A.

UC MERCED NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM

Communication and Media, B.A.

UC MERCED COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA PROGRAM

Environmental Humanities, B.A.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES

UC MERCED ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES PROGRAM

Writing Studies, B.A.

Writing Minor

�鶹���� Writing Program

Geospatial Technology Minor

�鶹�� Accounting Program

�鶹�� Business Administration Program

�鶹�� Writing Program