The BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences is a college located on the Provo, Utah campus of Brigham Young University and is housed in the Spencer W. Kimball Tower and Joseph F. Smith Building. The BYU College of Family Living was organized on June 28, 1951, while the BYU College of Social Sciences was organized in 1970. These two colleges merged to form the current college in 1981. The first dean of the college was Martin B. Hickman. The college includes nine major departments: Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, The School of Family Life, Social Work, and Sociology. There are 21 different majors and 21 different minors that students can choose from, including 9 majors that have a correlating minor.
Departments
Anthropology
Through a combination of classroom and field work, BYU's Anthropology Program trains students in current methods and theory while teaching them critical analysis skills necessary for many careers, including further academic work in anthropology. Departmental programs and faculty research areas focus on Sociocultural Anthropology and Archaeology. Department faculty provide a variety of opportunities for students to participate in mentored research in subjects of their interest.
Department Web Page: https://anthropology.byu.edu/
Economics
Brigham Young University's first course in economics was taught in 1895 and the Department of Economics was established in 1921. Currently, approximately 28 faculty members are housed in the department. Students study broad range of contemporary policy issues such as natural resource and environmental economics; economic development and growth; international trade and finance; economic history; the organization of industries; the development and efficiency of law; business cycles; labor markets; and public and private finance.
Department Web Page: https://economics.byu.edu/
Geography
Geography was originally part of the Geology Department, with a few geology professors teaching courses in geography. In 1955, the independent Geography Department was created, consisting of three full-time faculty, and Elliott Tuttle as chair. Today the geography department offers six major emphases: Global Studies, Environmental Studies, Travel & Tourism, Urban Planning, Geospatial Science & Technology, and Geospatial Intelligence, and five minors: Geospatial Science & Technology, Geography Teaching, Global Studies, Travel and Tourism, and Urban and Regional Planning. They have twelve full-time faculty members and a number of adjunct professors. They work with many different cities and governments on a variety of projects.
Department Web Page: http://geography.byu.edu/
History
Established in 1950, the History Department is made up of an average of 450 students and 44 faculty. It offers four majors: History, Family History- Genealogy, History Teaching, and Social Science Teaching, and four minors: History, Family History- Genealogy, History/Social Science Teaching, and Native American Studies. They offer an average of 140 classes each year including courses in African, Asian, European, Latin American, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and United States history. It established its first chair, the De Lamar Jensen Chair of Early Modern History, in 2017.
Department Web Page: https://history.byu.edu/
Political science
The political science department offers a BA in political science and minors in political science, legal studies, international strategy and diplomacy, and political research and data analysis. The department has numerous affiliates, namely the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at BYU, the Political and Economic Development Labs, and WomanStats Project. The department also sponsors on-campus clubs, such as BYU College Democrats, BYU College Republicans, Women in Politics, Pi Sigma Alpha (Honors Society) and Tocqueville Group. Their alumni society is the BYU Political Affairs Society.