College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education

The College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education (CSSME) consists of five departments with curricula in seven core undergraduate disciplines — criminology and criminal justice, education (elementary and secondary), government and world affairs, history, mathematics, psychology and sociology. From these seven areas, students may earn one of 29 different majors, minors or certificates. Two graduate degrees — M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology — are offered.

Special qualities of CSSME include the following:

• Faculty who are excellent teachers and scholars.
• Experiential learning/undergraduate research opportunities.
• Intensive student mentoring.
• Links to the Tampa community.
• International education emphases.
• State-of-the-art equipment; access to technology.

With respect to mentoring, CSSME offers students the opportunity to interact with faculty in small classes. The College faculty members are outstanding teachers who employ state-of-the-art teaching methodologies and experiential learning opportunities across all majors. Ninety percent of CSSME faculty members have earned the highest degrees in their field, and all are experienced and professionally qualified. Faculty members serve as guides and career mentors, acting as professional role models in their relationships with students both in and out of class.

In the area of experiential learning, CSSME offers a variety of internships, from work with local schools and government agencies to opportunities with law enforcement and social agencies. An increasing number of our classes feature a service-learning component, which matches students in class with community partners in real-world learning environments. CSSME faculty members also engage students in collaborative research opportunities including Honors research fellowships, many of which result in conference presentations and publications by students.

The CSSME faculty members also are campus leaders in the University’s global education initiatives, from teaching international-based courses to mentoring students who pursue a Certificate in International Studies (CIS). In international education efforts, CSSME encourages education abroad/travel abroad opportunities. More than 44 trips have been taken by CSSME faculty since 1995 to cities such as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Prague and Rome, and a number of countries in Europe, Africa and the Far East. Many of the University’s global education requirements are taught through government and world affairs (GWA), history (HIS), international and cultural studies and international studies (IST) programs.

Regarding access to and use of technology, the College has several dedicated facilities, including specialized education classrooms and high-tech classrooms. Psychology teaching labs include a statistics-based computer-access classroom as well as a biopsychology lab for simulations and animal brain dissections. All education programs utilize an electronic portfolio to track mastery of standards necessary for the degree.