College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education

The College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education (CSSME) consists of six departments with curricula in eight core undergraduate disciplines — criminology and criminal justice, education (elementary and secondary), history, international studies, mathematics, political science, psychology and sociology. From these areas, students may earn one of 29 different majors, minors or certificates. Three graduate degrees — M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership 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 through internships and undergraduate research opportunities.
• Intensive student mentoring.
• Links to the Tampa Bay community.
• Extensive Study Abroad and 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-scholars who employ state-of-the-art teaching methodologies and experiential learning opportunities across all majors. Ninety three 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.

In our international education efforts, CSSME encourages education abroad/travel abroad opportunities. Multiple opportunities abound each year as CSSME faculty have led these trips to cities such as Amsterdam, London, Paris, Prague and Rome; numerous other countries in Europe, Africa, East Asia and more recently Cuba.

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.