Social Studies and Social Science Explained: What Changes at University?

If you grew up taking "social studies" class in school, you might assume university just offers a more advanced version of the same subject. It doesn't — not exactly. Somewhere between high school and your first year of university, "social studies" quietly disappears from the curriculum entirely, replaced by an entirely different academic structure: social science. Here's what actually changes, and why understanding the difference matters if you're choosing a university major.

The Core Difference

Social studies is a K-12 educational subject designed to build informed, engaged citizens. It blends elements of history, geography, civics, economics, and culture into a single, integrated school subject aimed at helping young people understand society and their place in it.

Social science is a research-based academic discipline — or more accurately, a family of distinct academic disciplines — studied at university level, using systematic research methods to analyze human behavior, social structures, and institutions.

The simplest way to think about it: social studies teaches you about society. Social science trains you to research it.

Purpose: Citizenship vs. Research

Social studies exists primarily as an educational tool. Its central goal is civic — preparing students to participate effectively in society, understand their rights and responsibilities, and engage thoughtfully with history, government, and culture. It's not designed to train researchers; it's designed to build informed citizens.

Social science, by contrast, exists to generate knowledge. University-level social science programmes use structured research methods — quantitative data analysis, qualitative fieldwork, experimental design, statistical modeling — to study human behavior and social systems, test theories, and produce new understanding. Where social studies passes down existing knowledge in simplified form, social science is where that knowledge actually gets produced and refined.

Structure: One Combined Subject vs. Many Distinct Disciplines

This is one of the most significant practical differences students encounter when moving from school to university.

Social studies is typically taught as a single, integrated subject, usually covering:

1. History
2. Geography
3. Civics/government
4. Basic economics
5. Elements of sociology and culture

These topics are blended together into one course rather than studied as separate academic fields — a broad, general introduction rather than deep specialization in any one area.

Social science, at university, splits into distinct, separately taught academic disciplines, each with its own theoretical frameworks, research methods, and degree programmes. The major categories typically include:

1. Sociology — the study of social behavior, institutions, and relationships
2. Psychology — the study of individual and group mental processes and behavior
3. Political Science — the study of political systems, government, and power
4. Economics — the study of production, distribution, and consumption of resources
5. Anthropology — the study of human societies, cultures, and their development

Within each of these broad categories, further specialization is common — for example, sociology might branch into subfields like criminology, urban sociology, or the sociology of education; political science might specialize into international relations, comparative politics, or public policy. At university, you're not just learning "about society" in a general sense — you're being trained within a specific disciplinary tradition, with its own established methods and ongoing scholarly debates.

Depth and Methodology

Social studies is intentionally introductory — its purpose is exposure and civic literacy, not depth. Assessment tends to focus on comprehension and application of basic concepts (understanding how government works, interpreting historical events, grasping basic economic principles) rather than original research or theoretical analysis.

Social science, at university, is fundamentally research-based and analytical. Students are trained in specific research methodologies relevant to their discipline — survey design and statistical analysis in sociology or psychology, archival and comparative methods in political science, ethnographic fieldwork in anthropology, econometric modeling in economics. As students progress through a social science degree, they typically move from studying existing research toward conducting their own — a trajectory that has no real equivalent in a school-level social studies curriculum, which is not designed to produce original research at all.

Is "Social Studies" Offered as a University Degree?

Generally, no — at least not as a standalone specialized degree in most university systems. Social studies functions as a foundational school subject that prepares students for the more specialized social science disciplines they'll encounter at university, rather than continuing as its own distinct field of undergraduate study.

There's one notable exception worth knowing about: some universities offer education-focused graduate programmes specifically for students who want to become social studies teachers — for example, a Master of Arts in Teaching with a social studies concentration. This is a distinct career path (training future K-12 educators) rather than a continuation of "social studies" as an academic research discipline in its own right.

What This Means for Choosing a University Major

If you enjoyed social studies in school, that's genuinely useful signal — but it's worth translating that general interest into a specific disciplinary choice at university, since "social studies" itself generally isn't the degree you'll be selecting from a university's list of majors. A few ways to think about the transition:

1. Enjoyed learning about government, elections, or how policy gets made? Consider Political Science.
2. Interested in why people behave the way they do, individually or in groups? Consider Psychology or Sociology.
3. Drawn to how different cultures and societies developed differently across history? Consider Anthropology.
4. Curious about how resources, markets, and money shape society? Consider Economics.
5. Not sure yet, and want to explore before committing? Many universities offer a broader "Social Sciences" undergraduate track or interdisciplinary programme in the first year or two, allowing you to sample multiple disciplines before formally declaring a specific major.

It's also worth knowing that many universities now offer interdisciplinary programmes that combine traditional social science disciplines with newer fields like data analytics, public policy, or technology studies — reflecting how social science research increasingly draws on quantitative and computational methods alongside its traditional qualitative approaches.

University Social Science Departments Vary Considerably

It's worth noting that the specific range of social science majors, concentrations, and research opportunities available can differ significantly between universities — some institutions offer a narrower, more traditional set of core disciplines, while others offer a much broader range of specialized majors and interdisciplinary combinations. If you're choosing where to study a social science field specifically, it's worth comparing not just the broad disciplinary label (like "Sociology") but the actual range of specializations, research opportunities, and faculty expertise available at each institution you're considering.

Career Pathways: How They Diverge

Because social studies and social science serve fundamentally different educational purposes, the career and further-study pathways that follow from each also diverge:

1. From social science degrees, common pathways include graduate research programmes (an MA or PhD in a specific discipline like Sociology, Political Science, or Psychology), careers in research, policy analysis, government, international organizations, market research, human resources, journalism, and law, among many others — the specific path depends heavily on your chosen discipline.
2. From a background rooted primarily in social studies (typically pursued through a broader liberal arts or education-focused path rather than a standalone social studies degree), a common pathway is teacher training — becoming a social studies educator at the K-12 level, often through an education-specific graduate programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is social science just an advanced version of social studies? Not exactly — they serve different purposes rather than existing on a simple continuum of difficulty. Social studies is an integrated school subject focused on civic education; social science is a research-based academic discipline (or family of disciplines) focused on studying and generating new knowledge about human behavior and society.

Can I major in "social studies" at university? Generally no, not as a standalone academic discipline — social studies serves as a foundational school subject rather than a specialized university degree. The main exception is education-focused graduate programmes designed to train future social studies teachers.

What are the main social science disciplines I can study at university? The major categories are typically sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and anthropology, each of which further branches into more specialized subfields.

Does doing well in social studies in school mean I'll be good at social science in university? Enjoying social studies is a reasonable signal of genuine interest in the broader subject area, but university social science involves a different skill set — particularly research methodology and discipline-specific analytical frameworks — so it's worth exploring specific disciplines to find the best fit rather than assuming direct equivalence.

What career paths come from a social science degree? This varies significantly by specific discipline, but common paths include research, policy analysis, government and public service, international organizations, market research, human resources, journalism, and further graduate study (including research-focused MA and PhD programmes).