Social Sciences
Students and faculty in the Department of Social Sciences take the principles, methods, and goals of scientific inquiry and apply them to group-level, human endeavor.
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Social scientists conduct basic research into fundamental processes, concepts, and interactions. We also conduct applied research where we use theories, methods, and findings to consciously inform and evaluate group-level decisions and practices. Our faculty are engaged in an exciting range of research on science, technology, and the environment; designed objects and the built environment; urban affairs; international migration; American and comparative politics; and policy analysis.
Our majors get special treatment and develop close relationships with their academic advisers, professors, and career counselors. We encourage our students to find the questions and modes of inquiry that fascinate them. We can even customize programs of study to suit an individual’s interests. We work hand-in-hand to help students find the internships, externships, and jobs that will provide them with a real advantage in the post-graduate marketplace.
Our students receive the rigorous, multidisciplinary training they will need to embark on a wide range of fulfilling careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Whether seeking careers in management consulting, marketing, survey and design research, higher education, sustainable development, urban planning, social work, diplomatic services, local, or state or federal government, our students benefit from the solid preparation our courses provide. Our majors also give students excellent preparation for law school and advanced degrees in many of the social and applied sciences. In addition, our degree programs complement the more technical courses of study offered at Illinois Tech, making them good choices for students wishing to pursue a dual degree.
Humans play a major role in shaping the implementation of every technical solution that is developed and applied. In our weekly Great Problems, Great Minds Seminar Series, we bring in the world's great minds to speak on the great problems facing society to discuss potential solutions and the interaction of people with potential technical solutions.
Dedicated to Public Service
Alumnus Olurotimi “Timi” Akindele (PS ’15) is applying his social sciences education in the career he is building in the federal government.
Learn MoreShaping a Future in Public Interest Law
For alumna Erin Monforti (CECD ’19), a major in social and economic development policy was the perfect match for her plans to pursue public interest law.
Learn MoreGDP and the Average Worker
Jonathan Rosenberg, professor of political science and chair of the Department of Social Sciences, discusses the benefits and costs associated with gross domestic product.
Improving the City He Loves
As a first-generation college student at Illinois Tech, Allan Huang (CECD ’18) knew the challenges that can come with immigrating to a new country—his parents did it.
Learn MoreLewis College Welcomes Three New Chairs
Lewis College of Science and Letters at Illinois Institute of Technology welcomed three new department chairs to their faculty at the beginning of the 2023–24 academic year. With a wide range of...
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Creating Stormwater Infrastructure Equity
A team of professors at Illinois Institute of Technology is bringing together social science, landscape architecture, and engineering—along with a dose of citizen science—to find ways to address a...
Computational ACTion: Computing Center Funds Interdisciplinary Research
Five research teams from Illinois Institute of Technology have received seed grants from the university’s Active Computational Thinking (ACT) Center to promote computing methods throughout various...
Contact Social Sciences
Phone
312.567.5128Department Type
AcademicOffice Location
Department of Social Sciences
Siegel Hall
3301 South Dearborn, Suite 116
Chicago, IL 60616