Education & Social and Behavioral Sciences

Welcome to the College of Education & Social and Behavioral Sciences!

The College of Education & Social and Behavioral Sciences (ESBS), the largest college at FSU, is home to five academic departments with eight academic programs, 800 undergraduate majors, and 500 graduate students.

FSU is proud to be the oldest public teachers college in the United States, and we carry on that tradition today with our up-to-date and innovative Department of Education, which offers undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate education programs leading to Initial and Professional educator licensure in Massachusetts. Approved for licensure by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), our education program is ranked at the highest national level by the U.S. Department of Education (Title II first quartile). The department also offers one of the university’s newest programs, the major in Child and Family Studies, designed for students interested in working with young children and their families as teachers or administrators in pre-school, childcare, early intervention, or other community-based programs.

Our Social and Behavioral Science (SBS) programs offer students a variety of majors with a common interest in the diverse ways that people interact in and experience our major social institutions, such as the business world, politics, religion, families, schools, and economies. Students in our SBS programs have many opportunities for engaged learning through participation in internships, study abroad programs, and social justice and community service initiatives. They learn how to use data in their courses and in collaboration with faculty on independent scholarly research projects. Students in our SBS programs are prepared for careers in government, business, public safety, education, non-profit organizations, clinical settings, and non-governmental organizations.

Students in SBS may find themselves working on an archaeological dig in New Mexico; serving as an intern at one of the MetroWest region's top non-profit, governmental, or business worksites; using GIS to map inequality in local communities; participating in Moot Court and National Model United Nations competitions; taking undergraduate FSU courses in Northern Ireland; collaborating with faculty to present research at a national or regional conference, or participating in an undergraduate class taught at a local correctional facility through FSU’s Inside-Out Program.

 

Faculty working with student

Education

Political Science

Psychology & Philosophy

Sociology & Criminology

Meet the Dean

The College of Education & Social and Behavioral Sciences provides students with rigorous and challenging curricula focused on critical thinking, cultural competence, effective communication, quantitative reasoning, and global awareness, designed to provide them with the tools that they need to become active and engaged citizens and lifelong learners. Meet the Founding Dean of the College, Dr. Susan Dargan.

Susan Dargan
Susan Dargan, PhD

Dean of Education & Social and Behavioral Sciences

"As Dean, one of the most rewarding parts of my job is to interact with students and alumni to hear them talk of their experiences. Our programs provide students with a wide range of transformative experiences, and it is gratifying to see the differences that FSU and the College of Education & Social and Behavioral Sciences has made in their lives. I am energized by the work of our faculty, a group of highly-qualified teacher-scholars, who develop innovative programs and use a wide array of high impact teaching practices to help our students achieve their potential."