Students are required to complete a college-level History or Social Sciences course such as Government, Economics, or Sociology. Skills to be covered in Sociology include: the ability to describe various methods and benefits used to research and study society, the impact of bias, status, roles and social structures on interaction with others, the effects of social constructs such as race, ethnicity and gender, and the ability to compare/contrast different types of economies. Skills covered in US History include: the impact of economic downturns, the impact of technology, problem solving and agility on a changing workplace, medical innovations and communication technologies; and issues related to immigration, freedom, civil rights, social justice and equality for women.

Students may fulfill this requirement by completion of Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Topics in US History, US History I or US History II via Sophia at patten.sophia.org; or by completion of a comparable course at an accredited college, or by transfer credit. For guidance on completing this requirement, contact registrar@patten.edu.