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Criminal Justice Program

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

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Behavioral and social sciences examine and quantify the essence of what it is to be human. This field investigates how people organize their lives alone, together and within different environments. If you want to pursue a career in psychology, sociology, criminal justice or history, you’ll find your niche in the Behavioral & Social Sciences Department.

Department Overview

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

Expand your worldview.

As a student in the Behavioral & Social Sciences Department, you’ll have the opportunity to study various disciplines that explore the environmental, social and historical contexts in which human behavior occurs.

You can study foreign policy, human rights, social movements, political economy, government and international organizations in the Global Studies program or analyze spatial patterns of human activity in the Geography program. Whether you’re passion is psychology, sociology, history or criminal justice, the Behavioral and Social Science Department offers a variety of programs and opportunities to expand your worldview.

Understanding human behavior

Behavioral & Social Sciences students investigate how people organize their lives alone, together and within different environments.

Areas of Study

Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Emphasis

Criminal Justice
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Geographic Information Systems

Certificate

Geographic Information Systems
Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

Geography & Geospatial Analysis

Minor

Geography & Geospatial Analysis
Global studies

Global Studies

Emphasis

Global Studies
History

History

Major | Minor | Secondary Licensure

History
Latin American Studies

Latin American Studies

Minor

Latin American Studies
The defense raises an objection during the questioning of a witness during a mock trial.

Politics & Government

Major | Minor | Secondary Licensure

Politics & Government
Pre-law

Pre-Law

Emphasis

Pre-Law
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Psychology

Major | Minor

Psychology
Public History

Public History

Emphasis

Public History
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Sociology

Major | Minor

Sociology

Scholarships

Western’s Scholarship Application portal allows you to search for, apply to and manage your scholarship opportunities. This platform houses over 300+ departmental and privately funded scholarship opportunities available to both new and returning students. Through the scholarship portal, students may identify scholarship opportunities based on academic program, campus involvement, academic standing, specific keywords and more. Students may click below to begin learning about what scholarship opportunities are available to them.

Access to apply for scholarships through the portal is open through April 1.

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your scholarships!

Western’s Scholarship Application portal allows you to search for, apply to and manage your scholarship opportunities. This platform houses over 300+ departmental and privately funded scholarship opportunities available to both new and returning students. Through the scholarship portal, students may identify scholarship opportunities based on academic program, campus involvement, academic standing, specific keywords and more. Students may click below to begin learning about what scholarship opportunities are available to them.

Access to apply for scholarships through the portal is open through April 1.

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your scholarships!

Alumni Association Future Alumni Scholarship

The Alumni Association Scholarship is a one-time scholarship of $1,000 and is applicable for the student’s junior or senior year at Western.

Any child or grandchild of an alumni is eligible to receive the Future Alumni Scholarship.

  • This is a one-time non-renewable scholarship of $1,000.
  • Only one Future Alumni Scholarship will be awarded per academic year.
  • GPA must be 3.2 or above (college).

Due date has been extended to April 1 for 2023. An Alumni selection committee, appointed by the Alumni Advisory Council, will review applicants and select awardee by June 1.

Apply

Alumni Legacy Scholarship

The Alumni Legacy Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western (incoming freshman or new transfer students are eligible).

Do you have a son or daughter looking at college? Have they considered attending Western? As an alumni, your son, daughter and/or grandchildren are eligible for certain benefits distributed through this scholarship, as follows:

  • This is a one-time scholarship of $1,000.
  • Nominee must be an incoming first-year student or new transfer.
  • The cost of orientation is reduced by half (a $45 value).
  • The admission application fee is waived (a $30 value).
  • GPA must be 2.5 or above (high school or college of transfer).

The applicant must fill out the application form found below. Application forms are accepted year-round. If the applicant meets the GPA guidelines, the scholarship will be awarded.

Apply

Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship

The Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western. This scholarship is not available to midyear transfers or students beginning in the spring semester.

Are you an alumni or employee of Western and know a prospective (or incoming) student who would be a great fit at Western? A recommendation from alumni and employees can support any new student and provide them a $500 scholarship their first year. (Western employees may not recommend a spouse or dependent receiving tuition benefits).

  • Any Western alumni/employee may nominate only one student per academic year to receive the $500 scholarship (distributed $250 per semester).
  • The scholarship is good for the first year only and is non-renewable.
  • The recommended student must be a full-time undergraduate student, attending Western for the first time.

The applicant must fill out the application form found here. The nominating alumni/employee must fill out the application form and submit the required documents by June 1. The recommended student must meet university admissions acceptance standards and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Presidential Promise is guaranteed to students who have received a scholarship through the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) and/or GearUp—and are eligible for a Pell Grant.

For students who meet these criteria, Western will cover the cost of tuition and fees through the combination of federal, state and institutional aid. For more information on the Presidential Promise, visit our scholarships page.

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) or Central Plains (CP) tuition represents a substantial savings relative to normal, out-of-state tuition. Students eligible for the WUE or CP program will be charged 150% of Western’s total in-state tuition. For 2018-19, total in-state tuition was $8,934. WUE/CP tuition was $13,401. The WUE/CP discount is valued at $4,695.

For more information about the WUE and CP geography-based programs, visit Western’s Tuition Discount Programs Page.

Immediately upon acceptance at Western, every student is considered for a merit scholarship worth between $2,500-$4,500 per year for in-state students and $8,000-$10,000 for out-of-state students. The amount is based on the student’s GPA and ACT/SAT scores. Visit our Net Price Calculator at western.edu/cost to determine whether you qualify for a merit scholarship.

For more information about merit scholarships at Western, visit our scholarships page.

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Spotlight

Man wearing a hat, sunglasses, and blue jacket while standing in front of snowy mountains

Dillon Quitugua

Alumni

“I wanted to experience the opposite of warm and tropical. I had never seen snow in my entire life, and I wanted to live in a mountain town.”

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

Gabriel Portis

Student

“I love the ways both my majors have rewired my way of thinking and the way I can apply them to make myself happier and more successful.”

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

Ming Goetz

Student

“Having small classes makes it easier to bring real-life examples into our curriculum.”

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

Max Lindsey

Alumni

“The biggest lesson I learned [at Western] was learning how to balance a busy life while getting the most out of education, employment and other pursuits.”

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

Kaitlyn McKnight

Alumni

“My professors were really invested. The best part about Western was the fact that I had people who went above and beyond for me.”

Department Information

Behavioral & Social Sciences (BASS) Department

Department Chairperson

Heather Thiessen-Reily, Ph.D.

Professor of History

Administrative Assistant

Patricia McCarthy

Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences Administrative Assistant

Campus Location

Western Colorado University
Kelley Hall 240
1 Western Way
Gunnison, CO 81231

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