Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences at California Institute of Technology

The Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) is focused on understanding the human experience—from the evolution of culture and institutions to social, political, and economic behavior, from the products of the imagination to the conceptual underpinnings of science.

With the same commitment to rigorous analysis that extends across all disciplines at Caltech, HSS researchers apply cutting-edge methodologies to deepen our knowledge and understanding of our world.

Nearly 100 faculty, lecturers, and visiting scholars in the division share a strong commitment to the highest levels of teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences. HSS offers undergraduate options (the Caltech equivalent of majors) in Business, Economics, and Management; English; Economics; History; the History and Philosophy of Science; Philosophy; and Political Science. Additional course offerings range from art history, creative writing, film studies, and music history and theory to anthropology, law, and psychology. Graduate students may pursue doctoral degrees in either the Social Sciences or Behavioral and Social Neuroscience.

In addition, the HSS faculty and lecturers provide fully a quarter of the core-curriculum courses that undergraduate students are required to take as part of their studies at Caltech.

Above: View of the Dabney Hall of the Humanities with the Donald E. Baxter M.D. Hall of the Humanities and Social Sciences in the background. Courtesy: Caltech.