College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Administrative Officers
| Title/Department | Officer |
|---|---|
| Dean | Chien-pin Li, Ph.D. cxl085@shsu.edu; (936) 294-2200 |
| Senior Associate Dean | Leif French, Ph.D. lmf027@shsu.edu; (936) 294-2455 |
| Associate Dean, Student Success | James Crosby, Ph.D. crosby@shsu.edu; (936) 294-2202 |
| Associate Dean, Academic Programs | Carroll Ferguson Nardone, Ph.D. cfnardone@shsu.edu; (936) 294-2203 |
| Department of Communication Studies | Frances Brandau, Ph.D., Chair scm_feb@shsu.edu; (936) 294-1356 |
| Department of English | Tracy Bilsing, Ph.D., Interim Chair eng_teb@shsu.edu; (936) 294-1402 |
| Department of History | Brian Jordan, Ph.D., Chair bmj018@shsu.edu; (936) 294-4460 |
| Department of Political Science | Jason Enia, Ph.D., Chair jason.enia@shsu.edu; (936) 294-1467 |
| Department of Psychology and Philosophy | Jorge Varela, Ph.D., Chair jgv002@shsu.edu; (936) 294-4161 |
| Department of Sociology | Bart Stykes, Ph.D., Interim Chair jbs048@shsu.edu; (936) 294-1511 |
| Department of World Languages and Cultures | Maria Barker, Ph.D., Chair mhb015@shsu.edu; (936) 294-4584 |
About the College
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences consists of seven academic units, the Departments of :
- Communication Studies
- English
- History
- Political Science
- Psychology and Philosophy
- Sociology
- World Languages and Cultures
Mission
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences supports excellence in research, prioritizes student success, and collaborates with the community to provide a high-quality and accessible education that prepares students to engage in, and successfully navigate, a vibrant and multifaceted world.
Contact Information
Phone: (936) 294-2200
Fax: (936) 294-2207
CHSS Building 290
Website
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Highlights
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) faculty are committed to teaching excellence, curriculum innovation, research/scholarship, and community and university service.
- Faculty in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences have been recognized for their research and scholarship with national awards. Among these awards is a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow in Literature, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow in Creative Writing.
- CHSS is home to three Distinguished Professors: Drs. Marcus Boccaccini, Psychology; Mary Alice Conroy, Psychology; and Helena Halmari, English. Distinguished professors are recognized for having achieved a high level of scholarly distinction in their field and are recognized as national leaders in their disciplines.
- A national survey ranked the Psychology Program at Sam Houston State in the top ten Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs.
- Four faculty in the Psychology department are recipients of the prestigious John Exner Award for young scholars in personality assessment. The four faculty and award years are: Dr. Jamie Anderson, 2018; Dr. Ryan Marek, 2021, and Dr. Adam Natoli, 2024, Dr. Jaren Ruchensky, 2025.
- Courses in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences exceed the national norms in teacher effectiveness and course excellence.
- CHSS is home to many student organizations, both honorary and professional, to help build student resumes with active learning opportunities. Several of these clubs have been recognized regionally and nationally.
- CHSS houses two Research Centers:
- The Center for the Study of Disasters & Emergency Management (CDEM)
- The Center for Multi-cultural Rural Development (CMRD)
Master's Degrees
| Departments | Programs |
|---|---|
| Communication Studies | Communication Studies, MA |
| English | Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing, MFA |
| English | English, MA |
| English | Technical Communication, MA |
| English | English, MA/Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing, MFA (Dual Degree) |
| History | History, MA |
| History and Political Science | History and Political Studies, MA |
| Political Science | Political Science, MA |
| Political Science | Public Administration, MPA |
| Psychology and Philosophy | Psychology - Experimental Psychology, MA |
| Psychology and Philosophy | Psychology - Clinical Psychology, MA |
| Psychology and Philosophy | Psychology - School Psychology, SSP |
| Sociology | Sociology, MA |
| World Languages and Cultures | Spanish, MA |
Doctoral Degrees
| Departments | Programs |
|---|---|
| Psychology and Philosophy | Clinical Psychology, PhD |
Certificates
| Departments | Programs |
|---|---|
| Communication Studies | Communication Studies |
| English | English |
| History | American History |
| Political Science | Political Science |
| Psychology and Philosophy | General Psychology |
| Sociology | Community Development |
| Sociology | Sociology |
CHSS Graduate Scholarship
This enrollment-based scholarship awards $1000 per semester for full-time students and $500 per semester for part-time students. Application is located in Scholarships4kats.
Other
Departments within the college have numerous scholarships accessible through the Scholarships4kats application process.
Several of the department graduate programs have academic clubs that support students' integration into graduate studies and provide networking opportunities for students and faculty.
Departments often provide internship/practicum experience in the application of academic work to worlds of practice.
