Faculty of Social Sciences

With a double major in biology and environmental studies, Derek Wong plans to travel and pursue a graduate degree in the future. He looks forward to contributing to the health of the environment and the many peoples and cultures it encompasses.

Expand your world view

When you support Social Sciences, you support innovative thinking that will help create a better and safer world.

The social sciences explore the human aspect involved in addressing complex problems – they put the “social” into science. More than one quarter of all students at UVic graduate from social sciences, in fields from anthropology to economics, environmental studies, geography, political science, psychology and sociology. The faculty is actively involved with numerous research centres where they play a key role in investigating topics such as aging, addictions, and youth and society. UVic social scientists are exploring such diverse topics as the human and social impacts of climate change, the economics of medical wait times, the role of video surveillance in fighting crime and the effect of autism on learning.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is growing rapidly and has increased research four-fold in recent years. The faculty is recognized for its leadership in clinical and neuro-psychology, political theory, ethnobotany, ecological restoration, marine conservation, as well as its scholarship in health, wellness and aging. Honours awarded to faculty members include the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia and Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada.

In order to respond to rapid growth and maintain a reputation for excellence, it is of key importance that the faculty increases its ability to provide graduate student scholarships in all areas. The study of environmental protection, restoration and recovery is a priority. Support is needed for diverse projects linking environment, human activity and policy, including research into the social and economic costs of a sustainable world. The faculty is also exploring the potential for an endowed weekly public lecture series in economics which would allow students to meet and engage with the brightest minds in the field.

With your support, the faculty will continue to focus on research, innovation and learning in the social sciences required to make the world a better place.

For more information, visit the Faculty of Social Sciences or contact Ms. Barbara Roberts, Development Officer, at 250-721-6044, email broberts@uvic.ca.

To make a donation now, please go to the online giving form. You may give to a fund of your choice or choose a UVic Social Sciences fund from the menu.