Humanities and Social Sciences Department

The Humanities and Social Sciences Department offers degrees in Applied Psychology and Population Health Management, and a diverse collection of courses which include a minor in Arts, Literature, and Philosophy (ALPs). All of which support Oregon Tech’s general education mission. We are committed to our role in enabling students to develop intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills, global knowledge, and ethical and cultural awareness.

The mission of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Department is enterprising and multifaceted. Our faculty on the Klamath Falls, Portland-Metro, and online campuses have diverse expertise that allows for a true representation of HSS disciplines. We provide students with a comprehensive education in the humanities and social sciences that will instill in them a lifelong love of learning that will allow them to be successful in their professional, civic, and private lives once they leave Oregon Tech. We offer several innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees and minor programs in the social sciences, health sciences, and the humanities. Students in our programs participate in hands-on learning and receive the benefits of working directly with community partners, generating original research, and completing externship opportunities within their programs of study.

In addition to our program offerings, our department generously serves Oregon Tech's Essential Studies general education curriculum. We design and offer many courses that effectively complement and enhance students' programs of study while also helping them acquire the vital habits of mind instantiated by Oregon Tech's Essential Student Learning Outcomes.

The recent addition of many online course offerings ensures us increased flexibility in the execution of our mission and the delivery of courses that will create well-rounded lifelong learners with dynamic skill sets.

Department Goals and Objectives

1. To provide coursework in the humanities and social sciences in order to prepare students for success in their professional, civic, and private lives.
2. To inspire students to be lifelong learners, and to teach them the skills they will need to continue their education beyond the classroom.
3. To aid in students' understanding and achievement of Oregon Tech's six Institutional Student Learning Outcomes.
4. To assist students in developing an aesthetic appreciation of the arts.

• Dawn Bailey, Ph.D., has been named president-elect of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA)
• The affinity of two professors: Mark and Hallie Neupert
• A love for service inspires Professor Kevin Garrett to volunteer in Klamath Falls 
• Oregon Tech Behavior Analyst faculty appointed to national association board 
• Oregon Tech employees honored for teaching, service, professional achievement 
• OIT Prepares for a new academic year, honors educators 
• COVID-19's silent threat: Suicide 
• Floating with the flock: Three days among the faithful at the first Phish Studies Conference 
• Health Management- Oregon Tech’s Strategy for the Future of Community Healthcare 
• Oregon Tech professor appointed to national college board for AP U.S. History 
• Klamath County was awarded the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health award.
• A new milestone for Oregon Tech: Applied Behavior Analysis clinic opens in Klamath Falls
• OIT class centered on water basin history
• Technology shaping health care
• Leiden through the eyes of an American anthropologist
• Great Grown-Up Spelling Be
• Masters program integrates community partnerships
• Colleges collaborating, teaching innovative programs for tomorrow's emerging careers
• Relief finally arrives for children with autism in Oregon
• Oregon Tech, Southern Oregon co-launch a new degree
• Klamath contingent lobbies for health project
• Education at Roosevelt Elementary continues after the bell
• OIT launches health care degree program