Welcome to HSS!
The Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Department is where liberal arts education meets cutting edge innovation. We offer a diverse collection of courses which anchor Oregon Tech’s general education mission to provide students with the technical skills needed for successful careers paired with humanistic perspectives that turn knowledge into wisdom. We offer...
Minors: Arts, Literature, and Philosophy (ALPs) and Medical Sociology
Certificates: Ethics, Social Determinants of Health, and Cultural Competency
But we do not stop there. We also train students for important and high-demand careers in healthcare with a foundation in social science. These programs focus on the big picture of our population’s health. We ensure students have the expertise to thrive in positions that require analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to create, reason, and communicate which are necessary for success and leadership. We offer...
BS in Population Health Management
MS in Healthcare Leadership
We are committed to playing our part for students to develop workforce ready skills PLUS the invaluable characteristics of intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills, global knowledge, and ethical and cultural awareness. In a rapidly changing world, successful students need wisdom not just knowledge, creativity not just productivity, virtue not just value, and ultimately need fulfillment not just achievement. Fulfillment is at the heart of improving the human condition and we in HSS help Oregon Tech deliver on its mission to foster student success through hands-on learning.
Mission Statement
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 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.
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.
Department Goals and Objectives
- To provide coursework in the humanities and social sciences in order to prepare students for success in their professional, civic, and private lives.
- To inspire students to be lifelong learners, and to teach them the skills they will need to continue their education beyond the classroom.
- To aid in students' understanding and achievement of Oregon Tech's six Institutional Student Learning Outcomes.
- To assist students in developing an aesthetic appreciation of the arts.
Partner Programs
Study Abroad and Exchange Programs
HSS supports experiences that expose students to different cultures and social systems. Oregon Tech offers a range of excellent opportunities see the world, travels with friends and faculty, and further develop as individuals.
Oregon Tech Honors Program
HSS works closely with the Honors Program to offer students a rigorous and rewarding curriculum. Our faculty teach in the program and participate in various ways. Check out the Honors Program today!
Undergraduate
Graduate
The departmental faculty advise students. If a student is unsure who their assigned academic advisor is, please contact the department chair, kyle.chapman@oit.edu or the Academic Advising office below.
Department Chair
Dr. Chapman is Chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department and Director of the Center for Advancing Interdisciplinary Research on the Environment (AIRE). Since coming to Oregon Tech in 2016, Dr. Chapman has taught in the Medical Sociology minor and the B.S. Population Health Management program. The program provides students with a health-specific sociological education that is applicable to the fields of public health and health care. He teaches courses in medical sociology, research methods, and social inequality.
Dr. Chapman has conducted a range of research on the role of social factors in physical and mental health conditions at both community- and population-levels. His specific interests are in aging, chronic disease, environmental problems and health care, health care professionals, educational disparities, and health behaviors.
Recently, he has worked on projects studying a range of topics, including: impacts of wildfires on hospital systems, health effects of prescribed burns, patients who recurrently miss medical appointments, head and neck cancer screenings in dental clinics, suicide screenings in primary care, and mental health among first responders. His work is featured in many outlets, including Public Health and Practice, Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, Journal of Applied Social Science, AIR, Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, Rural Sociology, among others. When he is not teaching and conducting research, Kyle enjoys exploring the attractions of the Pacific Northwest with his family.
