College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mission Integration Statement
The essential values of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences are: personal worth, human dignity, social justice, integrity, intellectual curiosity and academic freedom.
Within this value structure we provide quality education, professional guidance and opportunities to achieve an understanding of the Behavioral Sciences. We promote academic integrity, the prevailing codes of professional ethical behavior, and an environment that fosters social justice.
We expect students to participate with faculty in embracing these values, challenge students to make a difference in the lives of others and the world at large, and encourage students to commit themselves to a process of lifelong learning.
Experiential Learning
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences encourages our students to take advantage of the opportunities to learn and earn academic credits in a working environment. In order to facilitate these opportunities, the College offers students the option to participate in Internships and/or Cooperative Education courses.
Internship Program
An internship is paid, unpaid or stipend-only opportunity for an undergraduate student to function in a typical "on-the-job" environment. Students gain a better understanding of the relationship between theoretical concepts and practical applications through internships.
While internships do not substitute for academic courses, students can earn credit (free elective) towards their degree and these experiences provide first-hand practices upon which future career choices can be based. Because internships do not substitute for any of the courses in the curriculum, they offer a greater flexibility than the more course focused cooperative education option.
To learn more click “Here”.
CAP/Co-op Program
Cooperative education is a multi-semester (typically two semesters with a maximum of four), structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience that combine existing courses/coursework with real work experiences. Co-op’s are available in all of the college’s programs, and many of the courses and their subsequent placements have already been developed.
Unlike the internship, cooperative education is intended to mirror the learning objectives of a specific course delivered through work experiences. While certain courses may be difficult to fulfill through cooperative education, theoretically any course could be completed through this modality. Each Co-op assignment is one semester long and normally the two Co-op assignments span two consecutive semesters with the same employer.
For additional information about what course placements have already been developed, or to request additional information about how to propose your own co-op placement click “Here”
Honor Societies
Alpha Phi Sigma
Criminal Justice students with a minimum GPA of 3.4 in their criminal justice courses, GPA of 3.4 in their overall course average, and achieving junior status are invited to join the Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society. Alpha Phi Sigma is the only National Criminal Justice Honor Society recognizing academic excellence of undergraduate students in criminal justice.
Lambda Epsilon Chi
Lambda Epsilon Chi (LEX) is a national honor society for paralegal students and one of the highest scholastic honors that can be achieved in the Wilmington University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Invitation to membership in Lambda Epsilon Chi is based on application, grade point average (GPA), and formal recommendation of the Legal Studies Advisory Board. It is the College’s way of recognizing the outstanding scholastic achievements of students completing a Bachelor of Science or Post-Bachelor’s Paralegal Certificate.
Pi Gamma Mu
Behavioral Science, Psychology, Government and Public Policy, and Organizational Dynamics students who have completed 20 credits in Behavioral Sciences at Wilmington University who are in the upper 35% of their class and with no academic failures in any of the following academic disciplines: Behavioral Science, Psychology, Organizational Dynamics, are invited to join the Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society. These students must participate in one of Pi Gamma Mu’s service projects. The mission of Pi Gamma Mu is to encourage and promote excellence in the social sciences and to uphold the ideals of scholarship and service.
Psi Chi
The Wilmington University Chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology is open to undergraduate students majoring in Psychology who meet the qualifications for membership. Students must be enrolled as a major in the psychology program, have completed at least 3 semesters or equivalent of full-time college coursework, and have completed at least 9 semester credit hours or equivalent of psychology courses. In addition, students must have earned a cumulative GPA that is in the top 35% of their class (sophomore, junior, or senior) compared to their classmates across the college (minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4-point scale) and have a minimum 3.0 GPA average for psychology courses. Transfer students must meet the same requirements but must have completed at least 12 semester credit hours or equivalent of psychology coursework at Wilmington University. Letters inviting qualified students to join are sent out in September of each year. For more information, please contact the Chair of Psychology.