Behavioral Science with tracks in Economics, Psychology and Neuroscience

The new field of behavioral science seeks to understand how humans think and act within their environments and how policies can shape that behavior. For example, research showing the power of default options on decision making has led to the introduction of “opt-out” policies for decisions like becoming an organ donor or contributing to one’s retirement account, leading to marked increases in participation (e.g., millions of newly eligible organ donors). Across many institutions – governmental, educational, and corporate – effective interventions rely on an understanding of human behavior. Behavioral science has been commonly applied to problems in marketing, health science, financial investing, charitable giving, human factors and environmental design, and education.

The twin goals of behavioral science – understanding mechanisms of individual behavior and developing policies that shape that behavior – require students to develop a knowledge base drawn from several disciplines. Empirical behavioral science research draws upon the methods of psychology (and, more recently, neuroscience) to create well-designed experiments and measures. Computational modeling and statistics have become increasingly important for isolating the variables that shape behavior, especially when examining the consequences of large-scale interventions. Applications to policy often require disciplinary knowledge in behavioral economics, political psychology, marketing, or another field. And, consideration of the implications of new policies benefits from expertise in philosophy and ethics. In summary, an integrated course of study in behavioral science will combine disciplinary knowledge with the abilities to evaluate experimental designs, to draw conclusions from experimental data, and to link concepts across levels of analysis from individual behavior to societal policies.

Behavioral science will provide a distinct program of study for DKU undergraduates – one that integrates research approaches and theories currently spread across the social sciences (and some of the natural sciences). Because the most common empirical approaches in sociology, economics, and political science all involve analysis of population-level data (e.g., large panel surveys, census records), students in those majors typically gain expertise working with and evaluating datasets collected by others. Behavioral science provides a complementary approach that develops expertise in experimental methods.

To identify the difference between these approaches, consider a student interested in how demography predicts voting behavior. Through a traditional social science major – say, political science or sociology – that student could learn to analyze census data, voting records, and economic variables to create models at the societal level. Or, by choosing to major in Behavioral Science, that same student could conduct laboratory experiments that test predictions about group identity and political affiliation – and then use their findings to design field experiments that manipulate self-identity and measure real-world political preferences. This latter skillset has become increasingly valued by policymakers, who use the methods of behavioral science to guide their social interventions.

Through its interdisciplinary component, students will gain core skills that have broad relevance for modern societal challenges, while retaining a grounding in a traditional academic discipline like psychology or neuroscience. Moreover, it could be readily integrated with other social science disciplines (e.g., economics, political science, sociology) based on student demand. Because of its focus on how an individual interacts with their environment, it will attract interest from students who think globally or cross-culturally. For example, encouraging pro-environmental behaviors may require somewhat different policies in the US, China, or another country, depending on cultural and economic factors. Students exploring a behavioral science major at DKU will not only receive a broad-based liberal arts education, but also gain highly marketable skills in experimental design, data analysis, and implementing research into policy.

Major Requirements

(Not every course listed is offered every term, and the course list will be updated periodically. Please refer to the online Course Catalog for Courses offered in 2025-2026.)

Behavioral Science / Economics

Available only to the Class of 2029 and beyond.

Divisional Foundation Courses

Interdisciplinary Courses

Disciplinary Courses

[52]This course was named ECON 203 Introduction to Econometrics prior to Fall 2025. Students are encouraged to complete SOSC 205 before submitting a Signature Work Project Proposal.

[53]This course was named POLSCI 301 Program Evaluation prior to Fall 2025.

[54]This course was names SOSC 320 Data in the World: Applied Social Statistics prior to Fall 2025.

Electives

Courses listed in the table below are recommended electives for the major. The course list reflects the most recent intellectual organization of major electives. Depending on the academic year in which you matriculated, some of the courses below may be requirements for your major. To verify required courses, always consult the requirements for the relevant class year in the bulletin of the year in which you matriculated unless you have been approved to complete the major requirements of a subsequent year.  (See Ability to Meet Major Requirements Published in Years Subsequent to Year of Matriculation.)

Behavioral Science / Psychology

Divisional Foundation Courses

Interdisciplinary Courses

Disciplinary Courses

Electives

Courses listed in the table below are recommended electives for the major. The course list reflects the most recent intellectual organization of major electives. Depending on the academic year in which you matriculated, some of the courses below may be requirements for your major. To verify required courses, always consult the requirements for the relevant class year in the bulletin of the year in which you matriculated unless you have been approved to complete the major requirements of a subsequent year.  (See Ability to Meet Major Requirements Published in Years Subsequent to Year of Matriculation.)

Behavioral Science / Neuroscience

Divisional Foundation Courses

Interdisciplinary Courses

Disciplinary Courses

Electives

Courses listed in the table below are recommended electives for the major. The course list reflects the most recent intellectual organization of major electives. Depending on the academic year in which you matriculated, some of the courses below may be requirements for your major. To verify required courses, always consult the requirements for the relevant class year in the bulletin of the year in which you matriculated unless you have been approved to complete the major requirements of a subsequent year.  (See Ability to Meet Major Requirements Published in Years Subsequent to Year of Matriculation.)