Behavioral Decision Science Minor
This Minor, housed in the Academy of Integrated Science, is an interdisciplinary program in collaboration with the Psychology, Economics, and Neuroscience departments. Our course options include classes offered by the Sociology and PPE (Philosophy, Politics & Economics) programs as well.
Why do it?
Would you like to build your expertise in understanding how people make decisions, and how to influence those decisions? Our classes build skills that will help you to recognize the cognitive biases people routinely exhibit that influence their decisions, and apply techniques for managing these limitations. You’ll also learn how to apply probabilistic thinking to evaluate everything from your own personal choices to more complex social problems, and identify incentives and social dynamics that can promote positive collective outcomes in groups. Insights from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and economics will provide you with a strong foundation to navigate the complexities of applied decision-making, and a toolkit for ethically influencing others’ decisions to achieve better personal, professional, and societal outcomes. Choose from a broad range of elective courses, tailoring the Minor to your personal interests and to complement your other courses of study.
Who is it for?
The Behavioral Decision Science Pathways Minor is for any person who wishes to better understand and influence human decision-making processes. The program builds expertise in behavioral science research and methods, and how they can be leveraged to help people make better decisions in their private and professional lives. Our courses also prepare students to leverage behavioral science to help collectives of people in civic and organizational (e.g., business) contexts make better choices--including the crafting of more effective policies in the public and private sectors.
Requirements
The 18-hour minor in Behavioral Decision Science includes 9 hours of required introductory courses, 6 hours of electives, and a required 3-credit capstone course or undergraduate research experience.
BDS 2005: Fundamentals of Behavioral Decision Science
BDS 2006: Fundamentals of Behavioral Decision Science
SOC 2004 or PPE 2894 or ECON/BDS 3134
Students select 6 hours of elective courses, with choices from sociology, economics, neuroscience, and psychology.
Students also complete a 3-hour capstone course, or if they prefer, a 3-hour applied research experience. For a complete list of elective courses, consult the Academic Catalog.
This minor is hosted by the Academy of Integrated Science in collaboration with numerous departments across Virginia Tech.
Pathways Concepts
Possible Core Concepts*
1a - Advanced/Applied Discourse
2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities
3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences
4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences
5a – Advanced Quantitative and Computational Thinking
7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States
*Students are guaranteed to meet at least three of the core concepts listed
Integrative Concepts
Ethical Reasoning
Intercultural and Global Awareness