Bachelor of Social Sciences (BoSS)

Bachelor of Social Sciences (BoSS) at National College

Bachelor of Social Sciences (BoSS) is a four-year, 126-credit multidisciplinary undergraduate program offered by National College in Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu, under Kathmandu University. The course brings together Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, economics, public policy, development studies, communication, research, and related social science areas.

Its academic focus moves from understanding society and institutions to examining governance, inclusion, globalization, human rights, migration, public policy, social impact, and research. The later stages add internship, data-analysis work, proposal preparation, electives, and an independent six-credit project.

Quick Highlights

Course Overview

BoSS is designed around the idea that social questions are rarely explained well by a single discipline. A problem involving migration, for example, may involve economics, identity, family structures, public policy, employment, geography, political institutions, and social change at the same time. The program therefore combines several social science disciplines rather than asking students to study society through only one subject.

The curriculum begins with broad foundations in sociology, politics, history, economics, geography, anthropology, academic writing, statistics, and computer applications. It then moves into Nepalese culture and society, development theory, social psychology, international relations, media, inclusion, political institutions, conflict, governance, globalization, human rights, geopolitics, and public policy.

Research becomes more prominent as students progress. Later study includes Research Methodology, Social Impact Assessment, Project Management, Migration and Refugees, AI and Society, Data Analysis Tools and Technique, Research Planning & Proposal Writing, internship, and final Project Work.

The course therefore combines disciplinary breadth with a structured progression toward research and applied social analysis.

Academic Focus of BoSS

The course is centred on how people, communities, institutions, governments, cultures, and wider social systems interact. Students encounter both Nepalese and international contexts, allowing social questions to be examined at local, national, regional, and global levels.

Major areas running through the degree include sociology and anthropology, politics and governance, psychology, culture and society, economics, development, human rights, public policy, communication, migration, inclusion, globalization, social impact, research methodology, and social data analysis.

The interdisciplinary structure matters because it allows the same issue to be examined from several angles. Gender and inclusion, for instance, can be approached through sociology, policy, political institutions, culture, economics, and social impact. Migration can be studied as a social process while also considering policy, economic, political, and international dimensions.

This makes BoSS different from an undergraduate degree organised around one specialised social science discipline. Students encounter a broader mix of subjects and are expected to connect ideas across those fields.

Who May Consider BoSS?

BoSS may suit students interested in understanding how society works and why social, political, economic, cultural, and institutional conditions change.

It is particularly relevant for students who are comfortable working across several subjects rather than concentrating on only one discipline from the beginning. The curriculum involves reading, academic writing, statistics, social theory, policy, research methods, field inquiry, project work, and analysis of contemporary issues.

A student considering the course should be prepared to engage with both conceptual and evidence-based work. The degree includes economics and statistics alongside sociology, anthropology, politics, psychology, policy studies, and research, so its academic demands are broader than a purely descriptive study of society.

Eligibility

Applicants for BoSS at National College are eligible through 10+2 or an equivalent qualification in any discipline with:

Applicants who have completed Class XI and are waiting for Class XII results may enter the provisional admission process, subject to the applicable academic conditions.

Eligibility and final admission operate within the rules and regulations of Kathmandu University.

Admission Process and KUSAAT

Admission to BoSS follows the Kathmandu University School of Arts admission framework. Applicants take the Kathmandu University School of Arts' Admission Test, commonly known as KUSAAT, followed by an interview.

The admission process assesses whether applicants meet the academic eligibility and admission requirements applicable to the program. Final enrollment is completed under the Kathmandu University academic system followed by National College.

Because BoSS is a Kathmandu University program, entrance procedures and final admission remain governed by the university rules applicable to the degree.

Duration and Credit Structure

BoSS runs for four academic years across eight semesters and carries 126 credits.

The structure gives the first three years substantial classroom coverage across social science disciplines before placing greater emphasis on internship, analytical tools, proposal development, electives, and independent research in the final year.

BoSS Curriculum

First Year

The first year establishes a broad academic foundation in social science, economics, politics, history, communication, anthropology, geography, statistics, and computing.

The first semester gives students an initial grounding in social institutions, political structures, economic reasoning, historical context, computing, and sociology.

The second semester extends that base through anthropology and geography while introducing formal statistics and academic writing. Together, the two semesters provide tools students need before moving into more specialised social analysis.

Second Year

The second year moves toward culture, development, social psychology, international relations, communication, inclusion, political institutions, conflict, and critical reasoning.

This stage gives the curriculum a stronger Nepal-focused and institutional dimension. Nepalese Culture and Society and Political and Constitutional Institutions connect social science study with the national setting, while International Relations broadens the frame beyond domestic society.

The combination of Social Psychology, Gender, Ethnicity and Social Inclusion, Conflict Resolution, and Critical Thinking and Reasoning also brings behaviour, identity, inequality, social relations, and argument into the curriculum.

Third Year

Third-year study moves further into governance, policy, globalization, rights, geopolitics, research, social impact, migration, project management, and contemporary technology-related social questions.

The fifth semester concentrates heavily on institutions and public affairs. Governance, policy, geopolitics, human rights, globalization, and social entrepreneurship are studied together, allowing students to examine the relationship between social conditions and institutional responses.

The sixth semester marks a clear transition toward applied analysis. Research Methodology gives students a structured basis for inquiry, while Social Impact Assessment and Project Management connect research with program and institutional contexts.

Migration and Refugees and Disaster Management add major social issues to the curriculum, while AI and Society introduces the social dimensions of technological change.

Fourth Year

The final year shifts the balance toward practical exposure, research preparation, data analysis, specialised electives, and independent work.

The seventh semester combines organisational exposure through internship with two academic components directly connected to research: Data Analysis Tools and Technique and Research Planning & Proposal Writing.

The eighth semester is centred on the six-credit Project Work alongside an elective. By this stage, students are expected to bring together subject knowledge, research methods, data handling, academic writing, and independent inquiry.

Elective Subjects

BoSS allows students to select from two elective groups in the final year.

The elective structure allows some variation in the final stage of study. Choices extend into policy analysis, environment, local development, child rights, political economy, ageing, health policy, labour and remittance, international finance, and education policy.

Research-Centred Learning

Research is one of the defining elements of the academic model surrounding BoSS at National College.

Students encounter statistics early in the program and later progress into Research Methodology, Social Impact Assessment, Data Analysis Tools and Technique, Research Planning & Proposal Writing, and final Project Work. Field studies also carry a research component and are used to build experience with observation, data collection, social inquiry, and analysis.

This progression is significant. Students do not encounter independent research only at the end of the degree. The academic sequence gradually introduces numerical reasoning, social observation, research design, data analysis, proposal development, and independent research.

Final-year Project Work carries six credits. It is undertaken independently under supervision, followed by review and presentation during the final defense.

This final project serves as the point where students bring together subject understanding and the research skills developed across the degree.

Field Studies and Social Research

Field study is used as a practical part of social science learning at National College. Research skills are connected with field-based activities from the earlier stages of undergraduate study, allowing students to work with social settings outside regular classroom discussion.

For BoSS, field engagement is especially relevant because many of its subjects concern people, institutions, communities, policies, identities, and social change. Research questions in these areas often require students to observe, collect information, interpret evidence, and relate academic concepts to actual social settings.

Field study therefore supports the research sequence rather than functioning as a separate extracurricular activity.

Internship

Internship is included in the seventh semester as a three-credit component of the BoSS curriculum.

By placing internship after students have completed substantial coursework in sociology, policy, governance, human rights, globalization, research, project management, migration, and social impact, the academic structure gives students a basis for interpreting organisational experience through their previous study.

The internship should be understood as a learning component. It provides exposure to an organisational or professional setting but does not represent an employment guarantee.

Project Work

Project Work is a six-credit final-semester requirement.

Students undertake independent research under supervision connected with the selected research area. The project is reviewed through a final defense involving an external examiner.

The project builds on the sequence of statistics, research methodology, field work, data analysis, social impact assessment, and proposal writing encountered earlier in the program.

For students interested in research or postgraduate study, this part of the degree provides structured experience with developing and completing a substantial independent academic inquiry.

Research Grants and Academic Publication

National College has a research-support structure that extends beyond regular coursework. Final-year students have access to competitively selected research grants administered through the National College Research Committee. Research themes supported through this system have included youth, women empowerment, project management, autism, education, and rural development.

The college is also associated with Samriddhi Journal of Development Studies, which provides an academic publication setting connected with research in areas including social sciences, economics, education, environment, geography, conservation, and finance.

For BoSS students, these institutional research mechanisms sit alongside the formal curriculum's emphasis on fieldwork, research methodology, data analysis, and project work.

Knowledge and Skills Developed Through the Curriculum

The course is structured to strengthen social analysis rather than train students for one narrowly defined occupation. Through its combination of disciplines and research components, students may develop abilities in critical reading, academic writing, social research, data interpretation, policy analysis, communication, and the examination of social and institutional issues.

The curriculum also supports experience with qualitative and quantitative inquiry, surveys, interviews, focus-group-based research, policy analysis, social-impact work, and evidence-based interpretation.

The study of sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, politics, governance, communication, international relations, migration, inclusion, and public policy also requires students to compare different explanations of social problems rather than relying on a single disciplinary viewpoint.

This combination is useful for students who want an undergraduate education in social sciences with a strong research component.

Academic Evaluation, Examinations and Degree Award

The curriculum, academic evaluation, examination process, results, and degree requirements for BoSS operate according to Kathmandu University rules and regulations.

National College provides the teaching, learning, field-study, research, internship, and project environment for the program. Kathmandu University provides the formal academic framework governing examinations, results, program completion, and the award of the degree.

Scholarships and Research Support

National College has scholarship and academic-support arrangements connected with merit, financial need, extracurricular involvement, and research.

Relevant college-wide support categories include semester-topper recognition, support connected with a 4.0 GPA or CGPA, Needy and Diligent Scholarship, Merit-Based Scholarship, ECA Scholarship, KAS Scholarship, and research grants.

Scholarship selection and continuation depend on the conditions applicable to each category. Research grants form a separate academic-support mechanism connected with independent student research.

Career Areas After BoSS

The interdisciplinary nature of BoSS can support several directions rather than leading to one fixed occupation.

Graduates may explore opportunities connected with social organizations, policy institutions, research organizations, government and public-sector institutions, private organizations, NGOs and INGOs, community development, social research, policy-related work, and social entrepreneurship.

The broader curriculum may also be relevant to work involving program research, social impact, communication, policy analysis, project activities, community engagement, and monitoring or evaluation.

Career outcomes depend on the role, recruitment requirements, individual skills, academic performance, experience, additional qualifications where required, and available opportunities. Completion of the degree does not assure appointment to any particular organization or position.

Further Study Options

BoSS provides a multidisciplinary undergraduate foundation for further academic study in social and related fields.

Areas identified for postgraduate progression include:

• Social science disciplines

• International Relations

• Policy Studies

• Regional Studies

• Development Studies

• Socioeconomic interdisciplinary programs

The actual postgraduate route will depend on the admission requirements of the university and degree being considered.

BoSS at National College

National College introduced BoSS in 2013 as part of its undergraduate work in development and social science education. The course sits within an institutional setting where research, field studies, internship, project work, research grants, workshops, guest interactions, and student activities are part of the broader learning environment.

This setting is closely aligned with the nature of the degree. Social science study depends not only on understanding concepts but also on examining evidence, institutions, communities, policy questions, and social behaviour.

For students comparing undergraduate options, BoSS is particularly relevant when their interests cut across several areas of social science and they want to retain a strong research and public-policy component rather than specialising immediately in a single discipline.

FAQ

What is Bachelor of Social Sciences (BoSS)?

BoSS is a multidisciplinary undergraduate degree combining Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Psychology, economics, public policy, development studies, communication, research, and related social science subjects.

Where is BoSS offered?

BoSS is offered at National College in Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu, under Kathmandu University.

How long is the BoSS program?

The program runs for four years across eight semesters.

How many credits are required for BoSS?

The curriculum carries 126 credits.

What is the eligibility for BoSS at National College?

Applicants require 10+2 or an equivalent qualification in any discipline with at least 45% aggregate or 2.0 GPA and a minimum D+ in all subjects.

Is KUSAAT required for BoSS admission?

Yes. Admission follows the Kathmandu University School of Arts admission process through KUSAAT followed by an interview.

Does BoSS include research methodology?

Yes. Research-related study includes Introductory Statistics, Research Methodology, Social Impact Assessment, Data Analysis Tools and Technique, Research Planning & Proposal Writing, field studies, and final Project Work.

Does BoSS include an internship?

Yes. Internship is included in the seventh semester and carries three credits.

Is project work compulsory in BoSS?

Yes. The eighth semester includes a six-credit Project Work component based on independent research.

What subjects are studied in BoSS?

The curriculum includes sociology, anthropology, politics, economics, psychology, international relations, governance, public policy, human rights, geopolitics, migration, social impact, communication, research, project management, and several elective areas.

What can students study after BoSS?

Possible further-study areas include social science disciplines, International Relations, Policy Studies, Regional Studies, Development Studies, and other socioeconomic interdisciplinary programs.

Who awards the BoSS degree?

The degree is awarded under Kathmandu University according to its academic rules and regulations.