The department offers Bachelor of Arts major and minor programs of study in Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Egyptology and a Master of Arts program in Sociology–Anthropology, and in International Counseling and Community Psychology. Additionally, students majoring in Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology can enroll in the interdisciplinary majors’ specialization, namely the Community Development Specialization.

The department offers courses geared towards the different levels of core requirements from the primary to secondary and capstone levels.  It also contributes numerous courses to the collateral and elective requirements of other majors; coordinates and contributes to the Development Studies minor, the African Studies minor, American Studies minor, and Gender and Women’s Studies minor.  Additionally the Department contributes courses and faculty members assist in mentoring students and advising theses in the MA programs in Middle East Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies in the Middle East and North Africa, Economics in International Development, and Migration and Refugee Studies.

The department aims to provide quality education to students from Egypt and the world and to engage in scholarly research and publication relevant to the department's disciplines and to Egypt, the wider Arab World, and beyond. It also strives to provide appropriate community service—including counseling related to individual and group "problems", participation in development programs and activities, and efforts toward the preservation of cultural heritage.

Grounded in the traditions of the liberal arts and sciences, the department is concerned that its courses contribute to the development of critical thinking, reflect the changing conditions of the World, foster a global perspective and respect for human diversity, enhance a holistic understanding of peoples and their societies and cultures, and assist in the development of socially-aware and culturally-sensitive citizens.