Health and Medicine Concentration (Sociology Majors)

Medical sociology is the study of the societal dimensions of health and medicine. It is a well-recognized field that offers great preparation for graduate school in the health-related professions. The Sociology Department has a good sequence of courses in the department for students with a pre-med or pre-health career path.  Students often plan to go to medical school, attend a graduate program in health services administration, or seek a program in social work. Students may seek jobs in human resources as well as recruiting in a health software companies.

The Health and Medicine concentration introduces students to the relationship between society and health. In this concentration, students will study the impact of social, cultural, political, and economic factors on health and vice-versa. Courses in this area examine issues such as health behavior, physical and mental illnesses, doctor-patient interaction, medicalization, health care reform, health care delivery and health policy. This concentration is for students interested in jobs related to medical, mental health, or social service fields, patient advocacy, mental health facilities or nursing homes, administrative positions, and program planning.

Health and Medicine Concentration (requirements)

The Sociology program offers a Health and Medicine concentration for Sociology majors. These options are designed to offer training to those interested in pursuing a career in serving the aging. Both the concentration and the minor provide a strong basis in critical issues of the field, and practical hands-on experience through the internship. Graduates with a minor or concentration in gerontology will have the foundation for pursuing a variety of careers.

Student Learning Objectives

Graduates with a concentration in Health and Medicine should demonstrate:

• Competency in the basic components and knowledge involving the services involving medical care, research and health issues for a global population and the population in the U.S.
• An understanding of the contemporary issues in healthcare facing the population and the social issues involved
• An awareness of global healthcare issues facing a world population

Assessment of Learning Objectives:

Sociology majors graduating with a concentration in gerontology are required to successfully complete the capstone senior seminar, research and defend a senior paper as well as pass a major field exit examination. Through these requirements, students must demonstrate their mastery of the major’s objectives.

For a Sociology major with a Health and Medicine concentration, a total of 36 semester hours is required:

15 hours of Health and Medicine courses

• SOCI 2000 Social Issues and Policy
• SOCI 2350 Death and Dying
• SOCI 3700 Medical Sociology
• SOCI 3975 Program Evaluation
• SOCI 3430 (Phil 3430) Bioethics

 15 hours of required Sociology major courses

• SOCI 1000 Introduction to Sociology
• SOCI 3900 Methods I: Introduction to Methodology
• SOCI 3950 Methods II: Understanding Data Analysis
• SOCI 4000 or 4475 Theory I or Theory II
• SOCI 4950 Presenting Social Analysis (Senior Seminar)

6 hours in Sociology electives

These courses must be satisfied with a grade of "C" or higher