Health and Society

Health and Society Program Goals:

The interdisciplinary Health and Society Major explores how social, cultural, economic, and political factors impact human health and well-being. Students work with faculty from the social sciences and humanities to develop a critical understanding of patterns of population health, the histories and cultures of health care practices, and strategies for promoting the health and well-being especially of marginalized and underserved populations. Students are encouraged to connect classroom learning with community-based internships and research.

This major prepares students for careers and graduate study in a wide range of health-related fields including: human services (eg. social worker, community health educator, patient advocate, medical interpreter, etc.); direct health care professions (eg. medical doctor, nurse, physicians’ assistant, doula, etc.); public health and health care policy; health care administration, and medical anthropology and sociology. Majors preparing for graduate work in health care fields are encouraged to complete the pre-health curriculum along with the Health and Society major. Double majors especially with related fields such as Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Crime and Justice Studies, Public Administration, and Women and Gender Studies are encouraged.

The learning objectives for the Health and Society major are:

Demonstrate skill in applying perspectives of various disciplines from the social sciences and humanities to the analysis of the social, cultural, economic, political, and economic factors that impact the health status, needs, and behaviors of diverse populations;
Demonstrate an understanding of how systemic inequalities along lines of class, race and ethnicity, gender, and geographic location affect health outcomes;
Develop an understanding of how theoretical frameworks and research from multiple disciplines can be used to find innovative and practical solutions to health-related problems;
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the organization and efficacy of health care systems and policies;
Develop basic skills in qualitative and quantitative social scientific research methods and a critical understanding of knowledge production;
Develop effective oral and written modes of communicating health-related issues to diverse audiences

Contributing Faculty are based in a wide range of departments including Sociology and Anthropology, Psychology, Crime and Justice Studies, Economics, Political Science, Philosophy, History, and English.

Admission into the Major:

Students seeking admission to Health and Society must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.

Students interested in majoring in Health and Society must schedule an interview with the Health and Society Program Director for permission to enter the program, to discuss the program requirements and to arrange for a permanent advisor.

Minimum Requirements for Graduation:

To successfully complete the program for graduation, all students must:

Maintain a minimum of a 2.75 GPA in the major
Maintain a minimum of a 2.0 GPA overall
Meet the HLT major requirements listed below
Complete 30 credits at 300/400 level (including all courses in the major)
Complete a minimum of 120 credits with at least 45 at UMass Dartmouth
Complete the University Studies requirements. For more information: http://www.umassd.edu/generaleducation/universitystudies/universitystudiescurriculum/.
Complete the distribution requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences