Major Requirements

Thirty semester hours of major coursework, including at least 15 hours of upper-division coursework, consisting of one course in each of the following areas:

• H S 301, Introduction to Health and Society
• H S 302, Current Approaches to Health and Society
• Methods and Statistics*
• Social Justice and Health*
• H S 350E, Foundations of Epidemiology
• Individual Health and Health Behavior*
• Global Health and Population Health*
• Health Care Policy and Economics*
• Social and Cultural Context of Health*
• H S 378, Seminar in Health and Society

*Lists of approved courses for each requirement can be found here.

In addition to the general degree requirements listed by the College of Liberal Arts, the following courses are required to complete the major in Health & Society:

Foundational course (3 hrs)

H S 301 Introduction to Health and Society

A broad, multidisciplinary overview and introduction to the study of health and society. 

Biology (3 hrs)

BIO 301D Biology I (For non-science majors)

BIO 301L Molecules to Organisms (For non-science majors)

BIO 301G Genetics in the 21st Century (For non-science majors)

BIO 302D Ecology and Evolution

BIO 302E Genetics/Genomics

BIO 302F Human Health & Disease

BIO 302G Biotechnology and the Future

BIO 301E Problems in Modern Biology (for Plan II)

BIO 309D Human Body

BIO 311C Introduction Biology I (For science majors)

Social/Behavioral Epidemiology (3 hrs)

H S 350E Foundations of Epidemiology

Methods & Statistics (3 hrs)

SDS 301 Elementary Statistical Methods

SDS 302 Data Analysis for Health Sciences (retired)

SDS 302F Foundations of Data Analysis (recommended for pre-Health professions)

SDS 304 Statistics in Health Care (retired)

SOC 317L Introduction to Social Statistics

SOC 317M Introduction to Social Research

See H&S Advisor for other approved courses.

Social Justice & Health (3 hrs)

H S 341 Health and Justice

PHL 325M Medicine, Ethics & Society

PHL 325E Biomedical Ethics

N 321 Ethics of Health Care

S W 325 Foundations of Social Justice

LAH 351D Ethical Issues in Med/Society

T C 358 Ethics and Medicine

Study Tracks (12 hrs)

Students will choose one of the following tracks and complete 9 hours from their chosen track and 3 additional hours from any track. Learn more about the tracks here and see advisor for the latest approved course list.

NOTE: Most students will need 6 hours of study track coursework to be upper-division in order to meet the requirements of the major. With few exceptions, Health & Society majors do not have special access to track courses that have restrictions or prerequisites that students don't otherwise meet. 

• Health & Behavior
• Cultural Aspects of Health
• Health Care & Economy
• Population Health

Capstone (3 hrs)

H S 378 Seminar in Health & Society

A capstone writing and research seminar on specialized topics in Health & Society.