Major Requirements for HSOC

The Health & Societies Major requires completion of fourteen (14) credits.
Note: No course may double count within the major.

1. CORE COURSE - HSOC 10 (Health & Societies: Global Perspectives, 1 cu): Required of all majors

2. QUANTITATIVE METHODS ( 1 cu): All majors must take ONE of these courses:

HSOC 100 (Introduction to Sociological Methods)
OR
HSOC 111 (The Health of Populations)

3-4. CORE DISCIPLINES (2 cu) : All majors must take TWO of these courses:

HSOC 2 (Medicine in History)
HSOC 275 (Medical Sociology)
HSOC 238 (Medical Anthropology)

5-7. HSOC and STSC ELECTIVES (3 cu) All majors must take THREE courses that have an HSOC or STSC designation (includes cross-listed courses).

8-13. FIELD OF CONCENTRATION (6 cu): SIX approved courses in ONE of these fields (follow link to templates for each field)

Bioethics and Society
Disease and Society
Environment and Health
Gender and Health
Health Policy and Law
Health Care Markets and Finance
International Health
Public Health

All courses listed on the templates automatically satisfy field of concentration requirements. Students may petition to have other courses included.

14. CAPSTONE RESEARCH REQUIREMENT (1 cu) : Successful completion of any 400-level HSOC or STSC course fulfills the Capstone research requirement. (These courses all include a research project.) The capstone requirement must be fulfilled in spring of junior year or fall of senior year.

INDEPENDENT STUDY: If you want to do an independent study to fulfill a concentration credit or to fulfill the capstone requirement, download the permission form and follow its instructions:
Independent Study Permission Form

Total credits needed to complete the HSOC major = 14
Total credits needed to graduate as an HSOC major= 34

Application to become an HSOC Major

(15.) HONORS: Students who wish to write a senior thesis for honors in the major are required to take HSOC 420 (research seminar) in the spring of junior year (this satisfies their capstone requirement) and HSOC 498 (honors thesis) in the fall of senior year. For more information, follow this link:
Writing a Senior Thesis

Total credits (completing HSOC major with honors) = 15
Total credits (graduating with honors in HSOC)= 35