Health and Society is an interdisciplinary major focused on the social context of health. The curriculum provides an interdisciplinary understanding of the role of social factors in health, such as housing, economics, and local environments (i.e., social determinants of health), while facilitating the development of transferable professional skills emphasized in a liberal arts education, including critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, adaptability, ethics, and social responsibility. The central goal of the Health and Society major is to train students for careers that emphasize the socio-demographic, cultural, political, historical, and ethical contexts that underlie health behaviors, healthcare practices, and health policies by providing the knowledge and skills necessary to critically evaluate and inform strategies that address health at local, state, and national levels.
Health-related careers frequently require a team effort, incorporating multiple viewpoints and approaches. To prepare students for this, the Health and Society major engages students with a wide range of perspectives on health, including those from anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology. By intentionally integrating the conceptual frameworks, analytical tools, and data approaches from each discipline, the Health and Society curriculum provides graduates with a rich toolkit to tackle real-world challenges. With this interdisciplinary training, graduates can effectively communicate and collaborate with multiple stakeholders, approach problems creatively, facilitate collaborations across sectors, and foster innovation by blending ideas from different fields.
The knowledge and transferable skills students gain in this major can be applied in a variety of contexts and professions and offer the flexibility to explore different fields and career paths within and beyond the healthcare industry. Students with a BA/BGS in Health and Society will be ready for employment or further training in health services research, healthcare management and administration, public health, or health policy, and often pursue careers in the healthcare and health insurance fields, in both non-clinical and (with additional education and training) clinical positions. Additional areas of employment include non-profit organizations, government, public and social services, and international development.
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of the University Registrar website.
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
SOC 224 | Introduction to Health and Society | 3 |
SOC 424 | Sociology of Health and Medicine | 3 |
SOC 280 | Introduction to Social Research | 3 |
| 3 |
| Elementary Statistics and Data Analysis | |
| Data 2: Foundations of Data Science | |
| Elementary Statistics | |
| 3 |
| Capstone in Sociology | |
| Honors Course | |
| Internship Exploration | |
| Senior Seminar in Liberal Arts and Sciences | |
| 15 |
| Building Healthy Communities | |
| Building Healthy Communities, Honors |
| Pediatric Health and Health Promotion | |
| Introduction to Environmental Health | |
| Culture and Health | |
| Culture and Health, Honors | |
| Drugs and Diseases in Society | |
| Health Behavior Theory | |
| Health Aspects of Aging | |
| Health and Human Sexuality | |
| Health Policy and Healthcare Systems | |
| Applied Healthcare Law and Ethics | |
| Introduction to Public Health | |
| Introduction to Epidemiology | |
| Population Health | |
| Exploring Health Professions | |
| Moral Issues in Medicine | |
| Topics in Public Administration: _____ (The Politics of Public Health) | |
| Topics in Law & Society: _____ (The Politics of Public Health) | |
| Psychological Disorders | |
| Developmental Psychopathology | |
| Eating and Weight Disorders | |
| Health Psychology | |
| Health, Gender, and Society | |
| Sociology of Death and Dying | |
| Sociology of Global Health | |
| Women and Violence | |
Total Hours | 30 |
Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 30 hours of major courses.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 18 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
A sample 4-year plan for a BA degree in Health and Society can be found here: BA in Health and Society, or by using the left-side navigation.
A sample 4-year plan for the BGS degree in Health and Society can be found here: BGS in Health and Society, or by using the left-side navigation.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- differentiate between perspectives and approaches to health and critically evaluate how social factors shape the distribution of health and health behaviors in society.
- describe the structure and operation of U.S. healthcare systems and explain how healthcare systems, policies, and social factors interact to shape health outcomes in the United States.
- analyze social and health data through the systematic application of diverse social science research methods.
- synthesize information from across disciplines, communicate this information to diverse stakeholders, and use it to evaluate and inform strategies to address health disparities.
Working under the supervision of a faculty mentor, the undergraduate student must complete 6 hours of work in SOC 499 culminating in a superior thesis. The thesis must be certified by 3 members of the College faculty, at least 1 of whom must be from sociology, nominated by the candidate and approved by the departmental honors coordinator. The student also must achieve a grade-point average of at least 3.5 in health and society coursework.