Sociology is the study of group life: its characteristics, changes, causes and consequences. It combines scientific and humanistic perspectives in the study of urban and rural life, family patterns and relationships, social change, intergroup relationships, social class, environment, technology and communications, health seeking behavior, as well as social movements. The Department of Sociology offers an undergraduate degree, a minor, three certificates, and a graduate degree in sociology. The department also now offers a combined B.A./M.A. five-year program. The MA degree provides a progressive educational experience that equips students for master's level careers or entry into Ph.D. programs. Students complete a set of core courses in upper level sociology (27 credit hours) and either a Master's thesis, report on an internship, or portfolio of work (6 credit hours).
Enhancing the health and quality of life for individuals and communities are central goals to societies the world over. Health and medical sociology is a subfield devoted to the study of population health, health care systems and policy, and the social dimensions of illness and healing. Health and medical sociologists study the causes of health inequalities, social constructions of health and illness, origins of medical authority, doctor-patient relationships, community influences on health, and the social forces that affect policy. The Sociology Department's MA concentration in Health and Society provides training in the core research methodologies and theories of medical sociology, examining individual experience, institutional structures, laws and policies that affect health, and broader systems of inequality that lead to unequal rates of illness and access to care. This area of concentration provides in-depth training and is ideal for students interested in further graduate-level study and social research on health and medicine as well as those interested in careers in public health, health care services, and non-profit organizations.
