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Portrait of Health & Society student, Gabriel Johnson '23

Health and Society
BA, BS

On-campus Undergraduate Major Interdisciplinary

Lead the future of health equity and policy

The health and society bachelor's degree program explores multiple perspectives on health, health care, and related systems and policies. You will engage in critical analysis of the factors that impact the health and health behaviors of diverse populations, the provision of health care, and the formulation of health-related policy. 

This program brings together ideas from many fields—like economics, politics, psychology, history, and communication—to help you understand today’s biggest health challenges. You'll learn how to think in creative ways to solve problems in public and global health.

Develop real-world skills in healthcare, policy, and research

  • Understand how systemic inequalities affect health outcomes
  • Learn how theoretical frameworks and research from multiple disciplines can be used to find innovative solutions to health-related problems
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the organization and efficacy of health care systems and policies
  • Develop basic skills in qualitative and quantitative social scientific research methods
  • Utilize effective oral and written modes of communicating health-related issues to diverse audiences

BS versus BA in health and society

Bachelor of science in health and society

A BS in health and society will serve students interested in pursuing allied health fields and are concurrently completing demanding sets of prerequisites. This option facilitates the smooth incorporation of required science courses into pre-health students’ academic plans and encourages a timely graduation of health and society majors in pre-professional tracks. 

Bachelor of arts in health and society

A BA in health and society will prepare students for working in public health, epidemiology, health communication, and advocacy while creating a rigorous course study rooted in an interdisciplinary approach to health.  

Student success

Average starting salary

NACE Data Collection Summer 2024 Survey
Health & Society major Gabriel Johnson pictured in the amphitheater

Student spotlight

Gabriel Johnson '24: Making a difference

Health & society major finds passion working towards a future that benefits all.

Career preparation

Our interdisciplinary program prepares students for careers and graduate study in a wide range of health-related fields, including:

  • Doctor 
  • Nurse
  • Physician assistant
  • Pharmacist
  • Physical therapist
  • Health educator
  • Policy analyst
  • Community health worker
  • Epidemiologist
  • Healthcare administration management
  • Health advocacy

 

Graduate school placements

  • Boston University
  • Simmons University
  • UMass Amherst
  • Emory University
  • Regis College
  • University of Connecticut

3+3 with UMass Law: a fast track to a law degree

Enrollment in the 3+3 joint degree program with UMass Law offers an accelerated pathway to an undergraduate and law degree, enabling qualifying students to substitute the first year of law school for the final year of their undergraduate program, thereby earning both a bachelor’s degree from UMass Dartmouth and a Juris Doctor from UMass Law in six rather than seven years.

Health and society curriculum encourages students to develop collaborative and creative problem-solving skills and contribute to the evidence-based analysis of disparities in patterns of illness, mortality, and quality of life. 

To satisfy the requirements for the BS in health and society, students must complete a total of 120 credit hours of instruction. Students will be required to take 46 credits in the major:

  • Intro to health and society, a foundational course
  • 6 social science and humanities elective courses
  • 3 science and lab elective courses

To satisfy the requirements for the BA in health and society, students must complete a total of 120 credit hours of instruction. Students will be required to take 36 credits in the major:

  • Intro to Health and Society, a foundational course
  • 6 elective courses
  • 2 general electives

Sample course offerings

  • Race, Gender, and Biomedicine
  • Gender Health Disparities
  • Food, Health, and Nutrition
  • Public Health and Tobacco Control
  • Healthy Cities
  • Having Babies Making Families
  • Women's Health and Environment
  • Toxic Bodies

 

Course descriptions, schedules and requirements